Fair Work Action Plan 2022 and Anti-Racist Employment Strategy 2022: island communities impact assessment

5. Assessment of Refreshed Fair Work Action Plan

Headline action 1: We will lead by example on the Fair Work Agenda, including sharing and learning of practice, by 2025. We will continue to embed Fair Work in all public sector organisations, setting out clear priorities in the roles and responsibilities of public bodies.

Action 1.1

Scottish Government will undertake an equal pay audit examining pay gaps by gender, disability, race and age by March 2024. We will act on findings to review and refresh our recruitment and retention policies to address workplace inequalities by end of 2025.

Where audits are carried out of the gender, disability, race and age pay gaps of the Scottish Government workforce, targeted action can be taken to address and reduce workplace inequalities. Where the impacts of pay gaps exist, they can be felt most acutely in some island communities where the labour market and local economy has been characterised by stakeholders by high rates of low wage and insecure work, with rural poverty evident. Tackling pay gaps for Scottish Government employees in island communities would have a positive benefit in a similar way to the positive benefit that would be felt by similar employees in mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 1.2

Work with equality organisations and public sector employers to co-deliver a series of engagements with the public sector by end of 2023 to support employers to address the recommendations of the Scottish Parliament's Equalities and Human Rights Committee's inquiry report into race equality, employment and skills which recommended employers assess their organisations' understanding of racism and structural barriers; employers subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty as a minimum, voluntarily record and publish their ethnicity pay gap and produce an action plan to deliver identified outcomes.

When discussing island employers' capacity to work on issues of racism and fair work, stakeholders felt that support from the Scottish Government was vital in delivering this effectively. As the populations of the Scottish islands are less diverse than much of the mainland in relation to ethnicity, stakeholders argued that island businesses had less expertise in tackling racism but also lacked the expert advice or lived experience required to develop proactive solutions.

As such, the delivery of engagements with equality organisations would be welcomed by public sector employers in island communities, providing a level of support which is needed more acutely than on the mainland.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 1.3

The EHRC and Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to:

Action 1.3.1: implement National Equality Outcomes across protected characteristics (including disability, ethnicity, sex) from Sept 2022 to Sept 2025, in order to:

• Improve student success and retention rates;
• Ensure access to and confidence in support for students and staff that fosters good relations and tackle prejudice and discrimination;
• Increase diversity of staff in the workforce and on College Boards and University Courts.

The implementation of National Equality Outcomes across protected characteristics should have a positive impact for students and staff in Scottish further and higher education, including those who work and live in island communities. However, consideration will need to given to the particular challenges facing island communities such as travel, lack of inward migration to the islands and depopulation when setting national outcomes in relation to student success and workforce diversity. The intention is for National Equality Outcomes to benefit all of Scotland's communities equally and this will require the needs of island communities being embedded into the development and implementation of these outcomes.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 1.3.2: develop a set of SFC annual thematic reviews to inform and direct improvement.

Without further detail on the subject of the SFC annual thematic reviews, it is not possible to provide an analysis of the particular impacts on island communities. However, if these reviews embed the particular challenges for students and staff from island communities, this could be a positive for the communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is uncertain.

Action 1.4

Work with partners to establish senior leadership networks to build capability and understanding of racism and racial inequality in the workplace by the end of 2023.

When discussing island employers' capacity to work on issues of racism and racial inequality in the workplace, stakeholders felt that support from the Scottish Government was vital in delivering this effectively. As the populations of the Scottish islands are less diverse than much of the mainland in relation to ethnicity, stakeholders argued that island businesses had less expertise in tackling racism but also lacked the expert advice or lived experience required to develop proactive solutions. Senior leaders in island businesses and island communities stand to benefit from inclusion within national senior leadership networks on this topic.

However, the implementation of these networks may impact the involvement of senior leaders from Scotland's islands. The networks should not be carried out solely in person in the central belt, but should ideally use online meetings and collaboration to ensure the inclusion of island communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 1.5

We will work with Scottish Government's analysts to run a series of official statistics dissemination sessions with interested stakeholders to help inform their understanding of the labour market landscape in relation to fair work. Where available data allows, this will include considering intersectionality.

Stakeholders were clear that support would be required by island communities in the collection, analysis and use of equality data in relation to fair work and the labour market as a whole. With less diverse populations than parts of the mainland, the amount of data collection and analysis – particularly in relation to ethnicity – which has been carried out so far by many island employers is comparatively low. In addition, there are significant concerns around data protection and privacy with increased data collection. However, while these concerns may be particularly acute in island communities given their demographics, they are also present in mainland communities, particularly rural communities.

Workshops disseminating official statistics and improving understanding of this data in relation to fair work would be warmly welcomed by island employers.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Headline action 2: We will continue to use conditionality to further embed Fair Work in all public sector investment wherever possible.

Action 2.1

As part of the Bute House agreement and NSET, and within the limits on devolved competence, we will:

Action 2.1.1: Extend Fair Work conditionality with clear standards and minimum requirements to cover all forms of Scottish Government support within the limits of devolved competence. We will use all levers at our disposal to deliver on this commitment – including the use of grants, reliefs and licencing provisions.

As part of the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government committed to extending fair work conditionality in relation to financial support to public sector bodies. This measure will introduce a requirement for those in receipt of public sector grants to pay the real living wage and provide appropriate channels for effective workers voice.

These changes have been identified as having positive impacts as well as some potential unintended negative consequences for businesses and communities.

The primary potential major positive of this action is that the extension of Fair Work conditionality should mean the real Living Wage will reach more people, and the consequent benefits this will have on the day-to-day lives of socio-economic disadvantaged individuals, particularly those impacted by low income or experiencing material deprivation. The consistent increase in the number of accredited real Living Wage employers (5 in 2014, 1689 in 2020, 2890 in 2022) in Scotland can be partly accredited to the Fair Work First guidance that encourages and supports employers to adopt fair work practices in their organization. This new action will help continue the increasing number of employers paying the real Living Wage, therefore increasing the number of opportunities available to people from socio-economic disadvantaged groups to earn the real Living Wage. More than a million people in Scotland were in relative poverty after-housing-costs in 2020, the real Living Wage is a measure that will help to reduce this figure.

Furthermore, specific groups who are more likely to be experiencing socio-economic disadvantage including island communities, where rural poverty was identified as a challenge by stakeholders, and these groups are therefore likely to be positively impacted by this action.

Engagement with island community stakeholders reaffirmed this notion, particularly regarding the positive impact the real Living Wage can have on reducing child poverty. Research identifies three drivers of child poverty in Scotland's rural and island communities; income from employment (i.e. it's volatile nature, limited access to training and progression), costs of living (i.e. additional minimum living costs in rural areas being 15-30% higher), and income from social security (i.e. lower take-up of welfare support due to stigma, or lack of awareness). The real Living Wage may have a multi-faceted impact on socio-economic disadvantage in island communities. For example, by helping to lessen the significance of income from employment as a driver behind child poverty, and also by reducing the disparity between men's and women's earnings which tends to be greater than the national average.

However, throughout stakeholder and business engagement, concerns were consistently raised on the viability of smaller organisations, for example in the Third Sector, being able to pay the real Living Wage given tighter margins. If payment of the real Living Wage is enforced universally, then some employers will not be able to sustain their current workforce sizes, which in turn could lead to increased socio-economic disadvantage for those who are made redundant and depreciating outputs/services for the community.

The challenges and risks noted above are more acute due to the remote locations in which island communities find themselves and the fragile economy (limited labour markets and access to markets). The local islands economy is heavily reliant on small business and sole traders (a much higher number of small businesses and sole traders on the islands, compared to the national average) with a large proportion of islanders employed in low wage, hospitality roles.

As a result, the overall economic impact and effect on employment levels of increasing wages in this way needs to be more carefully considered here to avoid businesses shrinkage, reducing staff numbers and/or failing due to not be able to pay staff. The Scottish Government have included limited exemptions to this conditionality in order that the measure remains proportionate. For example, where a grant is essential for an organisation to continue its activities, it will be important to ensure that there is an exception to address any situation in which a potential grant recipient heavily or entirely dependent on grant funding but cannot pay the real Living Wage. This may require a commitment from the funder to pay a bigger grant in circumstances where there is arguably no choice for the recipient, so as to allow the recipient to pay the real Living Wage and thereby meet the grant condition. If the funder cannot commit to pay the bigger grant needed, the grant recipient may have to be considered exempt from the real Living Wage condition.

The exact nature of these exemptions will determine the exact impact on island employers and communities.

Consideration also needs to be given to the risk of driving down wages for higher paid workers to avoid making recruitment for professional/managerial roles even more difficult than it already is for island businesses/charities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 2.1.2: Consider how we can extend conditionality to the other Fair Work principles, including opportunity, security, respect and fulfilment by 2025.

Further extensions of conditionality could provide a positive benefit for employees in island communities but there may also be challenges in securing the buy-in to fair work practices given the particular challenges facing the local economies.

More information would be required on how these Fair Work principles could be included within conditionality before a full analysis can be made of the impact upon island communities and whether this is significantly different from that of mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is uncertain.

Action 2.2

By 2023 update the Fair Work First criteria to better reflect priority action required to address labour market inequalities faced by women, people from racialised minorities, and disabled people, ensuring people can enter, remain and progress in work.

Updating the Fair Work First Criteria could increase organisational awareness of labour market inequalities and increase employers' understanding of how best to meet the needs of vulnerable workers.

Updating the Fair Work First criteria would have a positive impact on some groups within island communities who face labour market inequalities, in particular women in island communities who stakeholders felt faced significant barriers in remaining and progressing in work.

However, any national plan would need to be aware of the differing demographics of Scotland's islands when setting the criteria that employers should work towards. The implementation of this would be greatly advanced by the needs of island communities being included alongside the protected characteristics being assessed.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Headline action 3: We will support employers to utilise the resources and support available to embed Fair Work in their organisations. We will work collaboratively to develop these resources to support and build capability among employers, employability providers and partners.

Action 3.1

By end 2023 we will work with partners to join up provision of advice and support for employers by establishing a central Fair Work resource, making it as simple and efficient as possible for employers to use. This would enhance and consolidate existing material to ensure employers have a clear route to access guidance, support and advice on Fair Work. It will involve:

• Advice and tools to promote the benefits of Fair Work and workplace equality
• Good practice case studies
• Advice on networking and establishing peer support groups
• Collaboration with existing trusted business support services and partners

A central Fair Work resource for employers will be a significant tool in encouraging employers across Scotland to adopt the suggested measures. This sort of support was identified as a key need by island stakeholders.

"It could help improve diversity in the workplace and equality for marginalised or disadvantaged groups. The principles are good but organisations like ours will required practical, 'on the ground' support and finance to help to adapt and deliver the benefits." - Mull and Iona Community Trust

Stakeholder engagement highlighted the importance of engaging with lived experience through the provision of real-life case studies. These could demonstrate practical positive actions for organisations who may struggle to engage with fair work and have a workforce with limited diversity, including many island employers.

Recognition that this central resource must be "as simple and as efficient as possible for employers to use" could overcome accessibility barriers for employers with tight capacities, especially within smaller organisations and island communities, and generate more widespread impacts on protected characteristic groups across Scotland's labour market.

The benefits of this resource are unlikely to be significantly different for island communities than for rural, mainland communities but it has the potential to make a significant difference in island economies which have a higher proportion of micro and small businesses than elsewhere in the country. These businesses are unlikely to have the resource, capacity and expertise internally to drive forward the measures proposed and Scottish Government support will be invaluable.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 3.2

Develop a communications strategy to highlight and promote the benefits of Fair work and a diverse workplace to employers including;

• adoption of payment of at least the real Living Wage;
• effective voice channels, tackling the gender pay gap; and
• recruiting, employing and supporting disabled people and workers from racialised minorities.
• The strategy will be informed by sectoral and regional analysis and utilise a range of channels.

As discussed in other actions, lack of awareness about Fair Work and its benefits have led to it being considered lower on the scale of priorities for many island employers who are faced with labour shortages and increased costs. An effective communications strategy, informed by sectoral and regional analysis would be able to take significant steps to addressing this lack of awareness. Scotland's islands are home to a number of sectors identified as key sectors in need of sectoral approaches to Fair Work, such as hospitality and tourism. As such, targeted communications to these sectors could make a significant difference in promoting Fair Work practices.

It is recognised that this communications strategy will need to utilise a range of channels and to be most effective in island communities, key information may need to be presented in Gaelic, where appropriate.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 3.3

Increase the number of people who have security of pay and contract by encouraging employers to seek real Living Wage and Living Hours accreditation. We will achieve this through our continuing support of Living Wage Scotland to achieve an additional 5,000 workers uplifted annually to the real Living wage through increases in employer accreditation.

The primary intended outcome of this action is that the real Living Wage and Living Hours will reach more people, and the consequent benefits this will have on the day-to-day lives of socio-economic disadvantaged individuals, particularly those impacted by low income or insecure, vulnerable work. Furthermore, specific groups who are more likely to be experiencing socio-economic disadvantage including island communities, where rural poverty was identified as a challenge by stakeholders, will benefit from the increase in real Living Wage and Living Hours employer accreditation.

While a target of 5,000 workers being uplifted to the real Living Wage may appear significant, there are no conditions surrounding this which target island businesses or the sort of businesses more prevalent on Scotland's islands (micro and small businesses). For example, one large, newly accredited employer could fulfil this action alone. Therefore, the implementation stage should consider how the benefits of this action could be accessed across smaller businesses and island communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 3.4

By the end of 2025 we will review and disseminate learning and best practice from on the conclusion of the 2024 Workplace Equality Fund.

While the sharing of learning from the 2024 Workplace Equality Fund will be beneficial in terms of building lessons learned into future approaches to Fair Work, it is impossible to assess the impact on island communities of this action at this stage.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is uncertain.

Action 3.5

We will develop and promote guidance to encourage more employers across all sectors to use positive action measures as per the Equality Act 2010 giving particular attention to sex, pregnancy, race, age and disability by end 2024.

Guidance on the use of positive action measures will be a significant benefit to both employers and workers who face labour market inequalities. This benefit could be felt across all sectors and across the country.

One business stakeholder felt that organisations may not have the skills to implement these Fair Work practices, especially when applying positive action to recruitment processes, and this might be most acutely felt in small, rural employers. Therefore, to secure equal access for all, guidance should not only disseminate knowledge on positive actions for employees, but also skills development for employers and managers within organisations.

During stakeholder engagement, a disability organisation recommended that positive action guidance for disabled people should not focus on offering training to bridge the gap between their non-disabled counterparts. They reported a stereotype that disabled people do not have enough skills to secure employment, when in reality it is a lack of opportunity which creates barriers to entry. Therefore, instead of the guidance focusing on providing skills workshops for disabled people, it should focus on the creation of opportunity in which people know they will not be subject to discrimination. This avoids a "deficit model" approach to positive action, which is particularly important for smaller employers without diverse workforces such as island employers.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 3.6

We will continue to promote existing and new advice and guidance on the benefits of flexible working to organisations across Scotland by working with public bodies to assess provision and highlight best practice throughout this parliamentary term (by 2026).

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, working patterns have changed significantly across Scotland with the landscape of employment for many people being made more accessible through remote, hybrid and online workspaces.

Evidence of flexible working in practice and stakeholder engagement supports the positive impact of this action for women with caring responsibilities, pregnant women and disabled people. Increasing organisational awareness of the benefits of flexible working and demonstrating best practice could reduce labour market discrimination towards employees who require reasonable adjustments or have caring responsibilities.

For island communities, an increase in flexible working provision could benefit those already living on Scotland's islands but also provide an increased ability for island employers to recruit and retain talent. As depopulation was identified by multiple stakeholders as a significant issue for island communities, the ability to attract and retain new workers through flexible working would prove a significant benefit.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 3.7

Working with employers, equality stakeholders and training providers, develop and implement an intersectional and anti-racist training framework by 2025.

As has been identified in other actions, stakeholders felt that there is an awareness and capacity gap in relation to equality and fair work in many island employers, exacerbated by small, non-diverse workforces.

While this intersectional and anti-racist training framework will benefit employers, and racialised minorities who will be accessing anti-racist workplaces across Scotland, it could be particularly welcomed by island employers and a positive in attracting and retaining talent from racialised minorities in future.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 3.8

We will work with employers and trade unions, in sectors where low pay and precarious work can be most prevalent, to develop sectoral Fair Work agreements that deliver improved employment outcomes such as payment of the real living wage, better security of work, and wider "Fair Work First" standards.

The development of sectoral Fair Work agreements could generate positive impacts for the most vulnerable protected characteristic groups in the labour market who are overrepresented in low-paid and precarious employment. This includes young people, women and seasonal migrant workers in island communities.

A number of sectors which may benefit from sectoral Fair Work agreements, such as tourism, hospitality and the creative industries are significant employers in island communities and improved employment outcomes here could provide benefits for both employers and workers on Scotland's islands.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.

Action 3.9

We will work with employers, workers and trade unions to strengthen effective voice, through a range of appropriate channels. We will do this by supporting strong trade unions and, in line with our NPF employee voice indicator, will promote the benefits of collective bargaining (including sectoral agreements) and other forms of effective voice at individual and collective levels.

Feedback from the Scottish Islands Federation suggested that none of its members who responded to questions on strengthening effective voice or working with trade unions were sure of the appropriate steps to take to further this goal. As such, promoting the benefits of collective bargaining and other forms of effective voice would be a positive impact for island employers who do not currently have strong relationships with trade unions. Increased awareness in this area for employers and workers would increase the effective channels for workers. Further engagement with island employers and workers will also increase trade unions understanding of the particular issue which island communities face.

The higher proportion of micro, small and family businesses on Scotland's islands compared with the mainland does provide some challenges to unionisation in these workplaces so it is important that other forms of effective voice are not forgotten. Multiple stakeholders discussed other forms of effective workers voice that were more appropriate for their location or sector, and this action should support these.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Headline action 4: We will work collaboratively to develop resources to support workers to access, remain and progress in fair work.

Action 4.1

Work with enterprise agencies and Business Gateway to promote Fair Work and deliver wider conditionality, and:

Action 4.1.1: By end of 2023 undertake a review of the Business Gateway website, utilising analytical and tracking techniques to ensure that disabled people find the website accessible, and are able to utilise the advice given to overcome the barriers they face.

Improving the Business Gateway website's accessibility is a significant positive but there is no significant evidence of a difference between how this would impact disabled people in island communities and rural mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.2

SG Employability Delivery: we will continue to work with Fair Start Scotland providers, within the timescales of the current contract until March 2023, to implement a continuous improvement approach to enhance delivery and outcomes for disabled people and those furthest from the labour market, including racialised minorities and women. This will include drawing upon learning from Pathfinders/ test and learn projects being delivered by Disabled People's Organisations and the pilot project on community engagement being delivered by CEMVO Enterprises CIC in 2022/23.

A focus on Employability Delivery could continually improve labour market outcomes for disabled people, women and racialised minorities through providing tailored and person-centred support which draws upon learning from initiatives in practice to better inform delivery plans for these groups.

In particular, the Fair Start Scotland Evaluation (Year 3) indicates the need to improve the Fair Start Scotland service for disabled people. In reference to this evidence, one stakeholder felt that the service did not explore flexible and home working as a reasonable adjustment for disabled members. They further felt that service providers overlook the need to create access to opportunity for disabled members and instead focus on skills creation. Therefore, this action could continually provide opportunities to improve the effectiveness of this service for disabled people.

If this is delivered through a person-centred approach and consideration is given to the needs of island communities through the evaluation of previous initiatives and design of the new service, the impact on island communities is likely to be similar to that of mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 4.3

Scottish Government to work with stakeholders to develop a Delivery Plan 2023-26, outlining the next phase development of No One Left Behind (NOLB) from April 2024.

Action 4.3.1: Build Fair Work outcomes into the design of No One Left Behind by taking account of the lived experience and needs of disabled people, people from racialised minorities, women and the over 50s.

This action could inform the delivery of a person-centred employability system which is responsive and flexible to a diverse labour market. It could increase Scottish Government's engagement with the lived experience of protected characteristic groups to better prepare employees for work through an employability system that is tailored to their needs. This could further promote a better working relationship between employers and employees through a shared understanding of labour market experiences.

If this action is implemented effectively, the positive impacts on island communities and mainland communities are likely to be similar.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is minor positive.

Action 4.3.2: Draw upon the findings and recommendations of the following:

• Health and Work Strategy Review (2019)
• Supported Employment Review (2022)
• Health and Work Support Pilot final evaluation (2022)
• Individual Placement and Support Review (2022 – forthcoming)

While recommendations across these reviews and evaluations could create significant positive change across Scotland, a full assessment of the impact of this action on island communities is not possible until the means of implementation of the recommendations has been made clear.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is uncertain.

Action 4.4

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will, on an annual basis, review disaggregated management information including the newly disaggregated Learning Disability statistics and take action where required where poorer outcomes or underrepresented groups are identified. This will include:

Action 4.4.1: Review the equality incentives for disabled people in relation to Work Based Learning (WBL) and make recommendations by end March 2024 with regard to impact on participation and achievement rates for disabled people.

It will be important to build the needs of island communities into considerations of what the recommendations should be in relation to Work Based Learning. However, there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that there will be a significant differential impact for island communities, compared with mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.4.2: Review learning from pilot projects for Foundation Apprenticeships for disabled pupils and mainstream lessons learned by October 2023.

While this learning should be net positive in improving outcomes for disabled pupils and apprentices across Scotland, it is not possible to fully assess what this action will mean for island communities at this stage. Island employers, and apprenticeship providers, may benefit from an increased level of support which could lead to improved outcomes for disabled young people on Scotland's islands. However, without further information on how this learning will be mainstreamed, it is not possible to provide a more detailed assessment.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.4.3: Use intelligence from training and learning providers and participants to develop and deliver disability equality-focused continuous professional development to build the capacity of learning providers to support disabled individuals and ensure a continuous development cycle is implemented by 2023.

While this learning should be net positive in improving outcomes for disabled pupils and apprentices across Scotland, it is not possible to fully assess what this action will mean for island communities at this stage. Island employers, and apprenticeship providers, may benefit from increasing their capacity to support disabled individuals which would lead to improved outcomes for disabled people on Scotland's islands. However, without further information on how this learning will be mainstreamed, it is not possible to provide a more detailed assessment.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.5

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will:

Action 4.5.1: Implement Scotland's Career Review recommendations and develop a model to ensure future career services across sectors provide meaningful and accessible support for disabled people that is both tailored to their needs and available when they need it. The implementation phase of the Career Review is due to be completed by the end of 2022.

Implementing the recommendations of Scotland's Career Review is likely to have a similar positive impact for disabled people in island communities to that which it would have on mainland communities.

The implementation of meaningful support for disabled people, whether through community based or digital services, will need to consider the challenges which island communities can face. This could involve small populations who cannot sustain permanent community-based careers services or issues around connectivity for rural populations which may affect the ability to use digital services. However, while keenly felt in island communities, these barriers would also be felt by rural, mainland communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.5.2: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will continue to implement the Principles of Good Transitions across our Career Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG), through targeted Continuous Professional Development for all customer-facing CIAG colleagues and managers by the end of March 2023.

If the Principles of Good Transitions are implemented consistently across Skills Development Scotland, as a national public body, there is unlikely to be a differential impact on island communities compared to communities on the mainland. It will be important to monitor and evaluate this over time, in collaboration with CIAG staff based in island communities.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is neutral.

Action 4.6

Health and Work: Aligning with the Scottish Government's Fairer and More Equal Society (FMES) Programme by December 2023, Public Health Scotland (PHS) to:

• Collaborate with NHS Boards to develop the NHS Scotland contribution to achieving fair and healthy work outcomes for people across Scotland; and
• Work with Scottish Government, Local Government and NHS Boards to define the health offer to enable those with health conditions to secure, sustain and progress in work.

Aligning the Scottish Government's FMES programme with actions from Publish Health Scotland will help to promote greater healthy work outcomes as well as enabling those with health conditions to enjoy fair work. This will be important in both island communities and mainland communities but the nature of working with local government and NHS Boards means that an approach can be developed that considers the particular challenges for island communities; in both achieving healthy and fair work and in accessing work. As such, this is likely to have a significant positive impact on island communities as the approach will not be a "one size fits all" but one that is designed with island communities through involvement of local authorities and NHS boards.

The provisional ICIA score for this action is major positive.