Stage 3 of the GRR(S) Bill is scheduled for Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st December. The parliamentary website for the Bill at Stage 3 is here. The full detailed guidance on rules for Stage 3 of a Bill are available…
Read More Stage 3 of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill: background and resources
Today MSPs are likely to pass into law one of the most contentious pieces of legislation considered in the lifetime of the Scottish Parliament. Last May, we wrote of our surprise that such controversial proposals – which did not feature…
Read More MBM statement on the Hate Crime and Public Order Bill (March 2021)
Circulated to MSPs on 8 March 2021 (also available as a PDF: Stage 3 MSP briefing final) Part 1 In line with the Bracadale Review, we agree that sex should be included as an aggravator (amendment 4). The current omission…
Read More Stage 3 briefing on Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill (March 2021)
The Stage 3 debate on the Hate Crime and Public Order Bill will take place in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 10 March. The Bill has had an exceptionally difficult passage to date, prompting criticism from a range of organisations,…
Read More Closed doors and closing down debate: policy capture in the Hate Crime Bill (March 2021)
This blog summarises why the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill needs to provide clearer protection for freedom of expression than is currently proposed by the Scottish Government. Some commentators have suggested that the Bill will criminalise making basic…
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill extends the existing offence of "stirring up hatred" in relation to race, to a wider range of characteristics. As described here, the Justice Committee agreed with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on…
