Alcohol and drugs strategic plan: equality impact assessment summary

The Scope of the EqIA

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Scotland) public authorities must carry out an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) as well as a general duty for listed public authorities to promote equality by advancing equality of opportunity, eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and foster good community relations between person who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. To achieve this, the Scottish Government promotes a mainstreaming approach to equality to ensure that the impact of policies, programmes and legislation on groups of people who share a protected characteristic are assessed by all areas and at all levels.

This EqIA has informed the development of the Plan and actions to support its delivery. As delivery planning progresses, there will be a need to revisit equalities impacts in greater detail, particularly in relation to the delivery of the short-term commitments set out in each chapter. As commitments are reviewed and updated on a three-year cycle to reflect progress, emerging evidence, and changing circumstances, equalities impacts will also require ongoing review and reassessment.

A key aim of the Plan is to enable stronger local accountability for service improvement and reduction in deaths and harms, including through the publication of a revised Partnership Delivery Framework (PDF). It is anticipated that local areas will undertake their own EqIAs as they carry out localised strategic planning.