Chamber and committees

There is no need for additional comment, but does anyone else want to say something?

That is very helpful. Anna Ritchie Allan, do you want to come in?

I think that Anna Ritchie Allan was trying to come in; I might have cut her off inadvertently.

Is that question for a specific witness?

I am deliberately leaving a pause for a volunteer.

The next item is stage 1 evidence on the Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council Bill. In previous meetings, we heard from two panels of witnesses, and we will hear from a further two panels today.

This member’s bill was introduced by Mark Griffin on 8 June 2023 and is currently going through stage 1 with our committee. The bill would create a Scottish employment injuries advisory council to advise the Scottish ministers on employment injuries assistance. The proposed council would have three functions: to report and draft regulations for employment injuries assistance, replacing the Scottish Commission on Social Security in that area; to report to the Parliament and ministers on any matter relevant to employment injuries assistance; and to carry out, commission, or support research into any matter relevant to employment injuries assistance.

I welcome our first panel. Norman Provan, Scotland’s associate director, employment relations, Royal College of Nursing, and Linda Somerville, deputy general secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress, are joining us in person this morning. Good morning to you both. I also wish a very good morning to our three witnesses who are joining us online: Mike Corbett, national official, NASUWT; Lorna Glen, regional officer, Unite the Union, Scotland; and John McKenzie, regional secretary, Scotland, Fire Brigades Union.

There are a few points to mention about this morning’s proceedings. Please wait for me or the member asking the question to say your name before you come in to speak. Do not feel that you have to answer every single question—if you have nothing to add to what has been said by others, there is no requirement to say anything. I am not trying to dissuade you from speaking but, given that we have five witnesses, it is just a matter of time constraints.? Please allow our broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn on your microphone before you start speaking.??

For witnesses who are online, if you want to answer a question, please indicate that with an R in the chat box in Zoom and the clerking staff will make sure that I am aware of that and can give you the opportunity to come in. I ask everyone to keep questions and answers as concise as possible—I note that I include myself in that.

Our first theme is the membership of the proposed SEIAC. I will open the questions. Does the bill give SEIAC the right balance of scientific expertise and other interests among its members? I will go to our online witnesses in the first instance because the default is usually to go to the people in the room. I will go to Mike Corbett first.

Tony Higgins and Anna Ritchie Allan, would you like there to be any additions to the membership?

On that point, the argument could be made—Mr Mason will pick up on this later in the evidence session—that this, rightly, creates expectations from workers and trade unions across Scotland that the list of conditions that will lead to receiving the relevant benefit and the number of claimants could significantly increase. The reality is—I make no judgment on it—that affordability might be part of that mix. Does anyone have comments to make on affordability?

I am glad that we pushed on that, because it is important to put that on the record.

Thank you. Tony Higgins, do you want to come in?