Parliamentary Engagement

The Parliamentary Engagement Working Group (PEWG) is a committee of General Meeting for Scotland which is the organisation of Quakers in Scotland. Together with our Parliamentary Engagement Officer (PEO) we work on behalf of Quakers in Britain to engage with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and a range of Scottish political and public audiences in order to bring about change.  

The work of the Parliamentary Engagement Working Group draws upon Quakers’ longstanding and deeply held belief that there is “that of God in everyone”. Our vision is of a peaceful and sustainable future built on just relationships between people and with the earth. The work is our testimony to living out our faith in the world and is rooted in our core values of Peace, Equality, Truth and Integrity, Simplicity and Sustainability. 

 Quakers in Britain employ an Edinburgh-based Parliamentary Engagement Officer (PEO), Andrew Tomlinson, to carry out this work in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. He can be contacted by email: andrewt [at] quaker.org.uk

All Area meetings in Scotland are represented on the  PEWG (see below for list of members).

The priorities for the work of the PEWG are discerned by General Meeting for Scotland and are:

• Climate emergency
• Economic Justice and Land Reform
• Militarism in schools 

We also respond to opportunities which arise in the Scottish Parliament. Other areas which have received attention are

• Human Rights
• Prisoner Voting Rights
• Children’s Rights
• Tax
• The Arms Trade
• Israel/Palestine

Members of the Parliamentary Engagement Working Group are:

• Joyce Taylor (Convenor)
• Martin Mansell (West Scotland AM)
• Ed Tyler (West Scotland AM)
• Martin Pippard (East Scotland AM)
• Rosemary Hartill (South East Scotland AM)
• Cath Dyer South East Scotland AM)
• William Purser (North Scotland AM)
• Carolyn Burch (North Scotland AM)
• Richard Raggett (North Scotland AM)

• Contact our press officer