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Showing 18 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
The Convener: Lab Committee
20 Jun 2000
“Towards an Equality Strategy”
The next item on the agenda is evidence on "Towards an Equality Strategy". Everybody has had a copy of the report on the responses. The annexe includes a list of respondents. We are being offered the opportunity to examine the responses, of which there are a number. Today, we ...
The Convener: Lab Committee
22 May 2000
Budget Process
I welcome Jackie Baillie, the Deputy Minister for Communities, and Yvonne Strachan. They are here to talk about the budget process, although they may be asked questions on other subjects. They will have to be flexible about whether they answer them. I understand that Jackie Ba...
The Convener: Lab Committee
22 May 2000
Budget Process
Thank you. Does Yvonne Strachan wish to add anything at this stage?
The Convener: Lab Committee
22 May 2000
Budget Process
I do not think that there are any other questions. I thank Jackie Baillie and Yvonne Strachan for coming along to answer questions. The minister said that she was worried about not getting an invite for so long; no doubt we will have you back soon, minister, and you might regr...
The Convener: Lab Committee
08 May 2001
Budget Process 2002-03
Item 4 on the agenda is consideration of the budget process 2002-03. I welcome Jackie Baillie, the Minister for Social Justice, and Yvonne Strachan, from the Scottish Executive equality unit, to give evidence to the committee today. I point out that Jackie Baillie has come alo...
The Convener: Lab Committee
08 May 2001
Budget Process 2002-03
As there are no further questions, I thank Jackie Baillie and Yvonne Strachan for coming to the committee and giving evidence.
The Convener: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
Thank you. I apologise for forgetting to welcome Yvonne Strachan and Graeme Bryce of the Scottish Executive's equality unit. They have come to give evidence and support the minister.I will now throw the meeting open to questions.
The Convener: Lab Committee
05 Mar 2002
Budget Process 2003-04
Under item 2, we will take evidence on the budget process from Margaret Curran, the Deputy Minister for Social Justice; Peter Peacock, the Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services; Yvonne Strachan; Rachel Edgar; and Helen Mansbridge.I ask members to direct their questio...
The Convener: Lab Committee
26 Mar 2002
Subordinate Legislation
As there are no more questions, I thank the witnesses for coming to the meeting to give evidence.The next witnesses are Yvonne Strachan, Tim Ellis, Rhona Carr and Rosemary Lindsay. I do not know who will kick off, but perhaps someone will give a brief introduction. Perhaps som...
The Convener: Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
The next item on our agenda is our third taking stock exercise. Today, the committee will deal with race issues.Before I get ahead of myself, I welcome the Minister for Social Justice, Margaret Curran MSP, and Yvonne Strachan and Tim Ellis, who are from the Scottish Executive ...
The Convener: Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
We look forward to the launch.I thank Margaret Curran, Yvonne Strachan and Tim Ellis for giving evidence to the committee today. I look forward to working closely with the minister in future.
The Convener: Lab Committee
03 Sep 2002
Gender Equality and Best Value Inquiry
Item 4 is our inquiry into gender equality and best value. We will now hear evidence from Peter Peacock, who is the Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services, and from Yvonne Strachan and Mary Newman from the Scottish Executive. I invite the minister to make a short stat...
The Convener: Lab Committee
12 Nov 2002
Taking Stock <br />(Sexual Orientation Issues)
Agenda item 2 concerns taking stock of sexual orientation issues. I welcome Hugh Henry, who is the Deputy Minister for Social Justice, Angela McGarrigle, Yvonne Strachan and David Thomson. They are here to give evidence. Does the minister want to make an opening statement befo...
The Convener: Lab Committee
03 Dec 2002
European Year of Disabled People 2003
I welcome to the committee representatives from the Scottish steering group for the European year of disabled people. Members will know Yvonne Strachan from the equality unit, as she has appeared before the committee on many occasions. The other witnesses are Bob Benson, from ...
The Convener: Lab Committee
03 Dec 2002
European Year of Disabled People 2003
I should point out that if any witness other than Yvonne Strachan wants to respond to a question, they have only to indicate. They do not have to press any buttons on the microphone console; their microphones will come on automatically when I call them to speak.
The Convener: Lab Committee
03 Dec 2002
European Year of Disabled People 2003
I want to pick up on one of Michael McMahon's questions about young disabled people. Yvonne Strachan said that a representative of the youth parliament is now on the steering group. I spoke at a conference last week, which the Scottish Executive's "Equal Futures" conference sp...
The Convener (Kate Maclean): Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
We should get started. I have received apologies from Jamie Stone, who is unable to attend because of the weather, and from Kay Ullrich, who is running a bit late.I welcome to the meeting a party of clerks from the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are observing today'...
The Convener: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Given that we have only one or two committee meetings before dissolution, that might be a matter that the future committee will wish to examine. We will produce a legacy paper and you might wish to raise the matter in that context.I thank the minister and Yvonne Strachan for c...
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Committee

Equal Opportunities Committee, 20 Jun 2000

20 Jun 2000 · S1 · Equal Opportunities Committee
Item of business
“Towards an Equality Strategy”
Maclean, Kate Lab Dundee West Watch on SPTV
The next item on the agenda is evidence on "Towards an Equality Strategy". Everybody has had a copy of the report on the responses. The annexe includes a list of respondents. We are being offered the opportunity to examine the responses, of which there are a number. Today, we will hear from Yvonne Strachan, Esther Breitenbach and Kate Bilton from the Scottish Executive. As I said, Jackie Baillie is coming on 4 July to talk to the committee about the report.

Yvonne Strachan will lead. The committee will then have the opportunity ask questions.

In the same item of business

The Convener: Lab
The next item on the agenda is evidence on "Towards an Equality Strategy". Everybody has had a copy of the report on the responses. The annexe includes a lis...
Yvonne Strachan (Scottish Executive Equality Unit):
I will make a couple of brief introductory remarks and then invite Esther Breitenbach, who is the research consultant for the equality unit, to give a little...
Esther Breitenbach (Scottish Executive Equality Unit):
I want to do three things in introducing the report. First, I want to talk about distribution and how we got the report out to people. Secondly, I want to ta...
Esther Breitenbach (Scottish Executive Equality Unit):
Committee members might have been confused by a small technical matter: although the tables in the early part of the report indicate clearly that there were ...
The Convener: Lab
You said that 4,000 copies were distributed. Were they distributed in accessible formats such as Braille, audiotape and languages that are minority languages...
Esther Breitenbach:
I do not have all the details to hand. The document was translated into community languages and certainly would have been available in a big-print version. I...
Yvonne Strachan:
We received one request for the document in Hindi and one request for it in Braille. Copies in those formats were made available.
The Convener: Lab
Obviously, as you accepted late submissions, people were not disadvantaged because they had to request the document in an accessible format.Will the 185 resp...
Yvonne Strachan:
The report on the consultation will be sent to everybody who responded to the consultation. We hope that they will see that not only their views but the view...
Mr McMahon: Lab
I have a similar question to yours, convener. It is about the on-going involvement that the report highlights. Does that pose problems for the Executive and ...
Yvonne Strachan:
The issue of communication and networking was a significant part of the consultation and the responses. The Executive's task is to consider the best way to r...
Mr McMahon: Lab
An obvious implication of doing that will be resources. Has the Scottish Executive indicated that there will be adequate resources to continue the involvemen...
Yvonne Strachan:
Several issues arise from the question of whether there are resources to develop communication and networking. Developing appropriate consultative networks i...
Esther Breitenbach:
There is already a well-established framework for women's organisations through the database and the women in Scotland consultative forum, which has met regu...
Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): SNP
You acknowledged that the consultation was different, in that it did not focus on specific proposals but took a more general approach. A major criticism of t...
Yvonne Strachan:
We welcome open and frank opinion. It is good to hear points that are constructive, whether they are negative or positive. As Esther Breitenbach said in her ...
Irene McGugan: SNP
How do you plan to develop the strategy in the light of the responses that you have received, and what time scale are you working to?
Yvonne Strachan:
Jackie Baillie will be at the Equal Opportunities Committee on 4 July, and we see that as an important part of the process. We are currently discussing how w...
Malcolm Chisholm: Lab
I am interested in the definitional aspects of this matter. I read an interesting submission from the Scottish Poverty Information Unit, whose main concern w...
Yvonne Strachan:
How the equality strategy will move forward in the light of the consultation has to be considered further. The relationship between social inclusion, particu...
Malcolm Chisholm: Lab
You will not be here for item 4 on the agenda, but I can make this question relevant by saying that part of the strategy is to get work done on specific poli...
Esther Breitenbach:
The final version of the report on women and transport will be finished soon. The purpose of that research was to examine women's transport needs, as it was ...
Johann Lamont: Lab
I want to cover more about how successful this consultation process has been. Would the level of responses received be considered to be within the normal ran...
Esther Breitenbach:
I will answer the general question first, then I will ask Kate Bilton to answer the specific questions.It is not easy to say whether the response rates were ...
Johann Lamont: Lab
An equality strategy is probably as broad a consultation process as we could get. Would you have expected more than 185 responses? In your organisation, is t...
Esther Breitenbach:
We do not know the answer to that. We would have to take some soundings and to re-examine who responded. We might ask some of the people whom we might have e...
Kate Bilton (Scottish Executive Equality Unit):
There will be organisations that cover interests that are outwith their main purpose. A local authority will certainly cover issues concerning women, black a...
Johann Lamont: Lab
On women's issues, it would be interesting to know whether the voluntary sector is saying something different from statutory organisations, or whether women'...
Kate Bilton:
Further analysis could be done on that, if it were deemed appropriate.
Esther Breitenbach:
A number of responses covered a range of equality areas, whereas others focused very specifically on one interest. There were women's organisations that talk...