Parliament Committee to investigate best approach to human rights
Image credit: dun_deagh, Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dun_deagh/10253345204/in/album-72157627413379299/
In 2016, human rights were specifically added to the remit of a Scottish Parliament Committee, to make it the Equalities and Human Rights Committee. The Committee wants to ensure that they adopt the best possible approach to scrutinising human rights, and so have decided to gather evidence through an inquiry.
In broad terms the inquiry will consider human rights under three main themes: participation and engagement; Parliamentary procedure and process; and accountability.
It was agreed that the inquiry would be conducted in two phases.
Phase one: To seek written briefing on the scrutiny of human rights and equalities by other legislatures in the UK; international comparisons of best practice in the monitoring and scrutiny of human rights, and baseline information on UN concluding observations relevant to Scotland. This information would then inform the next phase.
Phase two: To seek the views of an expert panel to shape the engagement activities and public evidence gathering. Also, to undertake a fact-finding visit to European Institutions, based in Strasbourg.
The Human Rights Consortium Scotland will be gathering views and insights into scrutiny of human rights by the Parliament – if you would like to participate in discussions around this, please contact us at hrcscotland@gmail.com
Read more about the inquiry here: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/106453.aspx
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