The committee has been considering a bill proposed by Jeremy Balfour MSP which calls for the creation of a Disability Commissioner. The commissioner would be expected to promote and safeguard the rights of disabled people.

Following the Parliament’s recent support for a moratorium on creating any new SPCB supported bodies, the committee has not made recommendations on the principle of creating a commissioner. Instead, it invites Holyrood to have a full and focused debate on the findings in its report and calls for the Scottish government to ensure disabled people can realise their rights.

During evidence sessions, disabled people expressed their frustrations at a system that left them feeling desperate, dehumanised and deprioritised. The report explains that these feelings grew following the Scottish government’s decisions to delay the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill and Human Rights Bill.

While people who gave evidence were generally supportive of the proposal to establish a Disability Commissioner, there were concerns about duplication and overlap with other commissions and commissioners in what was characterised as “an already complicated and fragmented landscape”.

Karen Adam MSP, convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, said: “We heard upsetting evidence about the challenges experienced by disabled people and their advocates during this inquiry. Their feedback was clear, disabled people too often feel let down and abandoned by public bodies.

“While we have not made a recommendation on the bill, we do believe that the Scottish government must take strong and positive action to address the barriers that disabled people continue to face in realising their rights.

“It is crucial that disabled people and disabled people’s organisations, who frustratedly told us that any trust they had in the current system has been lost, are able to play an active role in the development of the policies and approaches that are required to overcome these barriers.”