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xUPDATE: UNCRC Bill enters reconsideration stage
Date: 5th October 2023
Category:
General measures of implementation
The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill is being reconsidered by Scottish Parliament, with the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee taking the lead. So, what happens next?
Since the UK Supreme Court judgement ruled that the UNCRC Bill went beyond the powers of the Scottish Parliament, MSPs have voted in favour of reconsidering it. Amendments to the Bill (which can be found here)provide that the Bill’s compatibility duty will only apply to legislation originating from the Scottish Parliament – the bill will not apply to UK legislation even if this falls within an area that is devolved to Scotland. You can find our more about what the Amendments mean in our blog.
It is clear from the recent debate held in Scottish Parliament in September that there is still cross-party support for the Bill. The specifics of the amendments will be debated in due course. This will be the first time any bill has entered the reconsideration stage, and more information can be found on the process of Reconsideration Stage here, along with a graphic of the procedure.
The next step will be for evidence to be given to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. Juliet Harris the Director of Together has accepted an invitation to appear before the Committee as a civil society member to provide evidence so that the Committee can reconsider the bill. The date for this is Tuesday 31st of October and we will be live tweeting the session so make sure you follow us on twitter to keep up to date!
Further details ahead of the Committee hearing is expected to be confirmed by Scottish Parliament on Thursday 26th October. We will keep you updated through our social media channels, so if you would like to keep track make sure you follow us on twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!
If you would like to send in any views to the Committee ahead of the evidence session you can write to ehrcj.committee@parliament.scot.