Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment – screening

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment Stage 1 Screening

Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill is a high level Bill that places duties on the Scottish Ministers to set out a national good food nation plan and makes provision as to the effect of that plan. The Scottish Ministers are required to have regard to the plan in the exercise of functions to be specified in secondary legislation. The Bill requires the Scottish Ministers to have regard to certain international instruments when preparing the plan.

The national good food nation plan must set out:

• the main outcomes in respect of food-related issues which the Scottish Ministers want to be achieved in relation to Scotland;
• indicators or other measures by which progress in achieving the outcomes may be assessed; and
• the policies which the Scottish Ministers intend to pursue in order to secure the achievement of the outcomes.

Similar requirements are placed on health boards, local authorities and other public authorities (collectively referred to as "relevant authorities") as may be specified, who are required to publish a good food nation plan and to have regard to that plan when exercising specified functions. They are required to have regard to the Scottish Ministers' national good food nation plan when preparing their own plan.

The plans may include such other material in relation to food-related issues as the Scottish Ministers or relevant authorities consider appropriate. The Scottish Ministers and relevant authorities are to have regard to the scope for food-related issues to affect outcomes in relation to social and economic wellbeing, the environment, health, and economic development, when determining the content of the good food nation plans.

This means that when the Scottish Ministers and relevant authorities are exercising certain specified functions in relation to food-related issues there will be a statutory requirement to consider the determined outcomes, indicators and policies set down in good food nation plans. It is therefore intended that the plans will support a more co-ordinated, coherent and joined up approach to delivery of the Good Food Nation ambition in Scotland.

What aspects of the policy/measure will affect children and young people up to the age of 18?

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill is a high level Bill that mainly includes enabling powers, which in themselves will not directly affect children and young people up to the age of 18. The Bill underpins work already being carried out or planned and has a statutory requirement for the Scottish Ministers and health boards, local authorities and relevant authorities to have regard to the good food nation plan when carrying out specified functions, which will support a more
co-ordinated, coherent and joined up approach to delivery of the Good Food Nation ambition in Scotland.

What likely impact – direct or indirect – will the policy/measure have on children and young people?

A framing workshop with officials from a wide range of policy areas in relation to food was held in December 2019 to discuss the impacts of the Bill on children and young people. The conclusion of the framing workshop was that it is not possible at this stage to identify specific direct or indirect impacts. This is because, as noted above, the Bill mainly includes enabling powers, which in themselves will not directly affect children and young people.

Officials at the framing workshop agreed that having a more coherent framework and joined up approach to delivery of the Good Food Nation ambition would be likely to have a positive effect, and help to achieve the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) Healthy Wellbeing indicator. However, future consultation and more detailed assessment of the secondary legislation that results from the powers within the Bill and of the content of the national good food nation plan will be required.

The framing workshop discussion also noted that the Bill underpins work that is already being carried out and that assessment of the impact on children and young people will have been undertaken as part of the process of developing each of the policies.

Which groups of children and young people will be affected?

The Bill is a high level and is not aimed at any specific group of people. The intention is that the people of Scotland will benefit from having a more co-ordinated approach to delivery of the Good Food Nation ambition in Scotland.

The Scottish Ministers are to have regard to the scope for food-related issues to affect outcomes in relation to social and economic wellbeing; the environment; health; and economic development when determining the content of the national good food nation. Similar requirements are placed on health boards, local authorities and specified public bodies when determining the content of the good food nation plan.

It is therefore likely that the secondary legislation that results from the Bill and the content of the national good food nation plan will affect specific groups of children and young people and further consultation and assessment of the effect of the secondary legislation will be required to identify impacts on these groups.

Will this require a CRWIA?

No, the high level nature of the Bill means it is not possible to undertake a meaningful assessment of the specific impact on children and young people. More detailed assessments of the secondary legislation setting out specified functions and of the content of the national good food nation plan will be undertaken to identify the effect on groups of children and young people.

CRWIA Declaration

CRWIA required

CRWIA not required √

Authorisation

Policy lead

Tracy McCollin

Head of Good Food Nation Team

Food and Drink Division

Date: 31/08/2021

Deputy Director or equivalent

George Burgess

Deputy Director

Food and Drink Division

Date: 31/08/2021