A new report from the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow

A new report from the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow

HRCS’ Manifesto briefing document for political action - Our Rights. Your Move. - has two asks focussing on the need to change the Scotland Act 1998. We believe this change is essential if Scotland is to be able to develop a Human Rights Bill which fully incorporates the human rights detailed in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 

This ‘reset’ of the devolution agreement is needed following two rulings from the UK Supreme Court in 2018 and 2021 in the lead up to the enactment of the UN CRC Act 2024. These decisions limited the scope of the Scottish Parliament to pass legislation which impact on pre-existing UK legislation. This is a major issue given the number of areas which are devolved to Scotland but are based on UK legislation.

A new report from the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow highlights the urgent need for action to address the limitations imposed by the UK Supreme Court decisions. It considers in detail the negative impacts of these decisions and proposes two possible solutions; the key one being the need to amend Section 28(7) of the Scotland Act 1998.

The Consortium welcomes the report and its conclusions and encourages our members and our partners in the other devolved jurisdiction to use the reports contents to inform our arguments for this much needed ‘reset’ to the devolution agreement. 

Download the report here.