Chamber and committees

While Winter Fuel Payment is one of the benefits that will be devolved to the Scottish Government, we have not yet taken over responsibility for its administration. This means that the current rules governing the rate of payment, who is eligible to receive, and when and how it is paid, is set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This £300 change represents an increase in the base amount paid by the DWP for Winter Fuel Payment, which is normally paid in November, whereas the additional payments from 14 July are a one off payment for those in receipt of a variety of benefits, rather than an increase to the payment rates.

Island Communities Impact Assessments (ICIAs) and all other relevant impact assessments will be undertaken, as appropriate, as and when individual policies and programmes set out in the Shared Policy programme come forward for implementation.

Expert advice from virologists and epidemiologists within Scottish Government and the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA), shows that avian influenza is circulating widely in wild bird populations. There are very few effective interventions that will prevent the spread of the disease in wild birds. However, the Scottish Government, NatureScot and APHA have put in place a response plan which aims to:

• Ensure effective triage and testing is in place. This intelligence is used to link wild bird movements into national risk assessments and biosecurity measures, and identify any new species contributing to wider infection pathways.
• Provide advice on disposal of diseased carcases of wild birds.
• Monitor impacts on colonies/mortalities.
• Provide advice on access restrictions for bird ringing, research, licensable activities and land management activities.
• Develop future conservation/management plans for species affected by HPAI.

With regards specifically to geese; following the suspension of licences for goose management as I outlined in my response to S6W-09329 on 15 July 2022 and in all cases where licences to manage geese with lethal control were suspended, NatureScot made offers of support with non-lethal scaring to protect grass crops. That support generally was in the form of a contribution towards the purchase of scaring equipment such as gas guns and other bird scaring equipment.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government is not currently considering culling wild birds where Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is detected, as this would not be a practical or proportionate method of impact mitigation.

Current advice to all keepers of poultry and other captive bird keepers is that the enhanced biosecurity requirements that were brought in as part of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone in November 2021, remain in force, as infection continues to circulate in the environment. Keepers are advised to maintain scrupulous biosecurity standards and to continue applying such standards as best practice. These practices include the cleansing and disinfection of equipment, vehicles and footwear and the storing of feed, water and bedding to minimise the risk of virus contamination from wild birds.

In Autumn 2021, NatureScot suspended all licences to shoot Svalbard barnacle geese in the Solway area in light of the HPAI outbreak.

In February 2022, when HPAI was confirmed within the Greenland barnacle goose population, NatureScot suspended licences to shoot Greenland barnacle geese on Islay and on Uist. These licences had been issued to prevent serious agricultural damage.

NatureScot will review whether similar arrangements are required when geese and other waterfowl populations return to their wintering grounds. If culling licences to prevent agricultural damage are suspended in the autumn then alternative support for land managers and owners will be considered.

The Scottish Government has committed to the introduction of a Human Rights Bill within this Parliamentary session (2021-26) and we will consult on proposals this year.

The Human Rights Bill will incorporate the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which includes a right to adequate food as an essential part of the overall right to an adequate standard of living, into Scots law, as far as possible within devolved competence.

No one should have to rely on charitable food provision which is why we have committed to publishing a plan on ending the need for food banks this Autumn.

We consulted on a draft plan earlier this year, which reaffirms our human rights approach – we prioritise action to prevent poverty and promote cash-first responses to hardship so that people have sufficient income to meet their needs and preferences.

Both the Trussell Trust and the Independent Food Aid Network have endorsed the cash-first approach, including through our Scottish Welfare Fund and low income pandemic supports.

Through the budget for 2022-23 the Scottish Government has allocated almost £3 billion to a range of supports that will contribute to mitigating the impact of the increased cost of living on households. This includes work to tackle child poverty, reduce inequalities and support financial wellbeing, alongside social security payments not available anywhere else in the UK.

In a recent letter to the Minister for BEIS, Paul Scully MP, I urged the UK Government to deliver on its Good Work Plan commitments, which included measures to tackle one-sided flexibility, and to go further by raising the minimum wage to a real Living Wage and to put an end to the exploitative nature of insecure contracts. It is unacceptable that long overdue reforms to employment protections has been abandoned with the cancelled Employment Bill.

We continue to press the UK Government for the full devolution of employment powers in order to allow us to fully deliver our Fair Work ambitions.

The percentage of people in employment on a zero-hours contract (ZHC) in Scotland was 2.9% in Jan-Mar 2022, lower than the UK proportion which was 3.1%. However the proportion in both Scotland and the UK increased over the year, from 2.3% for Scotland and 2.7% for the UK in Jan-Mar 2021.

We firmly oppose the inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts and other non-standard types of employment that offer workers minimal job or financial security. We are using all the levers available to make Fair Work the norm in Scottish workplaces, including through our Fair Work First policy, which asks employers to commit to fair working practices including no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.

We have also introduced a Living Hours Employer Accreditation Scheme for Scotland, recognising that as well as payment of the real Living Wage, the number and frequency of working hours and security of contract is critical to addressing in-work poverty.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09352 on 12 July 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government acknowledges that the STUC have declared a cost-of-living emergency and are calling for a national food summit.

We know that inflation is having the biggest impact on those with the lowest incomes. The UK Government holds most of the powers needed to tackle this crisis but the Scottish Government are doing what we can within our devolved powers and fixed budget, and have allocated almost £3 billion to a range of supports this year that will contribute to mitigating the impact of the increased cost of living on households. This includes work to tackle child poverty, reduce inequalities and support financial wellbeing, alongside social security payments not available anywhere else in the UK.

We have already consulted on a draft plan on ending the need for food banks and will publish a final version of this in the Autumn. This will further strengthen cash-first responses to hardship so that people have the income they need to access food and other essentials.

In addition, on 17 March 2022, the Scottish Government established a short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce to monitor potential disruption to the food and drink supply chain as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Taskforce recognised that, while immediate supplies of food are secure, there is greater strain on the food supply chain than has been seen for many years, as a result of cumulative shocks to it from COVID-19, Brexit and the Ukraine conflict.

The Taskforce report was published on 23 June 2022 and included a series of recommendations that it hopes will help to bolster industry confidence during these hugely challenging times. [ Short Life Food Security and Supply Taskforce: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ]

The Scottish Government firmly opposes the inappropriate use of zero hours contracts and other non-standard types of employment that offer workers minimal job or financial security. Although zero hours contracts fall under employment law, which is reserved to the UK Government, we are committed to avoiding inappropriate use of zero hours contracts throughout Scotland.

We are taking action to tackle insecure work through Fair Work First, the Scottish Government’s policy for driving high quality, fair work. In May 2022, we published updated Statutory Guidance setting out how public bodies can address Fair Work First requirements in relevant public procurements, including no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts and payment of the real Living Wage.

Fair Work First guidance - for those who are involved in the award and delivery of public sector contracts - makes clear the benefits of secure contracts to both workers and employers. Employers using zero hours contracts should be able to credibly explain their exceptional circumstance which leads to them using such contracts. Employers should also be able to explain the steps they are taking to review their business model to eliminate the inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.