Summary – A Human Rights Bill for Scotland: Discussion Paper

1. Introduction

The Scottish Government intends to introduce a new Human Rights Bill in the next parliamentary session - subject to the outcome of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election - so that more human rights are protected in domestic law.

The ambition for the Bill is to evolve the human rights legal framework in Scotland to reflect the rights that are often the most important to people in their everyday lives, in areas such as health, food, housing and social security. By developing Scotland’s human rights laws, the aim is to drive ongoing positive change towards a fairer, more equal and inclusive society.

To support development of the Bill, the Scottish Government has published a Discussion Paper and a Easy Read version which sets out current Bill proposals and areas for further development. The paper aims to consolidate the extensive policy work to date and builds on what was heard during the 2023 public consultation, engagement with rights-holders through our Human Rights Lived Experience Board, as well as engagement with civil society, public authorities and academics. The Discussion Paper will be used to undertake further engagement to test and refine proposals in advance of the Bill coming forward in the next parliamentary session.

Recognising the complex and technical nature of some of the material in the Discussion Paper, this Summary Paper has been created to aid understanding. It provides a brief summary of Bill proposals and outlines next steps for their development.