Chamber and committees

Employment law and the Employment Tribunal system are currently reserved to Westminster. The Scottish Government cannot therefore legislate on the costs associated with taking an employment case to tribunal.

The Scottish Government has published two progress reports following the initial publication of A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan in December 2018. These were published in March 2020 and March 2021.

Labour Market Statistics are published regularly by the Scottish Government and include data on disabled people’s employment rate, and the disability employment gap. The most recent full year figures for the Annual Population Survey, allowing comparison with our baseline year (2016), were published on the Scottish Government’s website in March of this year.

We are currently in the process of refreshing A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan, to be published in Autumn 2022 as part of a single, unified Fair Work Action Plan. Where appropriate, this will include a refresh of actions that remain in progress, whilst also identifying new action to be undertaken to reduce the disability employment gap.

Scottish Government officials last met with COSLA on 4 March 2022 to discuss the introduction of a national recommended allowance for foster and kinship carers. They are next due to meet following the Easter holiday period.

Including glass in our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. The inclusion of glass will save over 1.2 megatonnes CO 2 equivalent over 25 years. DRS will also reduce the amount of harmful glass litter in our environment.

Our DRS is designed to stand alone and our business case did not include any assumptions about the level of ambition of schemes in other UK nations. We will, of course, work with the other UK administrations to ensure that our schemes are interoperable, without jeopardising the ambition of our own scheme.

Safeguarding our democracy is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government. This includes being an open, accessible and transparent government. Public officials, including Ministers, MSPs and councillors, are subject to Code of Conducts which provide a clear set of principles and standards for their behaviour, including how to avoid undue interference from external actors. We believe the public should have trust in those they elect.

We are committed to continuing to work with COSLA and Local Authorities to meet Scotland’s ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, to promote a circular economy and tackle the climate change crisis.

In May we will publish a consultation on a route map outlining how we will deliver our 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential to 2025 and beyond. As part of the development of the route map, we have looked at high performing recycling systems across the world, including Wales. COSLA and local authority representatives have been involved in pre-consultation development of the route map. We have dedicated, regular forums with Local Authorities and COSLA to progress our shared waste and circular economy objectives.

We also continue to work closely with all four UK administrations to deliver packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms, which will tackle excess packaging, and help fund improved local recycling collections of packaging waste from households.

Scottish Ministers are still considering the wealth of information provided through the recent National Care Service (NCS) public consultation.

In that consultation we sought views on a remit for the NCS to develop and manage a National Commissioning and Procurement Structure of Standards and Processes for ethical commissioning and procuring of social care services and supports. We will develop the approach to national and local level ethical commissioning and procurement with partners, stakeholders and those who delivery care and receive care.

Local authority and other public service social care provision will remain important in delivering social care.

There will be no delay to year one of the Just Transition Fund as a result of the revised timetable for publication of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

Safeguarding our democracy is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government. This includes being an open, accessible and transparent government. Public officials, including Ministers, MSPs and councillors, are subject to Code of Conducts which provide a clear set of principles and standards for their behaviour, including how to avoid undue interference from external actors. We believe the public should have trust in those they elect.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to the inclusion of glass containers in our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme in view of the significant environmental and economic benefits that that will bring.