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8 August 2022
The 24-person panel, to be selected at random, will broadly reflect the demographic make-up of Scotland. The Citizens’ Panel on Participation will give members of the public a direct opportunity to influence change.
They will report to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee who recently launched an inquiry into public participation. The panel is just one of the many ways the Committee is gathering views that will help inform how the Parliament involves, reflects and meets the needs of all the communities it represents, with a focus on improving engagement for those currently under-represented.
Participants do not need any prior knowledge to take part and the panel will receive support throughout the sessions, which will hear from speakers who are passionate about democracy and public participation, to help facilitate discussion and inform findings.
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP, said:
“This is a unique opportunity to help shape the way the Scottish Parliament works with the people of Scotland and I would encourage everyone who receives an invitation over the coming weeks to register and get involved.
“We know that the Parliament doesn’t hear enough from some groups and communities and this Citizens’ Panel will bring together a diverse range of voices to make recommendations over how Holyrood can better connect and reflect the views of the people MSPs are here to represent.
“If selected, your views could help to directly shape the future of the way the Scottish Parliament engages with communities across Scotland and improve public participation in decision making across the board.”
A Citizens’ Panel is an innovative democratic tool used all over the world. It brings together a randomly selected group of people who broadly represent the entire community. The people who attend learn about issues, discuss them with one another, and then make recommendations about what should happen and how things should change.The Citizens’ Panel will meet for two full weekends at the Scottish Parliament, Friday evening to Sunday:
The Citizens’ Panel will also meet online on three shorter evening sessions:
4,800 household addresses from across all eight Parliamentary regions of Scotland will be randomly selected from the Royal Mail address database to receive letters of invitation to participate in the Citizens’ Panel.
Once registration has closed, 24 people will be randomly selected from those who registered their interest, to take part in the event. This random selection will be weighted to make sure that there are people from all across the community attending.
Anyone aged 16 and over by the close of registrations, who is normally resident in Scotland and who lives full or part time at an address that has received this invitation can apply to take part, with a few exceptions. Please note that a maximum of one person from any single household will be selected to participate
Recommendations from the panel will be considered by the Committee, alongside evidence from focus groups and written submissions. The Committee will then produce proposals on how the Scottish Parliament can improve collaboration with under-represented groups.
John Erskine
0131 348 5453; Text Relay calls welcome
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
0131 348 5254; Text Relay calls welcome
Telephone enquiry line: 0800 092 7500 or 0131 348 5395 (Gàidhlig)
Text 07786 209 888
We also welcome calls using the Text Relay service or in British Sign Language through SCOTLAND-BSL.
You can also follow us on twitter @scotparl and to keep up to date with the Committee.
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