Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government routinely publishes official labour market statistics for disabled people and analysis of how their labour market barriers and outcomes are changing over time.

We know the disability employment gap - the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people - narrowed over the latest year to July 2020 – June 2021 by 1.5 percentage points in Scotland, to 32.0 percentage points. This was a larger narrowing of the disability employment gap than in the UK, where it narrowed by 0.6 percentage points. Scotland’s disability employment gap was also smaller than the disability employment gap in both Wales and Northern Ireland in the latest year.

We remain on course to reach our ambition to at least halve the disability employment gap in Scotland by 2038, however, we know there is much more work to do. For example, we continue to work closely with our partners in Disabled People’s Organisations to hear directly from disabled people themselves what changes they are experiencing in the labour market. This includes their representation on our Short Life Working Group for the refresh of our employment action plan, ensuring disabled people’s lived experiences are shaping this work.

Latest data and analysis are published at:

Labour market monthly briefing: November 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Fairer Scotland for disabled people - employment action plan: progress report - year 2 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government has not been involved in any discussions regarding the development of an Edinburgh specific rate of pay.

Employment law remains reserved to the UK Government therefore, the Scottish Government cannot currently legislate on this matter. We continue to promote payment of at least the real Living Wage and welcome the increase to £9.90 per hour for workers over 18 announced on 15 November.

I was pleased to note that City of Edinburgh Council has achieved Living Wage City recognition and is promoting payment of the real Living Wage in the region.

The Scottish Government takes a different approach to the UK Government in implementing a public health approach to drug use. This is in line with recommendations of the Scottish Affairs Committee [1] , the Westminster Health and Social Care Committee [2] as well as a significant number of other experts and academics. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh [3] and the Drug Deaths Taskforce [4] have both released reports in Scotland this year alone calling for a strengthened public health approach to drug use.

In contrast, the priority of Project Adder remains enforcement led. A review of international evidence [5] shows that major policing crackdowns and enforcement operations tend to increase harms to people who use drugs. For example, research from a number of countries has shown that crackdowns are more likely to move drug dealing and usage geographically than to reduce them, increasing crime and discouraging people from carrying clean injecting equipment.

I do welcome those elements of Project ADDER that focus on diversion and recovery, but these are areas that Scotland is already prioritising through our National Mission, having allocated £250 million to improving and saving lives over the course of this Parliament. Work on diversion and recovery is well underway in Scotland and will align with the Project ADDER activity in England and Wales.

Where Adder can add value to the work already underway in Scotland is in the sharing of evidence, helping us to understand what activity can be effective in addressing drug related harms and deaths. To this end our Drug Deaths Taskforce have been engaging as active members of the Project ADDER Partnership Learning Network, sharing lessons learned between Scotland and the targeted ADDER areas.

[1] Scottish Affairs Committee: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201919/cmselect/cmscotaf/44/44.pdf

[2] Health and Social Care Committee: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201919/cmselect/cmhealth/143/143.pdf

[3] The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/drugs_deaths_in_scotland_report_final_0.pdf

[4] Drug Deaths Taskforce: https://drugdeathstaskforce.scot/media/1248/drug-law-reform-report-sept-6th-21.pdf

[5] Scottish Government: https://www.gov.scot/publications/international-approaches-drug-law-reform/documents/

The purpose of the alcohol licensing system is to support the regulation of the sale of alcohol with the objectives of preventing crime and disorder; securing public safety; preventing public nuisance; protecting and improving public health; and protecting children and young people from harm. It is for independent licensing boards to administer the licensing regime at a local level with reference to these five licensing objectives.

Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, each independent licensing board is required to publish licensing policy statements. Such statements allow for interested parties to understand better how each licensing board will operate in line with these five overarching licensing objectives. The introduction within the 2005 Act of a public health objective ensures licensing boards can take into account the importance of protecting and improving public health when considering and determining licensing matters brought before the Board. How the public health objective is to be achieved within each licensing board area as one of the five licensing objectives is a matter for each independent licensing board, but licensing policy statements should reflect the approach to be taken.

The Scottish Government has also taken forward a range of legislative measures such as, amongst others, placing restrictions on drink promotions, requiring the operation of an age verification policy and giving the police powers to disrupt drinking dens to help reduce alcohol harm.

In terms of the affordability of alcohol, minimum unit pricing (MUP) was introduced on 1 May 2018 at 50 pence per unit of alcohol and is subject to a comprehensive, independent evaluation, led by Public Health Scotland (PHS). Various reports on the impact of MUP are published on the PHS website, with a final report due in November 2023.

Under current legal aid provision, BSL interpreting costs can be paid as an outlay where legal aid or advice and assistance is in place. When a person requires such support to access legal services, the Legal Aid Fund will meet these costs. The Scottish Legal Aid Board is currently undertaking a consultation on its approach to accounts assessment, within which it has proposed to continue to assess BSL interpreting as part of its general outlays policy.

The Scottish Legal Aid Board has also promoted the availability of ContactScotland BSL service to solicitors. This Scottish Government funded service, has expanded to allow BSL signers across the country to make phone calls in their first or preferred language. It is a VRS (virtual relay service) for making phone calls, or conversation where both parties are not in the same place. It is available 24 hours a day throughout the year.

The Scottish Government has established a British Sign Language Justice Advisory Group, as part of its BSL National Plan 2017-2023. The role of this BSL-led justice advisory group is to provide expertise and guidance to justice agencies. The Group is to play a key role in developing and delivering a programme of improvements to help the justice agencies better meet the needs of BSL users.

Zero Waste Scotland’s report The Carbon Footprint of Scotland's Household Waste summarises the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste using the latest Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published waste data. This report provides information on the relative carbon and weight-based impacts of Scotland’s waste generated and managed. The most recent data shows that in 2019 the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste fell to the lowest on record, 16% below 2011 levels. Further information is available at https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/our-work/carbon-metric-publications .

Data on local authority household recycling rates is published by SEPA and available at https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/household-waste-data/ .

The Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund asks social landlords to provide evidence of tenant engagement as part of the funding application process and encourages consultation with tenants before any work begins.

The fund, which will support the social housing sector over the next 5 years, reopened this August and welcomes applications from social landlords who want to upgrade their existing housing stock. The fund remains open throughout the year. Applications can be submitted at any time and are assessed on a quarterly basis.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04485 on 29 November 2021 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers