The University of St. Andrews (Degrees in Medicine and Dentistry) Bill: EQIA Declaration

The University of St. Andrews (Degrees in Medicine and Dentistry) Bill Equality Impact Assessment: Assessment not required declaration

No EQIA Required Declaration

Only complete this section if, after carrying out and considering your screening exercise, you have concluded and can demonstrate that no EQIA is required, and that people are not impacted by your policy directly or indirectly.

Please refer to the EQIA guidance before making a decision not to conduct an EQIA. If, after reading the guidance you are satisfied that an EQIA is not required, please confirm the following:

• Will individuals have access to, or be denied access to, a service or function as a result of your policy or the changes you propose to make? Yes No X

• Will the implementation of your policy, directly or indirectly, result in: individuals being employed; a change in staffing levels, terms and conditions, employer or location? Yes No X

• Is there a change in the size of budget, or an impact on resources, and will this change (potentially) impact on individuals? For example, will a service be withdrawn, changed or expanded? Yes No X

• Will your policy impact on another policy that affects people? Yes No X

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, your policy does affect people and you should undertake an EQIA.

If you have answered no to all these questions, considered the EQIA guidance and are completely satisfied you do not need to complete an EQIA, please complete and retain the EQIA not required form on the following page.

The form should be completed by the official responsible for the decision, and then authorised by the relevant Deputy Director, or equivalent. The completed declaration must be filed as a corporate record on eRDM.

Equality Impact Assessment Not Required Declaration

Please record why you are not carrying out an EQIA and what your justification is for making that decision.

Policy Aim

The Bill makes a technical amendment to the Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 ("the 1966 Act"), by repealing paragraph 17 of schedule 6 (transfer of property, etc. to University of Dundee and other transitional provisions - abolition of qualifying examinations and degrees in medicine etc. in the University of St. Andrews).

The 1966 Act currently prohibits the University of St. Andrews ("the University") from awarding medical and dentistry degrees. The policy objective of this Bill is to remove the prohibition as it is unfair, anti-competitive and serves no legitimate purpose in today's context. The impetus for removing the prohibition at this time is to enable the University to award, jointly with the University of Dundee, undergraduate Primary UK Medical Qualifications (PMQ) to Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (ScotGEM) MBChB^[1] students. In removing the prohibition, the Bill also creates a fairer higher education sector and enables all of Scotland's valued institutions to maximise the options and opportunities they offer to students in Scotland.

Who will it affect?

The provisions of the Bill will impact on ScotGEM students and the Universities of St. Andrews and Dundee to the extent that it allows a PMQ degree to be awarded by both institutions rather than by the University of Dundee alone. Those Universities that currently offer degrees in medicine and dentistry, as well as all other higher education institutions in Scotland, will be impacted indirectly given that one of their potential competitors will no longer be subject to an additional caveat requiring legislative change should it be successful in any future competitive commissioning process for a new medical or dentistry degree provider.

It is not considered that the provisions will directly impact on any other students.

The Bill does not therefore discriminate against any person on the basis of any of the protected characteristics, including maternity and pregnancy, marriage and civil partnership, gender reassignment, race, disability, religion and belief, sex or sexual orientation, or age.

Decision

An EQIA assessment is not required as the Bill does not provide for new policy or revise existing policy. The Bill is very specific and technical in nature, providing for a legislative amendment in order to enable the University of St. Andrews to jointly award a PMQ medical degree to ScotGEM students, rather than the degree being awarded by Dundee University alone.

The Bill does not therefore impact on the equalities or rights of individuals.

I confirm that the decision to not carry out an EQIA has been authorised by:

Name and job title of Deputy Director (or equivalent)

Stephen Lea-Ross
Deputy Director of Health Workforce

Date authorisation given

24 September 2020