- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether an equality impact assessment has been carried out on the work and remit of the Agricultural Wages Board in relation to the number of employees from ethnic and cultural minority communities and, if so, whether any recommendations have been made on the payment of the living wage.
Answer
The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) which was established under the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949. Its function is to set minimum rates of pay and other conditions of service for agricultural workers in Scotland. It exercises this function by making orders, which reflect pay settlements agreed by the board, normally on an annual basis. The current order is the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Order (No. 63) 2015. The SAWB issues a guide for workers and employers alongside each order to promote awareness of its provisions.
The SAWB is not subject to the specific public sector equality duty in Scotland as it is not listed in Schedule 1 to the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulation 2012.
However, we understand the SAWB as an NDPB is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including its duty under section 149 to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and promote good relations, in the exercise of its public functions. We understand the SAWB is cognisant of the issues faced by agricultural workers from ethnic minority communities, and by migrant workers. For example, the board has published a Polish language version of the Order and the guide, which can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/business/18107/RuralBusiness.
The Scottish Ministers have responsibility for enforcement of the orders, including by way of a specific enforcement power under the 1949 Act in respect of the agricultural minimum wage rates set by the SAWB.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in ensuring that the Agricultural Wages Board sets minimum hourly rates for all workers based on the living wage.
Answer
The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board is a non-departmental public body established under the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949 to set minimum wage rates and other conditions of employment for agricultural workers. The wages board takes decisions of its own accord and does not operate under instruction from Scottish Ministers.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on fracking.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2016
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29398 by Michael Matheson on 2 February 2016, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has asked the new chief constable about the activities of the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) in Scotland, including (a) the extent of these activities, (b) which campaigns and individuals were investigated and (c) how many people who were investigated became involved in relationships with SDS officers, and for what reason the cabinet secretary considered the initial response to be adequate.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29398 on 2 February 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many new-start apprentices in 2015-16 self-declared as disabled, broken down by apprenticeship framework.
Answer
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) publish Modern Apprenticeship (MA) statistics, including MA starts by self reported disability status, on a quarterly basis. SDS' quarter 3 (i.e. to 25 December 2015) report for 2015-16 can be accessed via SDS' website: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/publications-statistics/. For ease of reference I can advise that in the first three quarters of 2015-16, 695 people who started an apprenticeship self declared a disability.
With regard to this figure broken down by apprenticeship framework, this information is not held centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to write to you with the information you have requested.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure accountability and transparency in relation to tackling bullying, harassment and discrimination in organisations that it commissions or funds.
Answer
Organisations are expected, as part of the conditions of grant from the Scottish Government, to ensure that in relation to the purpose of the funding provided, they are compliant with the requirements of existing law, which includes equality legislation protecting individuals from discrimination and harassment. Similarly organisations contracted by the Scottish Government are expected to be compliant with the law.
The Scottish Government worked with the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the publication of their guidance on procurement and equality and we have acted on the provisions contained in the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 that help encourage fair work practices and living wage through public bodies’ procurement activity. The Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities accelerated the publication of new statutory guidance on Addressing Fair Work Practices, including the Living Wage, in Procurement, which was published on 6 October 2015. Further we have started working in partnership with public bodies to develop best practice which will be published in the future.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting employers to increase the number of disabled people in the workforce.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s focus is on supporting disabled individuals to progress towards sustainable employment. We do this, for example, through our Supported Employment place and train model, delivered by local authorities and other providers engaging with employers.
The Scottish Government is also committed to supporting employers to help them employ people with disabilities, and acknowledges the important role employers play here. This is undertaken via a variety of instruments which employ measures to address inequalities more broadly, including the Open Doors Consortium; Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce; Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive; the Community Jobs Scotland programme; the Equality Action Plan for Modern Apprenticeships; and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. In addition we work closely with our partners, such as Skills Development Scotland, Business Gateway, and the enterprise agencies to support employers and businesses to engage with and employ people with disabilities.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many public contracts it, and other public authorities, have awarded to subsidiary and associated companies of Balfour Beatty in each year since 2011.
Answer
The Scottish Government has awarded one contract in 2011 to Balfour Beatty Construction Limited for the final fit out of the Scottish Crime Campus.
Details of contracts awarded by the Scottish public sector are publicly available on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) website. However, it should be noted that while all contracts awarded by the Scottish Government are recorded on PCS, its use by the wider public sector is not mandated. Therefore, comprehensive information relating to the wider public sector is not held centrally and is a matter for individual public contracting authorities. http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28935 by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2015, whether the Fair Work Convention has now considered the report, Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination in Scottish Workplaces, and, if so, what its response is, if not, when the convention will next meet.
Answer
The Fair Work Convention is an independent body and therefore the Scottish Government is unable to comment on what its response will be. The Scottish Government is however aware that the convention has seen the report and fully expects it to factor bullying, harassment and discrimination into the fair work framework to be published by the end of March 2016. The convention will next meet on 24 February 2016.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of disabled people in the workforce.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting everyone who can and wants to work, including people with disabilities, to progress towards, progress into and to sustain employment. However, employment services are currently reserved to the UK Government. From April 2017 Scotland will deliver its own employment services, including to those with disabilities – despite the budget for this having been severely restricted by the UK Government.
We have employed a range of measures to increase the number of people with disabilities in the workforce. We have a specific focus on disabled people through the Community Jobs Scotland programme; the delivery of our autism and learning disabilities strategies; and the delivery of Developing the Young Workforce; by promoting the Supported Employment model; and by providing Falkirk Local Authority with a grant over two years to develop disability specialist services. We are resuming Scotland’s Employer Recruitment Incentive in April 2016, with a sharper focus on young people who face the biggest barriers to employment, including those with disabilities. And we are working with Skills Development Scotland to make Modern Apprenticeships more open, attractive and available to people with disabilities.
There is also a place for Scotland’s supported businesses, which employ at least 50% disabled staff. These businesses can also function as stepping stones towards mainstream employment.
