A Human Rights Bill for Scotland: consultation guide

Section Four – What Happens Next?

What happens during the consultation?

The consultation will run for 16 weeks. It will close on 5 October 2023. Everyone with an interest is encouraged to take part.

During the consultation period, the Scottish Government will take steps to make sure as many people as possible can learn about the consultation and be supported to take part.

This will include through some regional discussion events across Scotland.

We will also meet with rights groups who face historic and ongoing barriers to having their voice heard in public consultations.

We will publish information packs so that community groups can hold their own discussions and submit a group response to the consultation if they wish.

Across all this work we will make good use of accessible resources so that as many people as possible are able to get involved.

For more information, please visit the Human Rights page on the Scottish Government's website at https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/.

What happens after the consultation ends?

Once it has closed, the Scottish Government will use the results to inform the drafting of the Human Rights Bill.

We are aiming to introduce the Bill to the Scottish Parliament in time for it to be voted on before the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026.

Once in the Parliament, the Bill will be examined closely by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The parliamentary process could lead to changes to the final wording and content of the Bill.

For more information, please contact us.

Our postal address is:

Human Rights Strategy & Legislation Unit

Directorate for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights

Scottish Government

Area 3H North

Victoria Quay

Edinburgh

EH6 6QQ

Our email address is: HumanRightsOffice@gov.scot