Scottish Parliament Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee

January 30, 2018 09:30

Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes 53 seconds

1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take items 5, 6 and 7 in private.2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Registers of Scotland (Digital Registration etc.) Regulations 2018 [draft] from—
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Scottish Government;

Stephanie Brown, Head of Business Development, and Chris Kerr, Head of Registration, Registers of Scotland;
Graham Fisher, Head of Branch, Legal Directorate - Constitutional & Civil Law, Scottish Government.3. Subordinate legislation: Keith Brown MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work) to move—S5M-10101—That the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee recommends that the Registers of Scotland (Digital Registration, etc.) Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.4. Scotland's Economic Performance: The Committee will take evidence from- 

Jackie Brierton, Vice-Chair, Women's Enterprise Scotland and Enterprise; CEO, GrowBiz;
Sandy Kennedy, Chief Executive, Entrepreneurial Scotland;
Jim McColl, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Clyde Blowers Capital;
Dr Suzanne Mawson, Lecturer, Management Work and Organisation, University of Stirling.5. Scotland's Economic Performance: The Committee will consider evidence heard at today's meeting.6. Financial Guidance and Claims Bill (UK Parliament legislation): The Committee will consider a draft report on legislative consent memorandum LCM-S5-11.7. Economic Data: The Committee will consider a draft report.

Work and Pensions Committee

Wednesday 31 January 2018 Meeting starts at 9.30am

Subject: Assistive technology

Witnesses: Jo-Ann Moran, Senior Civil Servant, user of assistive technology, Stephen Duckworth, assistive technology user and campaigner, Simon Wheatcroft assistive technology software advisor, innovator and user

Witness: Tracey Johnson, Holistic Workplace Needs Assessor and Assistive Technology Trainer, FM Hearing Systems and former Access to Work Advisor; Hector Minto, Head of Accessibility UK, Microsoft

The Government is to review all 1.6 million claims for a disability benefit after it decided not to contest a High Court ruling.

Ministers previously said accepting the decision over claims by those with mental health conditions could see up to 220,000 personal independence payment (PIP) claimants awarded higher payments.

In a written parliamentary question, shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams asked if there was a timetable for when claimants will be told if they will get their payments backdated.

Disabilities minister Sarah Newton said: “We are working with stakeholders to change the PIP assessment guide so that we can implement the judgment.

Image: Disabilities minister Sarah Newton

“Once we have completed this exercise we will be carrying out an administrative exercise to review cases that may be eligible and ensure that claimants receive the correct award.

“This will be a complex exercise and of considerable scale, as we will be reconsidering approximately 1.6 million claims.

“Whilst we will be working at pace to complete this exercise it is important that we get it right.”

The changes will not affect all PIP claims but they will all be reviewed as an administrative exercise.

Ms Abrahams said: “Today’s admission that the department will have to reconsider 1.6 million PIP claims to ensure that all claimants receive the correct award is shocking.

“The disabilities minister has refused to publish a timetable of how many months or even years it will take for this ‘complex exercise’ to be completed.

“The Government was wrong to cut PIP benefits in the first place, wrong to bring in the PIP regulations last year and it was wrong to repeatedly ignore the views of the courts.”

We are updating our Events section with 2018 events. Currently we are adding jobfairs. If you are looking for a job, check out events as we add more information.  

MPs have set the stage for a showdown with Carillion bosses over pensions, with committee head Frank Field accusing the firm of attempting to “wriggle out” of obligations.

The Work and Pensions Committee, currently investigating the collapsed construction company, has published a letter from Robin Ellison – chairman of trustees of Carillion’s defined benefit pension scheme. According to his account, the deficit in funds could be around £990m – more than a third higher than previously reported. Ellison’s letter further argues that pension trustees were “kept in the dark” over Carillion’s finances.

Image: Robin Ellison – chairman of trustees of Carillion’s defined benefit pension scheme.

Mr Ellison is to appear before the committee of MPs later this week. Bosses of Carillion will also be requested to attend, on the 6th February. In his letter, Ellison suggests that the company cited “constraints in cash flow” as part of their reasoning for not investing sufficiently in pension contributions. Frank Field has already commented that: “The purported cashflow problems did of course not prevent them shelling out dividends and handsome pay packets for those at the top”.Indeed, a spokesman for the Pensions Regulator has said that while the regulator had been in contact with Carillion and its pension fund’s trustees, “Carillion’s recovery plans, and its payment of dividends, did not highlight sufficient concern to justify the use of our powers”.Carillion was able therefore to negotiate pension contributions away in order to enable more borrowing. A spokesperson from stockbrokers Hargreaves Lansdown has suggested a rationale behind the Regulator and Trustees’ decision to allow this. “They had to make a judgement call whether to continue to work with the employer or effectively pull the plug and accept the consequences could be they would precipitate the collapse of the business.”"That gamble did not pay off but they were doing what they thought was in the best interests of pension scheme members."

January 2018

In Northern Ireland: Strabane and Lisnagelvin, 

February 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Accrington, Ayr, Blackburn, Brixton, Cardiff Alex House, Cardiff Charles Street, Clapham Common, Coalville, Girvan, Gloucester.

In Northern Ireland: Foyle, Armagh, Omagh and Enniskillen

March 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Acton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Barking, Ealing, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Hyde, Lincoln, Maesteg, Palmers Green.

In Northern Ireland: Dungannon and Portadown.

April 2018

In England, Scotland,Wales: Airdrie, Ashton in Makerfield, Bellshill, Cumbernauld, Ipswich, Leigh, Motherwell, Rhyl, Slough, South Bucks District Council, Wigan.

In Northern Ireland: Banbridge and Lurgan.

May 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Annan, Basingstoke, Barnet, Bathgate, Bodmin, Bracknell, Bracknell Forest, Bridgnorth, Chatham, Diss,  Dumfries, Edmonton, Folkestone, Gravesend, Gravesham, Hendon, Heywood, Huyton, Jarrow, Kirkby, Killingworth, Livingston, Maidenhead, Market Drayton, Middleton, Newark, Newquay, North Shields, Oswestry, Rochdale, Rushden, Scarborough, Selby, Sevenoaks, Shrewsbury, South Shields, Stanraer, St Austell, Stowmarket, Truro, Wallsend, Walthamstow, Whitby, Whitchurch, Wokingham.

In Northern Ireland: Kilkeel, Downpatrick, Newry, Bangor, Newtownards, Holywood Road, Knockbreda, Newtownabbey and Shankill.

June 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Abergavenny, Alfreton, Amlwch, Ammanford, Ashford, Banff, Barnsbury, Bedminster, Belper, Bishopsworth, Blaby, Blairgowrie, Buckie, Bradford Eastbrook Court, Caldicott, Chepstow, Chester le Street, Bradford Westfield House, Bridgend, Bristol Temple St, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cornwall, Crawley, Darlington, Dereham, Durham, Elgin, Eyemouth, Finsbury Park, Forres, Fraserburgh, Galashiels, Hanley, Hawick, Haywards Heath, Heanor, Helston, Hereford, Holyhead, Horsham, Isles of Scilly, Keighley, Kingston, Leicester Charles St, Leicester City, Leicester New Walk, Leicester Wellington St, Leominster, Llanelli, Llandudno, Llangefni, Longton, Marylebone, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Sussex, Newton Aycliffe, Oadby & Wigston, Penryn, Penzance, Peterhead, Perth, Porthcawl, Redbridge, Redruth, Romford, Ross on Wye, Skegness, Spennymoor, Twickenham

In Northern Ireland: Corporation Street, Falls, Andersontown, Shaftesbury Square, Lisburn and Larne.

July 2018

In England, Scotland,Wales: Abertillery, Andover, Bangor, Barnstaple, Barrow, Beverley, Bideford, Billingham, Bognor, Bridlington, Bromley, Bury, Canning Town, Canterbury, Canvey, Carlisle, Cheetham Hill, Chichester, Chorley, Clacton, Colchester, Coventy Cofa Court, Dartford, Dartford, Derby City, Dinnington, Dolgellau, Ebbw Vale, Forest Hill, Goole, Harrow, Harwich, Hessle, Honiton, Houghton le Spring, Leyland, Littlehampton, Loughborough, Maltby, Middlesborough  , Middlesborough East, Penrith, Porthmadog, Preston, Prestwich, Pwllheli, Rayleigh, Rotherham, Southwick, Spalding, St Helens, Staveley, Stockton, Stratford, Sunderland, Thornaby, Tiverton, Washington, Winchester, Worthing, Worthing, Wythenshawe.

In Northern Ireland: Carrickfergus, Antrim and Ballymena.

August 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: N/A

In Northern Ireland: Cookstown, Ballynahinch and Newcastle.

September 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Aberystwyth, Atherstone, Aylesbury, Bargoed, Barrhead, Belle Vale, Blackwood, Boston, Brixham, Bromsgrove, Buxton, Caerphilly, Campbeltown, Cardigan, Chesham, Cosham, Dunoon, Eccles, Ely, Exeter, Exeter, Gainsborough, Garston, Glossop, Glossop, Govan, Haverfordwest, Helensborough, High Wycombe, Horfield, Horfield, Hythe, Irlam, Johnstone, Kendal, Kirkwall, Laurieston, Lerwick, Lewes, Louth, Lymington, Malvern, Mansfield, Matlock, Miford Haven, Newhaven, Newlands, Newport, Newton Abbot, Oban, Paisley, Pembroke Dock, Portsmouth, Renfrew, Ringwood, Rothesay, Salford, Shirehampton, Stornoway, Thetford, Torquay, Totnes, Wandsworth, Wisbech, Worsley.

October 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Aberdeen, Aldershot, Alton, Barry, Bexleyheath, Bordon, Brecon, Brownhills, Bulwell, Cambridge, Clydebank, Cromer, Dumbarton, Epsom, Farnborough, Felixstowe, Guildford, Guisley, Hackney, Hayes, Hertford, High Riggs, Hoxton, Huntingdon, Kettering, Kingswood, Leamington Spa, Leeds Park Place, Leeds Southern House, Leiston, Leith, Letchworth, Llandrindod Wells, Luton, Machynlleth, Morley, Newtown, Norwich, Norwich, Nottingham Central, Nottingham Loxley House, Partick, Penarth, Pudsey, Redhill, Redhill, Ryde, Seacroft, Springburn, Stevenage, Tottenham, Uxbridge, Uxbridge, Walsall Bayard House, Walsall Bridle Court, Welshpool, Wester Hailes, Willenhall, Woking, Wood Green, Woodbridge, Woolwich, Worcester, Yate, Ystradgynlais.

November 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Aberdare, Arnold, Ashfield, Ashington, Beeston, Berwick, Biggleswade, Bolton Blackhorse St, Bolton Great Moor St, Burton, Caernarfon, Camberley, Cannock, Castleford, Chapeltown, Clitheroe, Cramlington, Eston, Evesham, Fareham, Gosport, Guisborough, Harlesdon, Havant, Hemsworth, Kidderminster, Kings Lynn, Leighton Buzzard, Llantrisant, Loftus, Maidstone, Morpeth, Nelson, Northampton, Oldbury, Pontefract, Pontypridd, Porth, Rawtenstall, Redcar, Sheffield Bailey Court, Sheffield Cavendish Court, Shirebrook, Sleaford, Smethwick, Stafford, Staines, Staines, Staines, Stockport, Swadlincote, Telford, Tipton, Tonbridge, Tonypandy, Toxteth, Treorchy, Wakefield, Wellingborough, West Bromwich, Weybridge, Weybridge, Weybridge, Williamson Square.

December 2018

In England, Scotland, Wales: Alnwick, Bedlington, Blackpool, Blyth, Borehamwood, Castlemilk, Chelmsford, Drumchapel, Everton, Fakenham, Fleetwood, Hemel Hempstead, Hexham, Hull Britannia House, Kentish Town, Kidsgrove, Loughton, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Newcastle Under Lyme, Newmarket, North Kensington, North Walsham, Sheffield Hillsborough, Sheffield Woodhouse, Shettleston, St Annes, Wembley, West Derby.

Social Democrats call for New Deal for Young Workers

The Social Democrats have called for a ‘New Deal for young workers’ to end the dumbing down of pay and conditions and remove barriers to good quality employment. The call comes as the party holds its second National Conference in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

Commenting ahead of the leaders’ address tonight, the party’s co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said:

“Far too many of our young people are locked out of secure employment, decent conditions and fair pay.  Increasing globalisation raises huge questions about the future of employment which too often appears like a race to the bottom.

“The driving down of standards in work through low pay, zero-hour contracts, bogus self-employment and the growth of the gig economy all pose major challenges for our society, and for young workers in particular.  

“All workers should have a right to expect that hard work is properly rewarded, that work-life balance is possible, and that they can have a legitimate expectation that a decent job will allow you to live a decent life.”

Deputy Shortall said the Social Democrats were calling on the government to introduce a new deal for workers by legislating to:

• End precarious working arrangements;
• Introduce a living wage;
• Strengthen rights to collective bargaining;
• Close the gender pay-gap;
• End the blatant discrimination against young new entrants into our public service.

Deputy Shortall added: “It is shocking that we still have to call for equal pay for equal work. No wonder we have shortages in nursing and teaching.

"A New Deal for young workers must be one which recognises their value in every sector and their need for security and pay equality. Fair pay and conditions are also vital if we are to achieve high productivity and quality employment evident in other countries where social democracy is at the heart of their politics.”

PRIME Minister Theresa May has been told that one Cleckheaton resident is reportedly living off just £20 a week due to Universal Credit delays.

Labour MP Tracy Brabin, who represents Batley and Spen, raised the issue of poverty in her constituency at today’s Prime Minister’s Question Time. In particular she focused on issues with Universal Credit payments.

She spoke of how Emma-Jayne Best, a Cleckheaton teacher and single mum, has been forced to use Batley Foodbank to feed her young son after being told she will have to wait over two months for her first Universal Credit payment.

She has been teaching for 20 years, but had to apply for universal credit after her temporary teaching contract came to an unexpected end in mid-December.

She was told she would not receive any payment in January as her final wage from the school came in December.

She contacted Tracy Brabin MP, and today the MP took Theresa May to task over the controversial system.

Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin said to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons: “This week I have been approached by a constituent Emma-Jayne Best, a single-mum and up until December was as a teacher.

“She's been told that she's going to have to wait over six weeks for her first payment and been denied a hardship loan - this means she is now living off £20 per week child-benefit and the charity of foodbanks.

“Can the Prime Minster tell us if this is how Universal Credit is supposed to work, and does she regret Emma-Jayne’s son now joining the nearly 9,000 children in poverty in Batley and Spen?"

Mrs May asked Mrs Brabin to write to her with details of the case.

Ms Brabin said: “Emma-Jayne is a hard-working single mum who has never had to apply for Government help in the past and the way she has been treated is disgusting.

“Universal Credit exists to help people in times of need but this broken system is failing Emma-Jayne and many, many more.

“When we raise these issues with the Government, they give us the same old lines and tell us changes have been made – but how is Emma-Jayne supposed to get by when she won’t have a penny coming in for at least two months?

“This unacceptable wait will plunge people into poverty and will leave some without a roof over their head.

“Emma-Jayne’s case is yet another example of how the current system is broken and the Government must pause and fix it before any more damage is done.

“I will continue to fight for Emma-Jayne to get what she is entitled to and I’ll do the same for any of my constituents whose lives are turned upside down by this flawed system.”

Last month Mrs Brabin raised the issue of Universal Credit in Parliament, expressing concerns it could lead to a rise in homelessness and the use of food banks in her constituency.

Rough sleeping in England rose by 15% in the year to autumn 2017, according to new government figures.  Responding, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said: 

“A 15% rise in rough sleeping is shameful and shows the Conservatives have failed to take real action to tackle the housing crisis.“The number of rough sleepers is hard to record and so these figures are likely to be an understatement of the full extent of the crisis.“Until the Government commits to the funding needed to prevent homelessness and builds more genuinely affordable homes, and invests properly in mental health care, the number of rough sleepers will continue to rise at a shocking pace. “This is why I’m putting tackling rough sleeping, and the wider issue of
homelessness, at the heart of my leadership of the Liberal Democrats.”