Consultation: Local Development Plans on defining Gypsies and Travellers

The Commission is the National Human Rights Institution for Scotland and is independent of the Scottish Government and Parliament in the exercise of its functions. [...] This note is not a full human rights analysis of all relevant standards applicable to the accommodation rights of Gypsies and Travellers,1 but is intended to provide the Scottish Government with an overview of some of the relevant international and regional human rights standards to be considered as part of a human- rights based approach to defining Gypsy and Traveller communities in Scotland The. [...] Accordingly, the Commission would appreciate further information on proactive steps taken to facilitate the effective participation of members of Gypsy and Traveller communities in Scotland in the draft definition and avenues for further feedback from the relevant communities, giving effect to the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. [...] Relevant International Frameworks In the remainder of this document, the Commission sets out some of the relevant international and regional human rights standards to be considered as part of a human-rights based approach to defining Gypsy and Traveller communities in Scotland. [...] In its 2016 review of the UK, the CERD Committee noted: “the change in the definition of Gypsy or Traveller in the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites in England adopted in August 2015 may adversely impact the enjoyment of rights by those who have stopped travelling permanently due to factors such as illness or old age, and may further restrict the ability of Gypsy and Traveller communities to acc.