Chamber and committees

We will speak to the Education, Children and Young People Committee about the work that it is doing.

Before I bring in Maggie Chapman, I will just say that what Enable Scotland described in its evidence about the private and public sectors was that there is more flexibility in the private sector. We heard that it was easier for it to make connections with the private sector. It runs things such as academies, where it takes in maybe 10 clients who spent a week at a workplace and would then go through the formal application process. Enable found that the public sector does not have the same degree of flexibility and responsiveness as the private sector. It is not that the public sector is reluctant to employ people; the issue is that in the private sector the lead-in time is better and the relationship building is easier. That gives a bit more background to what we have just been discussing.

I will soon bring in Fiona Hyslop.

You referred to the fair work action plan. There are only two references to people with learning disabilities in that plan. Maggie Chapman asked about our being at risk of reaching a plateau in progress. The Fraser of Allander Institute report to which I referred earlier indicates that people with learning disabilities remain those who are furthest away from the workforce. There is not enough progress being made in that respect. If we do not make progress in that area we risk not meeting the target. Does the Scottish Government agree with that analysis, and is there a clear focus on people with learning disabilities being a group whom we need to concentrate on if we are to meet the target?

That is helpful.

We met clients in Dundee, and it was great to hear about their experiences of support and how it had changed their lives. However, in Dundee, we also discussed unmet need. Although the organisation there works with quite a lot of people, it still recognises that there is huge unmet need out there among people who are not accessing services and not getting into employment. There is untapped potential and opportunity in our workforce. We want the Government to ensure that the target is reached, that more investment is put in and that that group is supported.

My final question is on the Social Enterprise Scotland report that referred to the pay gap. As well as the disability employment gap, there is a pay gap—for every £1 that a non-disabled employee earns, a disabled employee earns 83p. There is a gap of almost £4,000 between the yearly salaries. Does that come under the Government’s fair work agenda? Has it been looked at? How do we address the pay gap for disabled people?

The commitment is quite long term. You are looking to halve the disability employment gap by 2038. Are there interim targets? Is there a pathway that has been set out, or does that depend on having the data? There have been successes, but do you know why we are having successes and where we need to focus policy? Are there interim targets, and is there a clear pathway towards meeting the 2038 target?

Those of us who visited the National Autistic Society in Scotland on Monday heard positive reports about the work that the Scottish Government has undertaken on employing people on the autism spectrum. The society was very favourable about the work that is being done. There was comment on whether, if that work could be learned from, that example could be used to encourage other employers. That points towards the need for more joined-up and connected policy.

Earlier, the point was made that where something is working well, it needs to be recognised, spread throughout the country, and used as a good example. Maybe that is not happening enough. There are pockets of progress and pockets in which things are not progressing, and we do not know what is happening where. That goes back to the data question.

When we visited the National Autistic Society, a strong point was made about the need for specialist support for young people in schools. We might be looking at the issue from an education perspective, but the case was made that specialists are needed. Often, that requires third sector involvement in education. That support needs to be funded.

I understand that that issue is not in your portfolio, but it crosses over. If you are looking at bringing those young people into employment and making them productive members of society, they need specialist support, which is maybe not always available in schools. More focus on that is needed. That might be something that you could feed back.

That brings us to the end of the evidence session. I thank the minister and the officials for the evidence that we have heard this morning. We now move into private session.

I have one final question, and then I will invite Graham Simpson in.

Last week, we had the cabinet secretary in to talk about the budget. There has been a £53 million cut in funding for employability services. The cabinet secretary outlined that that money was not committed, that opportunity was being lost and that the cut was necessary in a difficult financial situation. That was the decision that the Government made.

I go to Ashley Ryan first. It was anticipated that that money would come through, but it has been removed. Do you have any comment on the employability landscape for people with disabilities? What funding is required to deliver in that area?

Can you describe the barriers? When we think about the disability employment gap, we may think that the solution is the same for everybody, or that employers all need to do the same things to support more people into work. However, are there different barriers for people who are living with different disabilities?