Chamber and committees

That is really helpful. I see from the chat that Chris Birt wants to come in as well, so I will hand over to him, and then I will ask Angela O’Hagan to come in.

Thank you. That is very helpful.

I know that we have heard a lot, so I am sorry for coming back in. I appreciate that this is potentially a big topic, but I would like the headlines, maybe from Angela O’Hagan.

We are talking about a multiyear resource spending review, and many of us on the committee are interested in how we engage and ensure that we get the right participation from people. Do you have any top tips or key recommendations for us to think about as we look at how to make our budget processes more participative? How can we hear from the voices that we have not been hearing from, in a way that still allows us to analyse data and gather expert evidence? Specifically, I am thinking about that in the context of the multiyear spending review.

Yes, there is a gap between the equality statement and the annex and then the level 4 data—there is something missing in between.

I will bring in Angela O’Hagan. Angela, you talked about the need for collective action. I am interested in how we break down some of the departmental silos. We have got to this point because departmental budgets have, for understandable reasons, been fiercely protected, and the connections or overlaps between them have not necessarily been seen clearly. Will you pick up on that point as it relates to the broader question?

Good morning, and thank you all for your opening remarks. It is good to hear recognition that this is, in part, a process, and that, while there have been improvements, there is still considerable work to do, especially in certain areas.

I will explore some of those areas in my initial question. I was struck by what was said about the adding-up issue and it not being understood exactly how allocations in the equalities and human rights base connect with one another or add up. I am interested in how that relates to our structural equality analysis and our understanding of where the issues are. Maybe that goes back to the cart-before-horse issue that Emma Congreve talked about.

Emma, could you start by saying a little more about where we should currently be looking for that structural equality analysis, and what we need to do to build on that for future budgets, given that we know that this budget probably does not meet all our ambitions? I am interested in your thoughts on looking at that through the lens of intersectional gender budgeting in particular.

Thank you for what you have said so far and the information that you have provided, cabinet secretary. I have some questions about employability and skills. Will you give us an update on how the youth guarantee is going? How successful has it has been, particularly in reaching young people who have been dramatically impacted by the pandemic? How can we ensure that we continue to support young people, not only through the pandemic, but beyond it?

One of our concerns, as Fiona Hyslop has already mentioned, is the asymmetry of power as it applies to the balance between communities at a very local, if not regional, level. I appreciate what you say. It may be too early to identify examples of issues arising, but are you or your officials looking at a specific area of work to ensure that we do not lose very specific community-focused development opportunities that may not apply or relate to some of the broader principles and broader examples that would be done on a bigger geographical level?

That is helpful.

Good morning, minister. I want to explore the impact on economic development a little more. We know that the economic development landscape in Scotland is different to that in the rest of the UK and we have heard in the evidence we have already gathered that this new regime has the potential to create greater uncertainty, higher costs and more risk aversion, and that there is a particular issue around the incentive for more community-based support and community-focused schemes. Can you outline some of the impacts that you have identified in this area? If we can mitigate them through discussions with the UK Government, that is fine, but if we cannot, what options are open for us to ensure that we do not suffer those negative consequences?

That is helpful. I will move on to a linked issue. Cabinet secretary, you mentioned the clear context of the budget—the pandemic and the other issues that we are dealing with—and you have spoken about the support that is needed for businesses and the need to have excellence in what we do and not mediocrity across the board. You talked about the importance of making sure that people in our communities are ready for the labour market, but the labour market is not an end in itself; it is there to tackle some of the challenges and the structural inequalities that you mentioned will be included in the economic strategy.

Will you give us a little more information on how we can deliver the pace of change that we need around fair work and conditionality, not only in relation to fair work, but in relation to wellbeing as well? It could be argued that, if the economy does not create happy and healthy communities, it is failing on one measure. My question is about fair work, conditionality and the pace of change. Are we getting the balance right?