MSPs call for action on COVID-related disadvantage

The Scottish Government should set out how it intends to address the disproportionately negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on protected groups, such as women and young people, disabled people and black and minority ethnic communities, in its post-COVID economic recovery plan, a committee of MSPs has stated.

The call comes from Holyrood's Equalities & Human Rights Committee, which has been hearing evidence from a range of organisations on the financial implications of COVID-19 on local authorities and third sector equalities organisations as part of its pre-Budget scrutiny. The MSPs are considering how health and social inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 can be addressed in Scotland’s economic recovery.

In a letter to Christina McKelvie, the Minister for Older People and Equalities, the committee calls for a human rights-based approach to budgeting, with more effective targeting of resources.

Members acknowledge that the Scottish Government has introduced new measures to monitor the impact of spending decisions on disadvantaged groups, but have heard evidence that Scotland is falling behind compared with international comparators.

They state: "The committee very much hopes the new measures put in place by the Scottish Government will have the desired impact; however, we recognise we are coming to the end of the parliamentary session and so it will be for another committee to continue to scrutinise whether these measures have worked.

"For this reason, the committee intends in its legacy report to emphasise in the strongest terms to the future committee that if there has not been significant change on mainstreaming, the new committee should consider whether legislating is a viable option to promote change more quickly."

The letter notes that the review of the public sector equality duty was delayed prior to COVID-19 and records the committee's view that it is "vitally important" that it is concluded before the end of this Parliament. 

Committee convener Ruth Maguire MSP commented: "The committee is acutely aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health and social inequalities, increasing the demand on third sector support services and, as the crisis continues, placing increased pressure on public services. We are therefore asking the Scottish Government to commit to providing further financial support for the third sector in the longer term to take pressure away from public services, over and above the emergency funding provided.

"An equality and human rights-based approach to public spending, grounded in high quality evidence and placed at the heart of decision-making, should be the cornerstone of this year’s budget. This would give the committee confidence that already disadvantaged people would not be forgotten, that there would not be unintended consequences, and equalities impacts could be properly addressed.

"We are calling on the Scottish Government to clearly set out the specific actions it intends to take in its Economic Implementation Recovery Plan to address the gendered impact of the pandemic, as well as for other protected groups such as disabled, BME and young people. The committee is also seeking assurance that childcare will be treated as an economic issue and that the role of unpaid carers more generally will be translated into actions in the recovery plan."

Click here to view the full letter.