Question reference: S5O-00279
- Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 26 October 2016
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 November 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reassurances it can give people from elsewhere in the EU who are working in Scotland regarding protecting their jobs following the UK's decision to leave the EU.
Answer
The Scottish Government has made very clear that we greatly value the positive contribution that our fellow EU citizens bring to the Scottish economy and society, and that they remain welcome here. The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about the UK Government’s negative rhetoric on migration and the lack of guarantees given to other EU citizens that they will be allowed to continue to live and work here at the point the UK leaves the EU.
Scottish Ministers will not cease pressing the UK Government to deliver an immigration system that meets Scotland’s needs, protects the existing rights of all workers in the UK and does not undermine the crucial role that workers from the rest of the EU play in the Scottish economy. It is imperative that the Scottish Government is consulted at an early stage on any changes to freedom of movement rules following the EU Referendum and we will fight hard to ensure that Scottish interests and those of foreign workers and their families are protected”