Scotland to get human rights commissioner
10 Oct 05
Scottish Commissioner for Human Rights Bill provides for independent scrutiny of public bodies
Scotland is to get an independent human rights commissioner under an Executive bill published today.
The Scottish Commissioner for Human Rights Bill will establish an independent commissioner to promote awareness and understanding of, and respect for, human rights in Scotland. The commissioner will be able to conduct inquiries into the policies or practices of Scottish public authorities in relation to human rights.
Duties
The commissioner's duties will include promotion, education and raising awareness of human rights; providing guidance to public authorities; monitoring and reporting human rights law and practice; and investigating and reporting on generic or sectoral human rights issues.
The commissioner, accountable to the Scottish Parliament, will have a remit covering all international human rights treaties ratified by the UK, so far as they relate to devolved issues.
Human rights issues relating to reserved matters will be the responsibility of the new Great Britain Commission for Equality and Human Rights, to be established by the Equality Bill presently before the Westminster Parliament.
Resources
The Scottish commissioner's office will comprise one commissioner and up to two deputies with associated staff. The Scottish Eecutive will provide an extra £1m per year to the Parliament from 2006-07 to cover the SCHR's costs.
Deputy Education Minister Robert Brown said: "This bill will allow people to gain a better understanding of how human rights can benefit them individually and collectively, while helping and empowering them to assert those rights much more effectively. In addition, the Commissioner will help make sure that public authorities respect human rights."
Evidence
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice 1 Committee today called for interested parties to give evidence on the general principles of the bill, in advance of the committee considering in in December and January. It invites them to explain whether they think a Scottish Commissioner for Human Rights should be established and why, what such a body would add to existing mechanisms for protecting human rights in Scotland, and how it should be accountable.