Question reference: S6W-09794
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 13 July 2022
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 August 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases it is aware of in which private care companies have not paid the £10.50 minimum wage to adult social care staff working in commissioned services.
Answer
This uplift in the minimum hourly rate of pay for adult social care workers, delivering direct care, is being delivered through Local Government contracts and funding to deliver this took effect from 1 April 2022; with the Scottish Government transferring £200 million to Local Government to support investment in social care, including to deliver the £10.50 minimum hourly rate for these workers.
The Scottish Government and COSLA have set up mechanisms, through discussions with the Fair Work in Social Care Group, to establish and address any issues or exceptional delays in relation to delivering the funding for the uplift to providers and subsequently eligible workers.
We have regular communications with Scottish Care, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS) and Trade Union representatives to discuss any concerns or questions around implementation of the uplift and have worked together to resolve these quickly. Through this process to date, we have not had any examples brought to our attention of private care providers not paying the £10.50 minimum hourly rate.
However, despite the apparently good levels of compliance, we are currently working with key stakeholders to establish a webpage with details for members of the adult social care workforce to make contact with local commissioning teams directly if they are not receiving the £10.50 per hour rate so this can be investigated.
The Scottish Government also encourages and receives communications from members of the workforce directly. To date, we have received one case where members of the workforce are not receiving £10.50 and this is currently being looked into.