EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE TO HOLD AN INQUIRY INTO TRAVELLING PEOPLE AND PUBLIC SECTOR POLICIES

An Inquiry into Travelling People and Public Sector Policies is to be carried out by the Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee.

The Committee's Convener, Kate MacLean, MSP, today explained the background to the Committee's decision:

"The Committee has received evidence from many different organisations and individuals about the issues faced by members of the travelling community.

"Of particular interest to the Committee is the apparent varying practices in public sector approaches to service provision for travelling people throughout Scotland and in order to have an informed picture of the situation, we have decided to carry out an Inquiry.

"In this connection, the Committee wishes to hear about the experiences of the travelling peoples community and the agencies and communities that interact with them."

The terms of reference for the Inquiry are as follows:

• To examine how public sector policies relate to the minority group of travelling people, in particular, services provided by local authorities (site management, social work services, and educational support) and others (health boards and police);
• To hear evidence from the travelling people community and from the agencies who interact with them;
• To report and make recommendations as appropriate following the Inquiry.

Kate MacLean concluded:

"The aim of the Inquiry is to provide the basis for practical proposals and examples of best practice which could be adopted by local authorities and other relevant agencies throughout Scotland and could contribute to cultural and social attitudinal changes toward travellers."

The deadline for submissions is Monday 13 November 2000

Submissions can be emailed (preferably in Word format) to equal.opportunities@scottish.parliament.uk

Or by mail to:

Alison Campbell, Assistant Clerk to Equal Opportunities Committee, Committee Chambers, Scottish Parliament, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.