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Showing 33 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
05 Mar 2002
Budget Process 2003-04
Michael McMahon was looking at Yvonne Strachan, so I am unsure whether he wants me to answer. I will start off and Yvonne Strachan can continue.A considerable amount of work on data collection has been done across the Executive. The equality unit has done a lot of work and is ...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
To be honest, we are not yet being as direct as that. I will ask Yvonne Strachan to say a wee bit about the race equality plans in a moment, because they have a slightly different resonance in the context of more general mainstreaming and equality work.There is a growing expec...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
I genuinely think that the equality unit has been very successful—I am not bound to say that, although Yvonne Strachan is sitting beside me. The unit has faced several challenges: first it is small; secondly, a lot is expected of it; and thirdly, it has a lot of work to do, ab...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
24 Feb 2004
European Year of Disabled People
Yvonne Strachan will discuss the details, but I absolutely accept the principle behind what you say. However, funding is not the only way in which we can support infrastructure, grass-roots organisations and the provision of disability information. Other work is continuing, wh...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 May 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
There are, I hope, a lot—I hear somebody whispering to Yvonne Strachan that I will ask her to come up with quite a number. There is a range of initiatives about which we have talked in the committee. We have always argued that we need the policy and the budget to twin each oth...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
That is an interesting point, which applies across the whole equality agenda. We often do not have the research that we need to focus our work appropriately. Particularly in the disability field, we are aware that the research is not as robust as we want it to be. I shall let ...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
30 Oct 2001
Taking Stock (Gender Issues)
I have been looking into that issue. The first stage of guidance on the equality proofing of budgets was issued at the end of last year. We foresee future incremental developments as we learn over the years. The Minister for Finance and Local Government has established an equa...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
That is a big question. If I was being honest, I would answer yes and no. I will let Yvonne Strachan talk about consultation and the ways in which we work with disability organisations, which is a huge issue that is involved with supporting disability organisations in their di...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
In principle, we certainly subscribe to the idea of stakeholders having a role in monitoring and evaluation. The convener and at least 50 per cent of members of the mobility and access committee will be people with disabilities. Yvonne Strachan is more involved with that and c...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
That ties in with Yvonne Strachan's argument. It would be much easier if there were one disability organisation that represented every disability group in Scotland. We could invite that organisation to sit on a committee with us and talk through how we are developing our work ...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
12 Feb 2002
Taking Stock (Disability Issues)
We accept that we will not get proper monitoring and evaluation if we wait until three years after the work has been done before asking people how they thought that it went. The approach must be built into the process of the work that we are undertaking. That is the model that...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
05 Mar 2002
Budget Process 2003-04
I might defer some of the budget questions until later. I will speak about the mainstreaming agenda with regard to housing, with which I am a bit more familiar because that comes under my portfolio. We should not always put in extra money for equalities, because the extra mone...
The Minister for Social Justice (Ms Margaret Curran): Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
Thank you for your congratulations. I have indeed worked closely with the committee and I hope to continue that working relationship in my new role. Equalities will continue to be a significant part of my portfolio. The First Minister has said to me that he wants equalities to...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
I know that a great deal of discussion took place between housing officials and representatives of the Gypsy Traveller communities at the committee's seminar, and I know that progress was made. I will ask Tim Ellis or Yvonne Strachan to provide details on that progress.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
14 May 2002
Taking Stock (Race Issues)
The campaign will be launched in the near future—we plan to launch it during the summer. Some discussions have taken place on the campaign and we have undertaken research in order to ensure that we impinge on the attitudes that we want to address. That research has informed ou...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
We could argue that quite a lot has been done in education in its broadest sense—quite a lot of work is going on through schools, for example. More broadly, there is the anti-racism campaign. That campaign is about raising awareness of the scale of racism in Scotland, the impa...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
That final point seems to be entirely in keeping with what the First Minister has said. The First Minister's comments have emerged from the kind of thinking that has been around in the equality field. It seems to us, and more broadly to Scottish society, that we are at the sta...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Again, I shall kick off and then let Yvonne Strachan give the administrative details. She always knows the dates and timetables, and I am not so good at that. Broadly speaking, we regard the pilots as having been successful but, in a sense, the work will never be complete. I d...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Yes, you can expect a report before dissolution. I was whispering to Yvonne Strachan because I thought that our commitment was that the report would be published in November. I am in the wrong anyway and I shall take the rap for it. The timetable has slipped and I am genuinely...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Yvonne Strachan has been working hard on the steering group, so I will let her pick up that query.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Yvonne Strachan can report back on one aspect of data collection.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
After I have answered the member's question, I will ask Yvonne Strachan to say more, as she has worked with some of the groups involved.Elaine Smith is right about the pay gap, which has increased by 1 per cent. That is very worrying and shows the scale of the challenge that w...
Ms Margaret Curran: Lab Committee
28 Oct 2003
Budget Process 2004-05
I will start the reply to that question, but Yvonne Strachan has led the officials' detailed work. Along with our key partners in the equality and voluntary sectors, the officials have done a good job. We want to provide clear and sharp information in the budget documents with...
Ms Margaret Curran: Lab Committee
28 Oct 2003
Budget Process 2004-05
Like most people, we strongly support the connection between spend and outcomes. Of course, simply wanting that connection to be made does not mean that, when one looks at how expenditure is disaggregated across a range of organisations, it will be easy to make it. The committ...
Ms Margaret Curran: Lab Committee
28 Oct 2003
Budget Process 2004-05
I am confident that we try. I cannot say that we have got everything perfectly right and I am sure the stakeholders would not say that, either. As Yvonne Strachan said, we must strike a balance. Different groups will say different things to us and there are often tensions arou...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
24 Feb 2004
European Year of Disabled People
Again, that question raised a range of issues. I have looked at some of the research that the committee has seen. Evidence on the relationships between poverty, ill health and disability is significant—we will have to address that as part of the communities portfolio.Yvonne St...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
24 Feb 2004
European Year of Disabled People
Perhaps I could address the point about the money that we announced today, which is to provide support for young people during their transition into work. That would not necessarily exclude family support, but I will ask Yvonne Strachan to confirm whether that is the case.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
24 Feb 2004
European Year of Disabled People
I will need to get Yvonne Strachan to remind me where we are with that. I have been told that we are going through consultation at the moment; I should have known that. The working group's report has been published and it is out for consultation.
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 May 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
As Yvonne Strachan was talking, I whispered "best value". We have made progress in that what are now standard regimes of best value incorporate equality. Those of us who were active in these debates 10 or 15 years ago will be pleased to see that progress. It is important to ke...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 May 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
Yvonne Strachan will correct me if I am wrong, because she knows more about the history and detail of the work. Statistics on gender are more readily available, which is why the model was developed from a gender perspective. Once we have a working model of statistical analysis...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 May 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
Yvonne Strachan will remind me of the details, but I recall discussion about how inequality in the school curriculum is being addressed more broadly. Equality groups have made proposals to promote equality in that. Discussions are being held with the Education Department, whic...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 May 2004
Budget Process 2005-06
That is a huge and significant issue and I have two points to make on it. The first is on LGBT groups. You will know that we meet the networks regularly. In fact, the most recent big discussion we had with them was on funding—at least, the subject certainly came up at the meet...
Ms Curran: Lab Committee
04 Feb 2003
Mainstreaming Equality
Write that down, Yvonne.
← Back to list
Committee

Equal Opportunities Committee, 05 Mar 2002

05 Mar 2002 · S1 · Equal Opportunities Committee
Item of business
Budget Process 2003-04
Curran, Margaret Lab Glasgow Baillieston Watch on SPTV
Michael McMahon was looking at Yvonne Strachan, so I am unsure whether he wants me to answer. I will start off and Yvonne Strachan can continue.A considerable amount of work on data collection has been done across the Executive. The equality unit has done a lot of work and is currently undertaking a consultation on gender issues, which I mentioned on a previous occasion. We are working towards implementing the recommendations on the collection of data in education that the race equality advisory forum made in its report. A whole range of data collection is being undertaken. Yvonne Strachan will provide further detail.

In the same item of business

The Convener: Lab
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 fo...
The Deputy Minister for Social Justice (Ms Margaret Curran): Lab
I apologise for having to leave at 10.30 am, but the domestic abuse conference is today. I hope that the Equal Opportunities Committee will forgive me. It is...
Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): Lab
The minister has answered my first question, which was on the mainstreaming pilots in housing, but I have a question about education. Will she share with us ...
Ms Curran: Lab
I hope that that means that I will not have to talk about housing and education. There is a lot of good work in housing to which I want to draw attention, bu...
Cathy Peattie: Lab
The minister will agree that it is important to ensure that the mainstreaming of equalities issues runs all the way through legislation, but how do we deal w...
Ms Curran: Lab
That is a big question and there is a range of different answers. I know what the committee recommended about Gypsy Travellers and the discussions highlighte...
Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): SNP
Is additional funding available for the pilots that you spoke about? Which budget heading does it come under?
Ms Curran: Lab
I might defer some of the budget questions until later. I will speak about the mainstreaming agenda with regard to housing, with which I am a bit more famili...
Yvonne Strachan (Scottish Executive Development Department):
As members know from the objectives that are set out, £1 million per annum is allocated towards equalities work. It is intended to be used principally for pr...
Ms Curran: Lab
The key issue is that all spending ministries are equality-spending ministries. That is the key point that I want to convey—to my colleagues as much as to Gi...
Mr Paterson: SNP
Are there plans to roll out the outcomes of the pilots throughout the Executive?
Ms Curran: Lab
Yes. The housing pilot is a bit more advanced, because the legislative programme was more advanced and because the pilot came at an early stage in relation t...
Mr Paterson: SNP
The memorandum that you and Peter Peacock have supplied states:"Ministers and officials have also established contacts with the Government of Canada".We all ...
Ms Curran: Lab
You will know that I visited Canada. I have told you that before; you must think that I love to share my stories with you. We saw the work of organisations a...
Mr Paterson: SNP
Good. Thank you for that.
The Convener: Lab
I remind members that the minister has to leave at half-past 10. I have quite a list of questions, so I ask that we keep the questions—and the answers—reason...
Ms Curran: Lab
Apologies.
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): Lab
I have a point about housing, which relates to what Gil Paterson was asking. I am impressed with what the Executive has done to take forward the domestic abu...
Ms Curran: Lab
I will try to address those many points as quickly as I can.I recognise the points that Elaine Smith has made. We decided that refuge provision was a big pri...
Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): Con
Are you able to insist on the adoption of pilot results by the agencies, non-governmental organisations and non-departmental public bodies that you fund. Wha...
Ms Curran: Lab
We have several levers and a lot of power over housing. Funding is perhaps the biggest and most important lever.
Mrs McIntosh: Con
We shall come to that.
Ms Curran: Lab
Peter Peacock might be able to deal with that.Guidance and regulation are also important. For example, equal opportunities in the broadest sense is a require...
Mrs McIntosh: Con
Will you consider methods such as those used for European structural funds, whereby a condition of funding for health authorities or local authorities is tha...
Ms Curran: Lab
Technically, that would be possible, but we would have to ensure that it was effective. For example, equality is a requirement for local housing strategies, ...
Mrs McIntosh: Con
Will you consider target setting?
Ms Curran: Lab
Yes, but in partnership with local authorities. Local authorities strongly resist ring fencing, so a partnership arrangement is more constructive. We have mu...
Mrs McIntosh: Con
Throwing your weight around?
Ms Curran: Lab
I might not be adverse to that if I thought that it would achieve something.
The Convener: Lab
That is an interesting point. I presume that the Scottish Executive would step in if a health board or local authority that received Government money to fulf...