Chamber and committees

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-27927 on 25 March 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

This is an operational matter for Scottish Canals and we have asked that the CEO of Scottish Canals responds.

In 2019-20 the 35 public bodies listed below fully consolidated the £750 underpin for those earning £25,000 or less, representing 78% of all bodies directly subject to the public sector pay policy.

The National Library of Scotland has confirmed that there were no savings on their 2019-20 pay bill. The Library has paid the £750 underpin to all relevant staff in the 2019-20 financial year.

However, to help balance future budgets, the Library decided to consolidate the 3% basic award and not fully baseline the overall £750 increase into salaries. The Library has estimated that this will save the organisation £22,000 in 2020-21 and increased amounts in future years.

While the Public Sector Pay Policy 2019-20 encouraged public bodies in Scotland to implement the minimum underpin for those employees earning less than £25,000, the Pay Policy stressed that ultimately it was for those individual employers to decide on the most appropriate pay proposals within the overall Pay Policy Framework for their organisation, and whether these were affordable within their budget settlement for 2019-20 and sustainable in the long-term.

Two public bodies within the heritage sector took the approach of not consolidating the top-up to £750. If the payment had been made permanent it would have cost an extra £8k in 19-20, with significantly increased amounts in future years.

Three public bodies have paid the top-up to £750 as a non-consolidated amount in 2019-20. This equates to seven per cent of the 45 public bodies that are directly subject to the public sector pay policy.

There is no direct provision in the 2020-21 public sector pay policy to allow extra pay increases to address 2019-20 non-consolidated payments. However, the guaranteed £750 underpin is a key element of the 2020-21 pay policy and must be applied as a consolidated increase for all staff earning less than £25,000.

In addition, there is provision in the 2020-21 pay policy for public bodies to use paybill savings of up to 0.5 per cent of baseline salaries to make affordable and sustainable changes to their pay and grading structures to address inequalities.

The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services which is used by Central Government bodies only. The number of interpreters employed by the Contractor to deliver the services under the framework is not held by Scottish Government. Scottish Government does not hold any information on how other public bodies, out with Central Government sector, appoint interpreters. This is a matter for each individual organisation.

The Scottish Government encourages all suppliers to pay the real Living Wage. The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services used by Central Government bodies only and does not contract directly with individual interpreters. Rates of pay and terms and conditions of employment are a matter between the interpreter and the framework supplier. However during the procurement process for the framework agreement, suppliers were asked to describe how their organisations would support Scottish Ministers' policies on fair work practices. Framework suppliers confirmed that they currently meet or exceed the Living Wage hourly rate for all their employees and freelance workers.

The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services used by Central Government bodies only and does not contract directly with individual interpreters. Rates in the framework agreement are inclusive of all hourly rates, travel up to 70 miles, expenses and management fees. This is to ensure that the framework suppliers make every effort to source local interpreters in order to provide opportunities for local based workers and to ensure that the framework provides value for money by reducing travel costs and to meet sustainable procurement objectives by keeping miles travelled to a minimum. In exceptional circumstances, where the framework supplier is unable to source a local interpreter and can only provide an interpreter from out with the 70 miles, the organisation calling off from the framework has sole discretion to accept the interpreter and approve payment of separate travel and subsistence costs. It should also be noted that interpreters are paid for a minimum of 2 hours even where the duration of an assignment lasts less than 2 hours. Some assignments may be more financially beneficial to an interpreter than others. There is no evidence that any individual working as an interpreter on the framework agreement is earning, on average, less than the living wage.