Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill Equality Impact Assessment

Who will it affect?

The majority of this Bill will not have a direct impact on persons with protected characteristics, as it mainly provides Scottish Ministers with the powers to provide financial assistance for specified purposes, and to make regulations in connection with the provision of such assistance, rather than actual changes in policy.

Any policy changes that follow will be assessed for their impact on people and businesses, and further Impact Assessments, including an EQIA, will be carried out where appropriate.

Also, the enabling powers in the Bill that allow for regulations to be made for payments administration and the checking enforcing and monitoring of payments will not affect people with protected characteristics.

Payments Framework

The Payment Framework provisions in the Bill will not impact on any of the protected characteristics.

Food and Drink

The powers in the Bill will provide for financial support to food and drink businesses in all communities in Scotland. This will include support in response to exceptional or unforeseen circumstances in the sector. While the direct effect will be on business, this in turn will have a positive impact on the wider community, including those with protected characteristics, through the potential for economic stability and growth, and jobs.

Climate and Nature

The provisions in the Bill will not impact on any of the protected characteristics.

Payments Administration & Data

The broadly framed enabling powers set out in the Bill allow for the Scottish Ministers to make regulations about (1) the provision of support to assist the creation of the new payment framework for the administration of payments and (2) the provision for the collection, processing and or sharing of data where that is necessary to ensure effective governance. These regulations and powers will enable the Scottish Ministers to enforce, monitor and evaluate progress to achieving the objectives of the bill and the Vision. These enabling powers in the Bill will not impact on any of the protected characteristics.

Support for Rural Communities and Rural Networking

The broadly framed enabling powers relating to support for rural communities and rural networking set out in the Bill will not impact on any of the protected characteristics.

Animal Health, Welfare and Genetic Resources

Implementation of the powers in the Bill will primarily affect keepers of livestock and associated businesses. Support for the designated purposes in Bill would be consistent with the responsibilities set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Plant Genetic Resources

Plant genetic resources are a public good. The powers in this bill give us the powers to provide support, which although would be provided to the protectors of the resource, the nature of the resources being protected will benefit society as a whole.

Access

The enabling powers in the Bill allow for support to be provided to support public access, and this will not impact on any of the protected characteristics.

Forestry

Enabling powers provided by this Bill will ensure that, as far as possible, the status-quo is retained and forestry grant payments can continue. Therefore, there is unlikely to be either a positive or negative impact on any persons with protected characteristics in the short term. Any changes to rules or administration of future forestry funding will be subject to further EQIA assessment where appropriate.

Knowledge, innovation, education and training

The enabling powers in the Bill relating to skills and knowledge will not impact on any of the protected characteristics. Any specific schemes or initiatives to encourage new entrants, including those with protected characteristics, as well as any specific schemes and initiatives for women in agriculture, will be subject to further EQIA assessment.