New Commissioners bring diverse expertise to Commission

Two new part-time Commissioners have been appointed to the Scottish Human Rights Commission, bringing with them experience and expertise in public health, inequalities, access to justice and human rights.

Following an open appointment process by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, Dr Anna Black and Dr Jacqueline Kinghan have been appointed for six year terms, starting on 1 May 2021.  

Dr Anna Black is a GP in Glasgow, a non-executive director of Public Health Scotland and is currently completing her PhD in Public Health at the University of Glasgow which has explored how women who are asylum seekers or refugees access primary healthcare in Glasgow. Dr Jacqueline Kinghan is a human rights lawyer and academic with expertise in access to justice and human rights. She is a Senior Lecturer at Newcastle Law School where she co-convenes the Forum for Social Justice and Human Rights and leads the Community Social Justice programme. Based in Scotland, she works with charities and NGOs on a range of legal and social change projects.

The new Commissioners will take up their posts as two of the Commission’s current members, Susan Kemp and Dr Alan Mitchell, come to the end of their appointments. Jane-Claire Judson, appointed in September 2017, will continue as part time Commissioner until August 2023.

Judith Robertson, Chair of the Commission, said:

“This is a crucial time for human rights in Scotland. The development of a new human rights Bill for Scotland is on the horizon and with that comes a pressing need to ensure this leads to real changes in practice and access to justice for people in everyday life. We look forward to welcoming Dr Black and Dr Kinghan to their posts as Commissioners and to benefiting from their expertise and experience.

“Our departing Commissioners, Susan Kemp and Dr Alan Mitchell, have made significant contributions to the Commission’s work since their appointments in 2015. They have brought specialist knowledge and expertise to our work on policing, prisons, justice and healthcare in particular, while contributing more broadly to developing and overseeing the Commission’s Strategic Plan and the wide-ranging programme of work this entails.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Judy Fladmark on 07876 817978 or judy.fladmark@scottishhumanrights.com

Notes to editors

  1. The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body with a statutory remit to promote and protect all human rights for everyone in Scotland. The Commission is accredited as an ‘A Status’ national human rights institution within the UN system.
  2. Part-time Commissioners are appointed by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body through an open and independent process.
  3. Dr Anna Black is a General Medical Practitioner in Glasgow, working in various practices in the city, the Youth Health Service and St Vincent’s Hospice. She has a keen interest in health and socioeconomic inequalities, particularly in regard to women, vulnerable groups, ethnic communities and young people. Dr Black is currently completing her PhD in Public Health at the University of Glasgow which has explored how women who are asylum seekers or refugees access primary healthcare in Glasgow. She also teaches on this subject regularly. In addition to her clinical and academic roles she is a non-executive director of Public Health Scotland, a trustee of the Govan Community Project and on the leadership group of the Scottish branch of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. Dr Black has also been matched as an MCR Mentor for a care experienced young person.
  4. Dr Jacqueline Kinghan is a human rights lawyer and academic with expertise in access to justice and human rights. She completed an undergraduate law degree at Edinburgh Law School and an LLM in human rights at Harvard Law School before training as a barrister in London. During her time in London, she worked for a Scottish judge at the House of Lords and UK Supreme Court and was later the founding Director of the UCL Centre for Access to Justice. She is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Social Justice at Newcastle Law School where she co-convenes the Forum for Social Justice and Human Rights and leads the Community Social Justice programme. Based in Scotland, Jacqueline works with charities and NGOs on projects including the collaborative delivery of legal advice, strategic litigation and evaluating the impact of legal tools to create social change.