Chamber and committees

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) are the independent regulator of the social service workforce in Scotland. SSSC protects the public by registering the workforce, setting standards for their practice, conduct, training and education and by supporting their professional development. Groups of workers subject to registration with the SSSC are set by Scottish Ministers within the Regulation of Care Act (Scotland) 2001.

The role of ‘healthcare assistant’ does not have a standard definition and the term is used for different roles within the health and social care workforce. Due to the varying definition of this role, it is currently unclear which roles would and would not be appropriate for SSSC registration. While some healthcare assistants job roles may meet the requirement for SSSC registration, many will not. As such, there are no current plans to consider registration with the SSSC for healthcare assistants employed by the NHS.

The contract between Biffa and Circularity Scotland Ltd was a contract between two private companies. The Scottish Government provided no security, guarantee or other assurance to Biffa in relation to its obligations under the contract that it entered into with Circularity Scotland.

The Scottish Government regularly confirmed our continuing commitment to DRS in Parliament, in public statements, and to those businesses and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of DRS. A letter was sent to Biffa in May 2022 confirming the government’s commitment to DRS.

Since the publication of the Scottish Government’s budget in December, and in the face the most challenging budget since devolution, we have worked closely with SDS to maximise front line delivery within their overall allocation. Letters of guidance setting out strategic priorities were issued by Ministers to SDS on 29 March.

Operational decisions on pay and staffing matters are the responsibility of individual colleges.

The Scottish Government expects every effort to be made, in consultation with trade unions, to protect jobs. The Scottish Government has been clear that compulsory redundancies should only be considered as a last resort, after all other options have been fully explored in collaboration with trade unions.

Independent dentists and dental bodies corporate make claims for items of treatment provided under NHS General Dental Services. As part of the claims process, patient charges, where appropriate, are also recorded. Practitioner Services of National Services Scotland reimburses claims on behalf of NHS Boards, and data on activity is summarised and published under quarterly official statistics by Public Health Scotland.

As set out in the Letter of Guidance issued by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Funding Council on 29 March 2024, implementation of Fair Work First must be the guiding criteria to promote fairer work practices for staff within the college sector.

The Scottish Government expects college employers and trades unions to follow Fair Work principles and work together to reach a conclusion to the pay negotiations with a settlement which is both fair and affordable, without the need for further industrial action.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of working closely and collaboratively with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to deliver a net zero that is mutually beneficial both in economic and social terms.

We will engage directly with each of the Governments to understand how best to establish a four nations climate response group that enables us to work much closer and share more information.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of working closely and collaboratively with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to deliver a net zero that is mutually beneficial both in economic and social terms.

We will engage directly with each of the Governments to understand how best to establish a four nations climate response group that enables us to work much closer and share more information.

The information requested is not held centrally and is a matter for each health board. Health boards have a legal obligation under Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011) to identify a person with responsibility over their records. They decide on the best way to designate further roles and responsibilities for that matter.

While employment law is reserved, we will continue to do whatever we can with the levers we have to strengthen effective voice and ultimately collective bargaining in Scotland. The Scottish Government has made a clear commitment to promote collective bargaining through the inclusion of an employee voice indicator, measured by collective bargaining coverage, within the National Performance Framework.

Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan include actions to support trade unions and promote collective bargaining.

We are continuing to promote trade union recognition and collective bargaining, at both local and sectoral levels, to achieve improved conditions and enhance effective voice. Work is underway in a number of traditionally low paid or precarious sectors to advance fair work and effective voice for workers. The Scottish Government’s work on introducing sectoral bargaining for the adult social care sector is progressing ahead of the introduction of the National Care Service (NCS), in line with the recommendations of the Fair Work Convention. Furthermore, since 1 July 2023, public sector grants include a requirement to pay at least the Real Living Wage to all employees, and provide appropriate channels for effective voice, thus strengthening our approach to conditionality.

Despite an increasingly constrained budgetary context we have continued to provide trade unions in Scotland with funding and support to advance fair work and improve worker voice, which can ultimately increase trade union recognition.