Equalities and Human Rights Committee

Equalities and Human Rights Committee Thursday 12 March 2020 Session 5 © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot or by contacting Public Information on 0131 348 5000 Thursday 12 March 2020 CONTENTS Col. PETITION ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 Access to Justice (PE1695) .......................................................................................................................... 1 EQUALITIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE 6th Meeting 2020, Session 5 CONVENER *Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP) DEPUTY CONVENER *Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) COMMITTEE MEMBERS *Angela Constance (Almond Valley) (SNP) *Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab) *Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Con) *Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con) *Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP) *attended THE FOLLOWING ALSO ATTENDED: David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE Claire Menzies LOCATION The Mary Fairfax Somerville Room (CR2) 1 12 MARCH 2020 2 Mundells have been in touch—in person or by Scottish Parliament phone—with more than 50 law firms, but the vast majority will not deal with human rights cases. Equalities and Human Rights That is problem number 1. Committee Problem number 2 is that many legal firms restrict their involvement in human rights cases to Thursday 12 March 2020 those that are to do with prisoners or immigration issues. [The Convener opened the meeting at 09:30] The third problem is that, even when those hurdles are overcome, many firms deal with Petition human rights cases only when there is a substantial up-front payment. For example, one lawyer whom the Mundells contacted wanted an Access to Justice (PE1695) up-front payment of £25,000 before proceeding, The Convener (Ruth Maguire): Welcome to which, at the time, represented double the family’s the sixth meeting in 2020 of the Equalities and annual disposable income. Human Rights Committee. I ask everyone to When I was in front of the committee in ensure that their mobile devices are switched off. November, I quoted Judith Robertson of the Agenda item 1 is consideration of petition Scottish Human Rights Commission, who is well PE1695, by Ben and Evelyn Mundell, on access to known to you all. She spoke to the Joint justice in Scotland. The committee previously Committee on Human Rights at Westminster considered the petition at our meeting on 14 about access to human rights, saying: November 2019, when we agreed to write to the “It is difficult for anybody to take a case in Scotland. As I Scottish Government, Human Rights Consortium said, we have no power to support anybody to do that; in Scotland, JustRight Scotland and the Faculty of fact, we are expressly disallowed.” Advocates, whose responses are in the committee As for next steps, I suggest that the petition be papers. kept open until the Scottish Government issues its We are joined by Dave Stewart, who has an response to the consultation on legal aid reform in interest in the petition. With the agreement of the Scotland. committee, I invite him to make some comments I have carefully read all the submissions. on it. Human Rights Consortium Scotland points out, as David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): I mentioned, that the SHRC has I thank the committee for allowing me to come “no powers ... to take test cases”. along again. I am hopeful that Mr and Mrs Mundell will attend the meeting; they were certainly in It argues that the SHRC needs the power Parliament yesterday, and I suspect that they are “to give legal advice to individuals”, on their way. which Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD): On a point of order, convener. I noticed that “would be a significant step towards improving access to justice on human rights”. the petitioners were waiting outside the committee room—perhaps nobody has thought to tell them to The committee will know that the Scottish come in. Human Rights Commission is a parliamentary commission. Interestingly, it is responsible to the The Convener: We will get that checked. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body purely for David Stewart: I will summarise the petition and pay and rations. Its strategy is its own and link it to the submissions that have been received Parliament’s, but any change to its remit would since my previous appearance at the committee, require legislation to change its terms of reference. in November. I will also make a recommendation The committee might wish to pursue that. for next steps, if that would be helpful to the I suggest that the committee consider inviting committee. the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the The key underlying principle of the petition is a United Kingdom body, the Equality and Human simple one: it is the question of how ordinary Rights Commission, to a further meeting of the families on a modest income seek redress and committee. As the committee well knows—this is justice. The simple answer is that families should identified in the committee’s background papers— seek redress through the legal system. We all the EHRC has the power to take human rights know and understand that. It is the right answer, cases on reserved issues and, with the agreement but what if people cannot get to first base? The of the SHRC, can take court action on devolved issues. It is a clunky way of organising things in 3 12 MARCH 2020 4 Scotland, but I am sure that the parliamentarians Angela Constance (Almond Valley) (SNP): I, who thought up the legislation at the time did not too, express my appreciation for Mr Stewart’s consider that it was a problem. summary. I am very much in favour of keeping the petition open until we have the Scottish Finally, I thank the Faculty of Advocates for its Government’s response. I am also persuaded of agreement with the need for further evidence from the Scottish “the tenor of the petition that there is a significant lack of Human Rights Commission and the Equality and availability of legal services in relation to public law Human Rights Commission. I certainly want to matters.” hear more from those bodies about the benefits I think that the faculty put it extremely well in its and how further powers for the Scottish Human submission, which summed up the problems that Rights Commission could be secured, so that it are outlined in the petition. I am happy to answer could take on test cases. specific points, as I did at the meeting in The papers that were presented to the November. committee set out the crux of the issue, which is Although, on the surface, this seems that cases need to be plausible: there needs to be complicated, it is not. It is about access to justice. a prospect of success before legal aid or other To use an Americanism, if you cannot get to first assistance can be acquired. I would like to hear base, you will not complete the whole circuit. It is from Mr Stewart—and from the Government and important that we look at this carefully. I am happy the human rights bodies—on that point. to answer any questions, if I can. Bearing in mind that we have to legislate for all The Convener: Thank you for that helpful of Scotland, it would be untenable if cases that summary. Do members of the committee wish to were less than plausible were funded from the make any comments? public purse. There is a balance to be struck. We need to ensure proper access to justice, but there Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab): I am grateful are some financial aspects to consider. Mr Stewart to Mr Stewart for his helpful summary of the issues and others may have thought about that issue. that are involved in the petition. I know that he has been involved with the Mundells since they David Stewart: That is a good point, and I launched the petition and that he has worked thank the other committee members for raising closely with them to support them. I will not go those issues. over the information that Mr Stewart provided, but I note from the papers that one possible long- I think that there is enough there for the committee term solution is more delegation of European to recommend that we keep the petition open until powers to the Scottish legal system, which would the Government issues its response to the mean that we could get resolution at a lower level consultation on legal aid. of the court structure. The fewer tiers you have to I am also persuaded by Mr Stewart’s comments go through, the fewer costs are involved, so that about taking evidence from the Scottish Human would be a sensible approach. Rights Commission and the UK body, the Equality I understand that decisions have to be balanced and Human Rights Commission. Clearly, this is a when it comes to granting legal aid. I stress that serious and pertinent issue for the Mundells, but the lack of progress has not been for the want of other families will be in the same situation and we trying. The basic problem that the family has faced need to find a way to resolve the issue. I is that they cannot get anyone to deal with the recommend that we keep the petition open. case. We all want to avoid having a millionaires’ The Convener: I see lots of nodding heads legal system in which the wealthy have access to around the table. justice and those who are less wealthy do not, but that is exactly what has happened in this case. Alex Cole-Hamilton: I thank David Stewart for his comprehensive assessment of the situation.

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