Earlier this year, MSPs from all parties voted to include a new question on trans status in the 2021 Census. Gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, so it is right that the census collects data…
Author: Kath Murray
Policy capture paper: update
We have been delighted by the response we've had to our paper on policy capture and gender self-identification in the current edition of Scottish Affairs. It was downloaded almost 5,000 times in the 12 days following publication. In his column in…
Proposals to test the census sex question guidance miss the point
As part of its preparation for the 2021 Scotland census, National Records of Scotland (NRS) are planning to commission testing which looks at the effect of offering different forms of accompanying guidance for the sex question. The sex question itself…
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Scotland’s 2021 Census: consultation and question development
27 June 2019 Consultation with stakeholders and question testing In its Stage One Report, the CTEEA Committee noted that the ‘lack of early engagement with a range of groups and individuals, including a broad range of women’s groups, to be…
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MBM statement on GRA reform
20 June 2019 We believe that a more measured, evidence-based and inclusive approach to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA) will result in better policy and legislative outcomes, for all affected groups. The Scottish Government needs to address the…
Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill: MBM Stage 3 Briefing
Introduction The main purpose of the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill is to introduce two new, voluntary questions on sexual orientation and transgender identity/status. These changes are not controversial and were agreed at Stage 2. The Scottish Government also wishes to…
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MBM statement on recording in the Scottish Criminal Justice System
Recorded crime statistics allows stakeholders, policy-makers and researchers to analyse and monitor offending trends, develop our understanding of offending behaviours, and to target resources and services. To ensure these statistics are valid, reliable and consistent, the data criteria of what…
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SNP politicians’ letter on GRA reform: an opportunity for a better debate
24 April 2019 We welcome the letter signed by 15 SNP MSPs, MPs and councillors as reported in today's Scotsman, in which they call for a more cautious approach to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). There are major evidence…
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File under random: non-binary sex data and imputation in the 2021 census
The Scottish Government has proposed that the sex question in the 2021 census should no longer ask whether people are male or female, but instead should ask whether a person identifies as male, female or another category, based on self-declared…
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Our call for an independent review into how public authorities record sex and gender identity
Statistics are an essential part of government and parliamentary democracy. They provide government and those involved in delivering public services with information to plan and monitor policies and decisions, and to allocate resources. Statistics are also used to support business…