Initial Statement on the Programme for Government

Today the Scottish Government announced the Programme for Government (PfG) 2026 – 2031, which includes their legislative and policy plans for this session of the Scottish Parliament.  

We are disappointed that the Scottish Government has not announced an intention to introduce their own bill to end conversion practices to the Scottish Parliament. The PfG however says they will:  

“Continue our work to end conversion practices in Scotland in partnership with the Welsh and UK Governments, strengthening our collective efforts to end these harmful practices and protect LGBTQI+ people from the lasting harms they cause. Should the UK Government fail to deliver we will not hesitate to bring forward Scottish legislation.” 

We believe that under the UK Government current proposals, conversion practices will continue. We call on the Scottish Government to introduce their own bill in the Scottish Parliament and will continue to hold them to account on their promise of ending conversion practices. Conversion practices are harmful – the longer we wait for them to be banned, the longer this harm will continue.  

You can read our analysis, ‘Why are we waiting: The Case for a Scottish Conversion Practices Bill’, on our website: Why-Are-We-Waiting-The-Case-for-a-Scottish-Conversion-Practices-Bill-EN-ST-Analysis.pdf 

We are pleased to see, however, other commitments in the PfG on advancing LGBTQIA+ equality and human rights, including continuing work on LGBTQIA+ inclusive education and action to address discrimination and inequality experienced by LGBTQIA+ people.  

We also welcome commitments to advance the Misogyny Bill, Human Rights Bill, work to end violence against women and girls, and anti-racism work. We look forward to working with MSPs to ensure that these are as robust in their protection of LGBTQIA+ people.  

We will publish more detailed thoughts on the PfG, and what this means for our equality and human rights, in the coming days. You can read the full PfG here: Ambitious for Scotland Programme for Government 2026 – 2031