Tag: Citizens Panel

Citizens’ Panel on Public Participation to meet in the Scottish Parliament

A newly established Citizens’ Panel will meet for the first time this weekend (28th – 30th October) in the Scottish Parliament to help shape how Parliament engages with the people of Scotland.

The Citizens’ Panel, comprised of 22 people broadly reflecting the demographic make-up of Scotland, will come together to deliberate how the Scottish Parliament can best work with communities to ensure their needs are reflected in its work.

The Citizens’ Panel will meet for two full weekends at the Scottish Parliament and three shorter evening sessions online.

Earlier this year, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee launched an inquiry into Public Participation, looking at how people’s voices are heard in the work of the Parliament.

The Citizens’ Panel will assist the inquiry by making recommendations on improving how Holyrood’s work involves, reflects, and meets the needs of the full range of communities it represents, focusing on improving engagement for those currently under-represented.

Throughout the sittings, the Citizen’s Panel will have the opportunity to hear from MSPs and leading academics about democracy and public participation to help facilitate discussion and inform their findings.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Convener Jackson Carlaw, MSP, said: “Our inquiry into Public Participation is important because we know that the Parliament doesn’t hear enough from some groups and communities.

“We want to make sure that the views and opinions of everyone in Scotland are included in the work of the Parliament, and the Citizens’ Panel will be crucial to helping us understand how we can improve this.

“Ensuring the Scottish Parliament is accessible to a diverse range of people, particularly when developing new laws or policies that affect them, is essential and the Committee will eagerly anticipate the Citizens’ Panel recommendations.”

Citizens Panel: Scottish Government must set out its Covid-19 strategy

A panel of the public convened by the Scottish Parliament’s Covid-19 Committee has reported its findings to MSPs.

The 19-member panel, which broadly reflects the demographic make-up of Scotland, met over four Saturdays to consider the question ‘What priorities should shape the Scottish Government’s approach to COVID-19 restrictions and strategy in 2021’, hearing from experts to help inform its findings. 

Key conclusions in its report include: 

* The panel believes the Scottish Government should focus on stopping the spread of virus, ideally by pursuing an ‘elimination’ strategy. 

* The panel believes elimination would provide the fastest way back to ‘normal’, but also recognised that this needs maximum cooperation across UK, as well as accepting travel restrictions;

* If this is not possible, the panel recommends a ‘maximum suppression’ strategy should be adopted, with a reinvigorated Test and Protect to keep case numbers low once they have dropped. The panel concluded that by tackling the direct harm of the virus head on, other harms (economic, societal, other health problems) will also reduce;

* Priority should also be given to supporting a green recovery, young people’s economic opportunities, town centres, and continuing support for businesses; 

* The Scottish Government must therefore define what it is aiming to achieve and tell us what its strategy is moving forward. Key to understanding this is what it deems to be an acceptable level of infection in the population, so that it is clear what restrictions will be effective in 2021.

The panel also considered wider issues associated with the pandemic within its deliberations. It agreed:

* Previous lockdowns happened too slowly – resulting in longer lockdowns and more deaths;

* Communication and explaining strategies is key to public acceptance and understanding. This is most effective when scientists and clinicians can take centre stage;

* Globally, no one is safe until everyone is safe.

Members of the panel will give evidence to MSPs on the Covid-19 Committee about their report today (Thursday 18 February).

In the coming weeks, the report will also inform MSPs’ consideration of the possible extension of the emergency Coronavirus legislation, which is currently due to expire at the end of March.

Covid-19 Committee Convener, Donald Cameron MSP, said: “The Committee is very grateful to the members of the public and experts who gave their time to participate in deliberations. 

“The steps taken to counter this virus are so drastic they would have been unimaginable a year ago. It is therefore vital we gauge the public mood as we enter into the next phase of managing the pandemic.

“The considered priorities of this broadly representative group, who have looked at the issue with fresh eyes, will help inform us as we begin to look at the likely extension of the emergency powers, and work to ensure the efforts of Government are focused in the right place.

 “We are looking forward to hearing more from panel members, and testing their conclusions, at our next meeting.”

The panel was announced and first met on 16 January.

The full report and further information on the panel will be online here.