Plans to boost number of women on public boards in a bid to 'drive change'

A new law to drive up the number of women on public boards has been introduced at Holyrood.

The Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill sets an objective for public boards that half of non-executive members are women by 2022.

If approved by parliament, the new law will apply to colleges, universities and some public bodies, including health boards, enterprise agencies, the Scottish Police Authority and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The proposed legislation builds on the Scottish Government's ''50/50 by 2020'' pledge, which nearly 200 organisations have voluntarily signed up to in a bid to improve gender balance.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said: ''Addressing the under-representation of women on boards is a key priority of this Government. A gender-balanced board, that better reflects the employees of an organisation, is not only the right thing to do but also leads to better decision making.

We have already seen good progress when organisations voluntarily commit to improving gender balance. This is welcome and shows there is an appetite in Scotland for tackling this issue. The Bill is the next step towards building on this progress.

Let me be clear though that all candidates for public appointments will continue to be appointed on merit. But by introducing this legal requirement, we will drive change across the public sector, improving recruitment methods and making organisations work harder to find the most talented men and women to sit on our public boards.'