Hansard

PE2138, which was lodged by Ian Hume McKee, calls on the Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to make the design and signage for publicly owned buildings accessible for people with colour blindness.We previously considered the petition on 18 June 2025, when we agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and to Disability Equality Scotland. The cabinet secretary’s response to the committee states that British standard BS 8300 makes recommendations on the use of light reflectance values in buildings and signage to establish tonal contrast between elements and that it recommends the use of universally accepted public information symbols and colour coding, as set out under international standards, for health and safety signage. The response goes on to state that, when guidance is produced by the Scottish Government, the recommendations of BS 8300 are either cited directly or inform its production. It states that there are relevant examples from building regulations, the requirements of Scottish Government estate projects and sector-specific guidance for national health service estates as provided. The cabinet secretary notes that signage in buildings and services operated by wider public authorities is an operational matter for the relevant public authority.Disability Equality Scotland’s response to the committee sets out its agreement that colour blindness should be considered as an important factor when creating signage for individuals with colour blindness and other impairments. The response also points out that the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments to be made to access and services.The petitioner has provided a written submission, which notes that BS 8300 strongly recommends the use of symbols or words in addition to colour. Therefore, toilet signage should include the words “engaged” or “vacant”, and trend lines in graphics should be distinguished by symbols. However, he states that that rarely happens.The petitioner states that there is a great deal of ignorance about the problems of those who are colour blind, yet there is a reserve of good will to help, and that simple, cheap measures exist to ameliorate those problems. The petitioner maintains that the Scottish Government has a role in encouraging such measures—I recall not having been largely aware of that when the petition first came before us. Do colleagues have any suggestions as to how we might proceed?