Publication - Impact assessment

Resource Spending Review: Equality and Fairer Scotland Statement

Published: 31 May 2022
From: Director-General Scottish Exchequer
Directorate: Public Spending Directorate
Topic: Equality and rights, Money and tax, Scottish Budget
ISBN: 9781804355145

This report considers some of the key opportunities and challenges that the Scottish Government faces over this parliamentary term; what these mean for inequality, fairness and human rights; and how the spending review and other initiatives respond.

Supporting documents

Opportunities and Challenges

This section outlines the key contextual opportunities and challenges that the Scottish Government faces in the medium-term and considers how the proposals within the spending review and wider initiatives respond. These opportunities and challenges are reflective of the priorities set out in the spending review around addressing the climate crisis; tackling child poverty; building a stronger, fairer and greener economy; and building stronger, more responsive public services.

The nine challenges and opportunities are not the only contextual issues faced by the Scottish Government but provide a summary of key issues that need to be considered.

The opportunities and challenges are summarised below.

Summary of opportunities and challenges

1. Support an economic recovery which continues to progress action to tackle structural inequality in the labour market, including through good green jobs and fair work.

2. Ensure that the devolved taxation system is delivered in a way which is based on ability to pay and that the devolved social security funding increases the resources available to those who need it.

3. Ensure that inequalities in physical and mental health are tackled through the effective delivery of health and social care services as well as broader public health interventions.

4. Build digital services that are responsive to individuals and address inequality of access to digital participation.

5. Deliver greater progress towards meeting statutory child poverty targets.

6. Deliver greater progress towards closing the attainment gap.

7. Improve the availability and affordability of public transport services, to ensure those more reliant on public transport can better access it.

8. Ensure that policies, action and spend necessary to mitigate and adapt to the global impacts of climate change deliver a just transition for people in Scotland.

9. Better realise the right to an adequate home that is affordable, accessible, of good quality, and meets individual need whilst ensuring that progress on tackling current inequality of housing outcome is addressed.

The following table illustrates the National Outcomes and key human rights relevant to each opportunity/challenge. Equality Outcomes^[4] are also referenced. The human rights were selected from the list of core rights set out by the First Minister's Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership.

Table 1: Opportunities and challenges – National Outcomes and human rights

Opportunities and Challenges	Relevant National Outcomes	Relevant Human Rights
1. Support an economic recovery which continues to progress action to tackle structural inequality in the labour market, including through good green jobs and fair work.	Economy International Fair Work & Business Poverty Children & Young People Culture Human Rights Environment Communities Education The Scottish Government Equality Outcome on employment is also relevant.	Right to work (and to work in just and favourable conditions) Right to an adequate standard of living Rights for women, minority ethnic groups, disabled people, children
2. Ensure that the devolved taxation system is delivered in a way which is based on ability to pay and that the devolved social security funding increases the resources available to those who need it.	Economy Fair Work & Business Poverty Children & Young People Human Rights	Right to social security and social protection Right to an adequate standard of living Right to adequate housing Right to the protection against poverty and social exclusion
3. Ensure that inequalities in physical and mental health are tackled through the effective delivery of health and social care services as well as broader public health interventions.	Health Poverty Communities Children & Young People The Scottish Government Equality Outcome on Health is also relevant.	Right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to a healthy environment including the right to benefit from healthy ecosystems which sustain human wellbeing as well as the rights of access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice Right of access to justice
4. Build digital services that are responsive to individuals and address inequality of access to digital participation.	Economy Poverty Communities Children & Young People Education Fair Work and Business Health Environment Human Rights	Right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to education Right to take part in cultural life
5. Deliver greater progress towards meeting statutory child poverty targets.	Economy Poverty Communities Children & Young People Education Fair Work and Business Health Human Rights	Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health Right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence Right to a healthy environment Right to social security and social protection
6. Deliver greater progress towards closing the attainment gap.	Education Poverty Communities Children and Young People Health Human Rights	Right to education Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion
7. Improve the availability and affordability of public transport services, to ensure those more reliant on public transport can better access it.	Economy Poverty Communities Children & Young People Environment The Scottish Government Equality Outcome on transport is also relevant.	Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to a healthy environment including the right to benefit from healthy ecosystems which sustain human wellbeing as well as the rights of access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice. Right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
8. Ensure that policies, action and spend necessary to mitigate and adapt to the global impacts of climate change deliver a just transition for people in Scotland.	Environment Poverty International Human Rights Fair Work & Business	Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to a healthy environment including the right to benefit from healthy ecosystems which sustain human wellbeing as well as the rights of access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice.
9. Better realise the right to an adequate home that is affordable, accessible, of good quality, and meets individual need whilst ensuring that progress on tackling current inequality of housing outcome is addressed.	Poverty Communities Human Rights Environment	Right to an adequate standard of living, including housing, food, protection against poverty, and social exclusion Right to a healthy environment including the right to benefit from healthy ecosystems which sustain human wellbeing as well as the rights of access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice.

We provide further details on each of the opportunities and challenges after the 'Next steps' section.

Contact

Email: ResourceSpendingReview@gov.scot

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Information

Opportunities and Challenges

Summary of opportunities and challenges

Contact

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