Scotland – Major Events – Timeline
Scotland – Major Events – Timeline
Link | Description |
|---|---|
| 2004: Scottish Government – Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy | Strategy not found – referenced in the Anti-Racism Policy Review (Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, 2001). |
| 2004: Scottish Government – The Diversity Strategy 2004 and Beyond | Strategy not found – referenced in the Anti-Racism Policy Review (Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, 2001). |
| 2005: The Scottish Community Development Centre and Scottish Government – National Standards for Community Engagement | The National Standards for Community Engagement (NSfCE) are a set of good-practice principles launched in Scotland in 2005 to support and improve community engagement, commissioned by the Scottish Government. Co-produced with practitioners, these standards, including principles of inclusion, equality, clear purposes, and learning from experience, are designed to guide and inform community planning and user involvement in areas like health and social care. They were refreshed in 2016 and continue to be accepted as key principles for effective practice. |
| 2007: National Performance Framework for Scotland | The National Performance Framework (NPF) in Scotland was first created by the Scottish Government in 2007. This framework was introduced to set out the government's vision for the collective wellbeing of Scotland and to guide its approach to achieving that vision. The NPF was designed to be a strategic tool, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and focusing on a balanced approach to economic, social, and environmental progress. |
| 2008: Scottish Government – Race Equality Statement 2008-2011 | Taking into account our public sector equality duties and drawing on the evidence from our stakeholders, our Review of Race Equality Work in Scotland and the work of the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament, we will structure our work towards race/ equality and refugee integration around the following themes: Improved opportunities for people from minority ethnic (including Gypsy/Traveller), refugee, asylum seeker and faith communities – taking action to address the barriers which are at present preventing people from those communities from achieving what they are capable of. More responsive communities, where people from minority ethnic (including Gypsy/Traveller), refugee, asylum seeker and faith communities are better supported by services, whether specialist or mainstream. Safer communities, with lasting connections between people from all communities – minority ethnic (including Gypsy/Traveller), refugee, asylum seeker and faith communities and the wider community. Communities where all feel valued and able to live safely, respecting and valuing the contributions of all. Communities where hate crime based on race or faith is tackled effectively and where such crimes, in time, are reduced. More active and vibrant communities, with increased participation by people from minority ethnic (including Gypsy/Traveller), refugee, asylum seeker and faith communities in all aspects of mainstream community and civic activity. Increased engagement will help the integration and strengthening of community relations and develop understanding of our shared goals and aspirations. It will also contribute to the delivery of better services and provisions as the needs of communities become better understood. |
| 2012: Scottish Government – The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations | The specific duties for Scotland were laid before the Scottish Parliament on 21 March 2012 and came into force on 27 May 2012.The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 requires public authorities including the Scottish Government to publish equality outcomes which it will work to achieve. In 2021, the Scottish Government set out a suite of equality outcomes to cover the period up to 2025. |
| 2013: Scottish Government – Equality Outcomes: Ethnicity Evidence Review | The Scottish Government Equality Outcomes: Ethnicity Evidence Review is a comprehensive review of available evidence in relation to ethnicity. This paper is one of a series written to inform the development of equality outcomes for the Scottish Government. Guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states that a range of relevant evidence relating to equality groups and communities should be used to help set equality outcomes that are likely to make the biggest difference in tackling inequalities. |
| 2013: The Surjit Singh Chhokar Inquiry | The Surjit Singh Chhokar inquiry involved two original trials and two subsequent official inquiries into the handling of the 1998 murder investigation. After two acquittals, a 2013 investigation led to a second trial for Ronnie Coulter, who was convicted of murder in 2016 after the law changed to allow for retrials in some cases. The initial failure to secure a conviction sparked controversy and led to the first inquiry, which alleged "institutional racism" and concluded the police and prosecution services had failed the family. |
| 2015: Scottish Government – Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 | The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 will help to empower community bodies through the ownership or control of land and buildings, and by strengthening their voices in decisions about public services. There are 11 topics covered by the Act. |
| 2015: The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations | The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2015, made by the Scottish Ministers, amended the 2012 Regulations to include newly created public bodies and revise existing timelines for reporting. Specifically, it modified the list of public authorities covered and adjusted the deadlines for compliance with certain duties, particularly concerning gender pay gap information and equal pay statements. Key Changes: • Adding New Public Authorities: The regulations added several newly created public bodies to the list of those covered by the specific duties. • Modifying Compliance Dates: The regulations adjusted the dates by which these new authorities were required to comply with certain duties. • Revised Gender Pay Gap Reporting: The regulations revised the timelines for publishing gender pay gap information and equal pay statements under regulations 7 and 8 of the 2012 Regulations, requiring publication for most authorities except those with fewer than 20 employees. |
| 2016: Scotland SPL – Race Equality Framework (REF) for Scotland 2016 to 2030 | In 2016, the Scottish Government published the Race Equality Framework (REF) for Scotland. CRER provided the Scottish Government with independent support in the development and delivery of the Framework. The content of the Framework was developed with input from key stakeholders and drafted collaboratively, with the Scottish Government and CRER both contributing and editing on an ongoing basis. The REF sets out how the Scottish Government aims to progress this ambition over a 15-year period from 2016 to 2030. In this document there is vision for Scotland in 2030 to be a country “where people are healthier, happier and treated with respect, and where opportunities, wealth and power are more equally spread. |
| 2017: Scottish Government – A Fairer Scotland for All: Race Equality Action Plan (REAP) 2017-21 | The race equality action plan sets out the key actions for the Scottish Government to drive positive change for minority ethnic communities. |
| 2018: Scotland Legislation – The Fairer Scotland Duty | The Fairer Scotland Duty is a legal responsibility placed on certain public bodies in Scotland to actively reduce inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage when making strategic decisions. Introduced in April 2018, it requires these bodies to consider how their decisions can help people experiencing poverty have the same life chances as those who do not. This involves carrying out an assessment to show how the duty has been met, influencing decisions before they are made, and being a meaningful part of the process. |
| 2021: Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 | The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 (Scottish Parliament Act 2021, asp 14) is legislation that aims to consolidate and update Scotland's hate crime laws. It introduces new offences for stirring up hatred, provides for the aggravation of offences by prejudice, and abolishes the offense of blasphemy. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2021 and came into effect on April 1, 2024. |
| 2021: Scottish Government – Expert Reference Group (ERG) on COVID-19 and Ethnicity Established | The Expert Reference Group (ERG) on COVID-19 and Ethnicity was established by Scottish Government “to ensure that they had an accurate understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on minority ethnic and migrant communities in Scotland, and that policy responses reflected this. It was also asserted that there is a need to work on improving existing systems and processes, and analysing what we know, while at the same time looking more fundamentally at how the system itself needs to change. The ERG was asked to provide advice and recommendations by the Scottish Government in relation to data, evidence, risk and systemic issues. Two subgroups of the ERG were formed: one to review health data and evidence, and the other to examine systemic issues and risk |
| 2021: Scottish Government – Fairer Scotland Duty | The Fairer Scotland Duty (the Duty) came into force on 1 April 2018 and places a legal responsibility on named public bodies in Scotland to actively consider (‘pay due regard’ to) how they can reduce inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decisions. The Fairer Scotland Duty, set out in Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010, came into force in Scotland from 1 April 2018. When deciding how to fulfil the Duty, the Equality Act 2010 requires those public bodies to take into account this statutory guidance issued by Scottish Ministers. |
| 2021: Scottish Government – The Race Equality Action Plan (REAP) Final Report | The Race Equality Action Plan (REAP) Final Report highlights progress made on the actions in the Race Equality Action Plan 2017 to 2021 and action taken to tackle race inequality in response to the 2020 to 2021 COVID-19 pandemic as well as action from 2021 onwards to implement the aims of the Race Equality Framework 2016-2030. |
| 2021: The Immediate Priorities Plan (IPP) | The Immediate Priorities Plan (IPP) is based on delivering on the recommendations of the Expert Reference Group (ERG) on COVID-19 and Ethnicity. The IPP focuses on supporting communities to recover from COVID-19 while implementing the recommendations of the Expert Reference Group on COVID-19 and Ethnicity (ERG). As such, there is a need to ensure there is an ongoing focus on implementing the REF that may have been lost through pivoting to responding to the pandemic. A significant proportion of the ERG recommendations focus on systemic and structural change. A key recommendation of the ERG was to establish an external body to provide a range of functions, including oversight and governance. Recommendation 7 was to set up external governance to review race equality work, and the formation of an observatory |
| 2022: Scottish Government – Updated Guidance for Public Bodies on Collecting Data on the Ethnicity of People in Scotland | In 2022, the Scottish Government published updated guidance for public bodies on collecting data on the ethnicity of people in Scotland. This includes recommended questions, guidance for interviewers and guidance on the analysis and presentation of results. |
| 2023: Police Scotland Acknowledges Institutional Racism and Discrimination – Meeting of the Scottish Police Authority – 25 May 2023 | In May 2023, during the meeting of the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland became the first police service in the UK to acknowledge institutional racism and discrimination. |
| 2025: Scottish Government – Mainstreaming Report 2023-2025 | Provides an update on the progress we are making to mainstream the equality duty as an employer and decision-maker. It also provides reflection on our progress towards achieving our equality outcomes for the 2021 to 2025 reporting period. |
| 2025: Scottish Government – Programme for Government 2025 to 2026 | The Scottish Government's Programme for Government (PfG) 2025 to 2026 outlines the key policy priorities for the coming year, focusing on four core areas: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and delivering high-quality, sustainable public services. This document details the specific actions and legislative programmes the government will implement to achieve these goals. |
| 2025: Scottish Government – The Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy Consultation | The independent analysis of responses to the consultation on the Equality and Human Rights strategy. The Strategy sets out a framework that will guide the work that the Scottish Government, the wider public sector and partners will do to embed equality and human rights in all that it does. |
| 2025: Scottish Government – The Sheku Bayoh Inquiry | An independent public inquiry set up to examine the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh, the subsequent investigation and whether race was a factor. Sheku Bayoh died on 3 May 2015 after an incident in the street in Kirkcaldy involving officers of Police Scotland. Mr Bayoh, who was 31, left behind a partner, two young sons and a close family. The purpose of the Inquiry is to examine: the immediate circumstances leading to the death of Mr Bayoh how the police dealt with the aftermath the subsequent investigation into the death whether race was a factor The Inquiry can also make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances. |
| 2026: Scottish Government – National Performance Framework Update | There is a statutory requirement for the NPF to be reviewed within every five years, with the next review due to commence by May 2023 at the latest. Work on NPF reform has commenced. We expect to be ready to launch the next iteration of the NPF around the start of the new parliamentary session and new government. Full implementation would be an ongoing exercise, as the implementation plan is executed, and website/user interface development would continue through 2026. |
