Disabling Barriers Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

1. I would like to know what involvement that the Scottish Government has had with the charity known as “Disabling Barriers Scotland".

2. Also, what the Scottish Government has done to improve disability equality within the legal sector?

Response

You asked what involvement the Scottish Government has had with the charity Disabling Barriers Scotland. From searching our records and from liaising with policy teams across Scottish Government, I can confirm that the organisation sent an introductory letter to the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, Emma Roddick MSP on 30 August 2023 requesting to meet. An official response was issued on 11 October 2023 advising that due to diary commitments, the request could not be facilitated and provided information on potential sources of advice and support.

No further interaction with Disabling Barriers Scotland and the Scottish Government was found.

You also asked what the Scottish Government has done to improve disability equality within the legal sector.

The Scottish Government recognise and support the independence of the legal profession, and it is important that improvements around equality within the legal sector stem from the professional and regulatory bodies.

The Minister for Victims & Community Safety jointly Chairs a working group with the Law Society of Scotland, and the Faculty of Advocates which was convened to consider the future of the legal profession in Scotland. The purpose of the group is to examine the evidence and propose improvements to address the challenges of recruitment and retention within the legal profession and to provide support for the planning, collaboration, and improvement of legal services in Scotland.

Furthermore, while not limited or specific to the legal profession, our Fair Work action plan sets out the actions and commitments the Scottish Government and key partners will deliver towards creating a Fair Work Nation by 2025. The Action plan takes an intersectional, joined up approach, focusing on structural barriers disabled people, racialised minorities and women face in terms of entering, sustaining and progressing in fair work. It was developed with lived experience input, including disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations, as well as partners in the public, private and third sectors, including employers, through a short-life working group, co-chaired by Disabled People’s Organisations.

The plan includes actions being taken forward to continue to reduce the disability employment gap, building on the progress made through implementation of our original employment action plan for disabled people (2018).

The lived experience of disabled people in the labour market, including the impacts of the pandemic, was one of our most important assets to draw upon to inform our refreshed plan, and will continue to be going forward with the implementation phase.

The Scottish Government’s ambition is to at least halve the disability employment gap in Scotland by 2038 (from baseline of 37.4 percentage points in 2016). The gap represents the difference between the employment rates for non-disabled people and disabled people aged 16-64 years. The latest available full year data shows the Disability Employment Gap was 31.9 percentage points in 2022 – the 2 nd lowest it has been since our baseline year in 2016 when it was 37.4 percentage points.

To help measure progress, we also set interim milestones to increase the employment rate for disabled people to 50 per cent by 2023; and to 60 per cent by 2030. In 2022, the employment rate for disabled people was estimated at 50.7 per cent, which means we have met our first interim target one year early.

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