Non-Binary Equality Action Plan: FOI release

Information requested

1. The time needed to compile the Scottish Government's Non-Binary Equality Action Plan.

2. The number of civil servants and special advisors that worked on the Scottish Government's Non-Binary Equality Action Plan.

3. The estimated costs of compiling the Scottish Government's Non-Binary Equality Action Plan.

Response

1. The Scottish Government published its response to the Working Group on Non-Binary Equality’s report and recommendations on 13 July 2022. Since this date, we have been developing the Non-Binary Equality Action Plan (the “Plan”), as set out in the Programme for Government 2021-2022 and the Bute House Agreement. We published the Plan on 16 November 2023, which was a commitment in the Programme for Government 2023-2024. It therefore took us 16 months to develop.

2. The development of the Plan was led by the LGBTQI+ Equality Team. This team is made up of 5 civil servants at different grades and work hours, who focus on a number of workstreams to advance LGBTQI+ equality in Scotland. Due to the cross-cutting nature of the Plan, LGBTQI+ equality officials engaged with staff across Government to develop the actions in the Plan. This included staff from Communities, Health and Social Care, and Education and Justice Directorates. We therefore do not hold information on the number of civil servants that contributed towards the Plan. The Special Advisor for the Equalities portfolio was kept informed throughout the development of the Plan.

3. We estimate the total cost of developing the Plan as £10,130. This includes payment for participants who took part in focus groups, the publication of the Plan, the Easy Read version and the Equality Impact Assessment. This is given as an estimate as not all invoices have yet been processed. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the staff hours spent on individual projects, and therefore we are unable to provide an indication of staff costs.

About FOI

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