Chamber and committees

The monitoring of the impact of gambling across the UK during the pandemic, is carried out by the Gambling Commission, which published and updated the following report . The Commission also alerts stakeholders to other academic assessments carried out across both the UK and internationally.

Gambling has the potential to negatively affect physical, psychological health, and the social functioning of the people who gamble and others around them. In April 2019 the Gambling Commission, with the support of GambleAware, published its “National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms”. That new industry-led strategy for England, Wales and Scotland aims to respond to growing concerns about the harm caused by gambling through improving prevention and educative approaches, and through developing and increasing access to evidenced-informed effective treatment and support.

The Scottish Government are currently working with the Commission and other stakeholders in Scotland, to assess existing evidence on which pathways to treatment are likely to be most successful in Scotland, this includes the evaluation of pathways being trialled in other nations. In addition, we are keen to understand why some people with problematic gambling are not accessing treatment and support services, to ensure our pathway options take these reasons into account to provide the correct approach for the people of Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not investigated or undertaken any feasibility work for a fixed link (bridge, sea crossing or tunnel) between Scotland and Northern Ireland and has no current plans to do so.

Transport Scotland officials have had limited discussions with the UK Government regarding the publication of the interim report of their Union Connectivity Review (UCR). On 26 November 2020 I spoke to Sir Peter Hendy, who is leading the UCR, to discuss this work. Subsequently, on 9 March 2021, I (separately) spoke with the UK Government as well as with Sir Peter Hendy, and relevant officials from the Department for Transport – the matter was discussed in that context on each occasion. I have also had various discussions with Nichola Mallon, Minister for Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Assembly, on the UCR, some of which have made reference to a potential fixed link – on 6 March 2020 we both wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport setting out joint views on the matter.

We seek to engage constructively with the UK Government, however, not in a way that undermines the devolution settlement. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) is ongoing and is the method by which the Scottish Government will assess how best to influence the demand for travel, how to better maintain and make best use of existing transport assets, what new capacity is needed, and what may or may not need to be built. This work will appraise potential transport interventions and make recommendations for investment in transport in Scotland over the next 20 years – a fixed link to NI has not been identified as a priority throughout the course of STPR2.

The Scottish Government does not hold data about how many businesses have been ineligible for any form of assistance from its COVID-19 support schemes.

Under Scotland’s green port model, green port operators and eligible businesses operating within a green port area will be required to adopt the full Fair Work First criteria and commit to becoming a Scottish Business Pledge signatory. The Scottish Business Pledge asks members to commit to:

• Three core (mandatory) elements: Payment of the Real Living Wage; No inappropriate use of Zero Hours Contracts; Action to address Gender pay Gap; and,
• Any 5 of the following 7 elements according to their particular sector: Investing in a Skilled and Diverse Workforce; Workforce Engagement; Environmental Impact; Prompt Payment; Innovation; Internationalisation; Playing an active role in the Community.

We are confident that our green port model reflects the Scottish economic policy context, with its central focus on worker’s rights; protection of the environment, and driving inclusive and sustainable growth.

The Scottish Business Pledge and its criteria is under constant review.

Green port operators and businesses directly benefitting from new tax incentives will be required to adopt Fair Work First. In doing so, they will be encouraged to use the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First guidance to inform their approach and to advance Fair Work as they develop. We recommend that employers within the green port zone engage constructively with relevant trade unions and where a union is not present, with appropriate worker representatives to ensure effective decisions are made about workplace matters.

All Fair Work First criteria will be incorporated into the design and operation of green ports in Scotland. Fair Work First asks employers to commit to:

• appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition.
• investment in workforce development
• no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.
• action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
• payment of the real Living Wage.

The Scottish Government will require green port operators and businesses directly benefitting from new tax incentives to adopt the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First approach, as a condition of their designation or eligibility respectively.

We expect to see detailed plans on the actions the operator and businesses will take to ensure the Fair Work First approach and criteria are embedded within and across the green port environment and individual organisations.

The Scottish Government is clear that green port operators and businesses benefitting from linked tax incentives or any other government funding must continue to adhere to the conditions of their designation or eligibility. This is a key matter that we have been very clear with the UK Government on, as we have developed the Applicant Prospectus for green ports in Scotland.

We do not hold the requested information centrally.

The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy are amongst our top priorities. Employers should follow Scottish guidance and have policies and practices in place that promote good health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace. We are raising awareness of support through investment in Healthy Working Lives , which provides information and advice on a range of wellbeing matters.

The Scottish Government also funds Working Health Services Scotland to support individuals working for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to return to work from sickness absence, ensuring they are aware of their employer’s statutory duty to ensure their health and safety is protected. This includes supporting employees to follow health protection advice and undertaking risk assessments of work activity to agree appropriate mitigating measures.

Work on implementing the provisions of Part 3 (Bus Services) of the Transport (Scotland) 2019 Act was paused while officials had to prioritise the Scottish Government’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, work has now restarted and an online stakeholder workshop was held on 17 March 2021 which covered the range of options, including local authority run bus services. Stakeholder views will inform the development of a public consultation exercise to run later this year. This consultation will, in turn, inform the development of secondary legislation and guidance. The date of coming into force will depend on a number of factors including the time it takes to consider the outcomes of the consultation, as well as Parliamentary scheduling.

We recognise the financial challenges being experienced by businesses in the construction sector, particularly smaller firms and tradespeople whose business relies on doing work in domestic premises. The limited funding made available to us to support businesses means that we are simply unable to support all sectors experiencing disruption as a result of restrictions. We therefore have no plans at present to provide direct financial support to small building and construction firms.

I would, however, encourage businesses in this sector and whose trade has been impacted by the pandemic to access the UK Government's Self Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which will support them in meeting staffing costs and addressing salary shortfalls. We continue to do all we can to support the sector through these difficult times through the Construction Leadership Forum and our Construction Recovery Plan.

The Scottish Government welcomed the recommendations of the Fireworks Review Group and in February 2021 laid regulations in the Scottish Parliament amending the times of day and volume of fireworks that can be sold to the general public, and the times of day fireworks can be used by the general public. These regulations will contribute to ensuring fireworks are used safely, handled with care and reduce harm for individuals and communities going forward.

Further recommendations from the Fireworks Review Group, including the introduction of mandatory conditions before the purchase of consumer fireworks by the general public and the introduction of no fireworks areas or zones where it is not possible for the general public to set fireworks off, require further consideration. Subject to the forthcoming election in May 2021, the Scottish Government intends, as a matter of urgency, to ensure further positive change is in place for communities going forward.