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Organisations ask First Minister to prioritise the Human Rights Bill

  • Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 27th September 2022

Several organisations publish a joint letter raising concerns about the delay to the consultation on the Human Rights Bill.

A group of Scottish civil society organisations, including the ALLIANCE, have written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to express their concerns about the delay to the consultation on the Scottish Human Rights Incorporation Bill.

The Scottish Government first made their commitment to introduce the Bill, which could bring major international human rights home to Scotland and make them real for everyone who lives here, in March 2021. A consultation on the Bill was then expected to be announced in Spring 2022. However, the Scottish Government’s plan is now to publish the consultation sometime in 2023; a delay which the group of civil society organisations has called “regrettable.”

The letter expresses the group’s strong support for the Bill, and recognises that incorporating international human rights treaties into Scots law is a complicated process. However, the signatories stipulate that it is now more important than ever that the Scottish Government gives its progressive new Bill all the resources it needs to succeed. The letter highlights regressive laws coming from the UK Government, the climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis as key factors which should be driving the Scottish Government to develop the Bill.

Specifically, the group has asked for increased capacity for the Human Rights Bill team to develop the Bill and consultation, and for every division within the Scottish Government to have a nominated person who is responsible for contributing to the development and delivery of this Bill. The letter specifies that in order for human rights to be effectively embedded in decision-making at every level, it must belong to more than one division of the Government. The group has also asked for transparent engagement with civil society experts.

The letter ends by echoing the group’s unwavering commitment to the purpose of the new Human Rights Bill, to make human rights for all a reality in Scotland.

To read the full letter, click here.

Find out more about the Human Rights Bill.

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