Scottish Budget 2024 to 2025: equality and fairer Scotland statement

Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy

Budget Purpose

To deliver support to industry and businesses, as well as to entrepreneurs, workers and those seeking work; to extend and enhance Scotland’s digital infrastructure and innovation in emerging sectors; and to promote industrial decarbonisation and diversification - driving our transition to a fair, green, growing economy that provides opportunities for all.

Primary national outcomes:

• Economy
• Environment
• Fair Work and Business
• International
• Poverty
• Communities
• Health

Key human rights:

• Right to freedom from forced and compulsory labour
• Right to respect for private and family life
• Right to work, and to fair and just conditions of work
• Right to an adequate standard of living
• Equality and non-discrimination
• Rights for women (CEDAW), ethnic minority groups (CERD), disabled people (CRPD), children (CRC)

Summary of how our budget impacts on equality and Fairer Scotland

Our vision is for a Wellbeing Economy which meets the needs and aspirations of people and provides opportunities for all. We will use the powers available to us to build a fair, green and growing economy which benefits all of Scotland’s communities and people, and where businesses thrive.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation has an ambition to tackle structural economic inequalities. We have published equality impact assessments and a Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment summary for the strategy, and established a Centre of Expertise to embed equality and human rights in economic policy-making. We are taking forward recommendations from the ‘Pathways’ report on Women in Entrepreneurship to encourage women and other under-represented groups to become entrepreneurs. We are addressing barriers to start-up participation for under-represented groups through the Techscaler network. We are building an inclusive labour market through delivering person-centred employability support and implementing the ‘Fair Work Action Plan’. We are also developing Just Transition Plans that will consider how the changes required as part of the transition to net zero will tackle entrenched inequalities.