New Scots implementation strategy: equality impact assessment 2024

The Scope of the EQIA

The New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy: 2024 will have an impact on the lives of people seeking asylum and refugees living in Scotland. This includes people who have been granted refugee status or another form of humanitarian protection including those coming through resettlement schemes and those who have been displaced arriving through relevant visa programmes; people seeking asylum; and those whose application for asylum has been refused, but who remain in Scotland.

The Strategy will also have an impact on displaced people from Ukraine who have already arrived or plan to move to Scotland under the Super Sponsor Scheme and other visa routes.

It will affect the communities in Scotland in which people seeking asylum and refugees reside, including local services, businesses, employers and members of the public.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty (known as the Public Sector Equality Duty, or PSED) on public authorities to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• advance equality of opportunity; and
• promote good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (Regulation 5) require public authorities to assess and review policies and practices against these three needs of the PSED.

For supporting integration of refugees, people seeking asylum and other forced migrants including displaced people from Ukraine, the following characteristics were assessed under the three PSED needs:

Age

Disability

Sex

Pregnancy and maternity

Gender reassignment

Sexual orientation

Race

Religion or belief

This EQIA aims to look at the next phase of Scotland’s response through a holistic lens to explore how the direction of the Strategy may impact on people with protected characteristics.

In developing the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy, the Scottish Government is mindful of the three needs of the PSED. Where any negative impacts have been identified, we have sought to mitigate or eliminate these. We are also mindful that the Equality Duty is not just about preventing or mitigating negative impacts, as we also have a positive duty to advance equality.