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House of Commons - Scottish Affairs Committee: The Impact of the Bedroom Tax in Scotland: Interim Report - HC 288

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780215065827

The Scottish Affairs Committee calls for the repeal of the Bedroom Tax. While this is being considered, the Committee calls on the Government to suspend application of the Bedroom Tax for all those tenants to whom a reasonable alternative offer cannot be made. There are not enough smaller houses available for tenants to transfer into. The lack of any alternative offers means that tenants have no choice but to go into arrears if they simply cannot afford the extra costs. Other amendments proposed for the operation of the tax include: exemptions for those disabled people who require a room to store or use equipment or aids; non application where it would be financially perverse to do so - eg where removing fixed aids and adaptations, and then reinstalling them in a smaller home, would be more expensive than the savings over two years; all children of secondary school age should be allowed a bedroom of their own to allow quiet study; all disabled children, of whatever age, should have a bedroom of their own. The Committee also calls for changes to the system of Discretionary Housing Payments, which have been designed by the Government to mitigate the worst impacts of the Bedroom Tax. There should be a standard nationwide entitlement system, across the UK as a whole, rather than the present postcode lottery. The UK and Scottish Governments should make longer term commitments to the provision of DHP payments in order to allow local authorities to plan and structure their budgets.

House of Commons - Scottish Affairs Committee: The Impact of the Bedroom Tax in Scotland: Plan B-Charges, Arrears and Refunds; Incorporating the Government Response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2013-14 - HC 937

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-03-21

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 0215069722

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The Scottish Government's plan to negate the future effects of the bedroom tax in Scotland is inadequate, and further that the route they have identified - using Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) - is flawed. The Committee has taken evidence in Scotland and Westminster on the impacts of the bedroom tax but also on the best and most effective ways of mitigating those effects. The Committee reiterates its call for the Scottish Government to meet all the bedroom tax charges for Scottish tenants, write off all the arrears, and refund all the payments that have been made, as the only fair and workable way forward.

HC 928 - Impact of the Closure of City Link on Employment

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committees on Impact of the closure of City Link on Employment

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 41

ISBN-13: 0215084500

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There will always be those who lose out when a company goes into administration and cannot cover all of its debts. However, the current system does not represent the appropriate balance, since those who have given secure credit to a company are cushioned from the full impact of an insolvency, because the losses are borne by those who work for a company on a self-employed basis, or as contractors or suppliers. Under the current rules it is clearly in the financial interest of a company to break the law, and ignore the statutory redundancy consultation period, if the fine for doing so is less than the cost of continuing to trade, especially since this fine will anyway be paid by the taxpayer. However, while the financial calculation is simple, ignoring the consultation period has a high human cost that appears not to have featured in the decision making process at City Link. Employees were denied a reasonable notice period in which to seek alternative employment and instead, at a time of financial uncertainty, have to pursue a court claim for lack of consultation if they wish to be compensated. While there were differences of opinion as to whether or not City Link could be made viable, and the desired level of return could be achieved, the Committees regret that Better Capital felt its investors' interests could only be protected at the expense of the future of City Link and continued employment for its workers

Zero Hours Contracts in Scotland: Interim Report - HC 654

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-04-10

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 0215071581

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Zero hours contracts and other forms of casual labour can benefit workers and employers in Scotland but the Scottish Affairs Committee's inquiry has shown that, too often, the relationship is unbalanced, leaving the employer with all of the flexibility and few costs and the worker in fear of dismissal, denied access to due rights of employment and, in some cases, earning less than the minimum wage. The Government recognises that poor practice exists and needs to be addressed but the UK Government's consultation on zero hours contracts was too narrow. The Government must do more to protect workers who wish to challenge unfair, unsafe or unlawful conditions of employment. Workers should be told from the outset of their employment what type of contract they are on and a written contract setting out the terms and conditions must follow within two months. There should be a minimum notice period of work and workers should not be punished for turning down offers of work made within that period. Where workers arrive for work but find none available then the employer should compensate them for the inconvenience. Travel time between appointments should be paid and pay for zero hours workers should accurately reflect the number of hours that are worked to fulfil contracted duties. The recommendations will improve the working conditions of people on zero hours contracts but the Committee's overriding conclusion is that, in the majority of cases, zero hours contracts need not and should not be used at all.

HC 571 - Our Borderlands - Our Future: Final Report

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 53

ISBN-13: 021508554X

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This inquiry investigates key issues that affect the daily lives of those people who live in the south of Scotland. The Committee held informal seminars in Galashiels, Peebles and Dumfries, in May and June 2014, in order to identify the key issues facing businesses, communities and individuals in the south of Scotland. Several of the issues raised in the meetings focused on the social and economic needs of the residents of the south of Scotland, many of which related to devolved functions which are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. However, some crucial issues were raised which were a direct consequence of the policies and responsibilities of the UK Government, specifically for example, in relation to employment issues. The inquiry will seek to examine the bigger picture, and to address two central questions: i) Are the current structures working as effectively as they could for the benefit of the people of the south of Scotland? ii) How can the UK and Scottish Governments work together with Local Authorities to deliver appropriate and effective policies to support economic development and growth in the south of Scotland?This document sets out the specific terms of reference for the inquiry, raising questions and issues on which the Committee would welcome written evidence.

House of Commons - Scottish Affairs Committee: Land Reform in Scotland: Interim Report - HC 877

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-03-20

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780215069665

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This report concludes that any government which is serious about land reform needs full and clear information on existing land ownership and values made widely available. Scotland lags behind most comparable European countries in providing such data, and the Committee calls on the Scottish and UK Governments to address this as a priority. Scotland is also behind other countries in terms of the openness and ease of land transactions. Land reform is an important, neglected and intensely political area of public policy and the Committee is expanding this enquiry more widely than originally envisaged. Evidence is sought from interested parties on a number of topics including: state aid; the Scottish Government's Land Reform Review Group; community land ownership; and opaque and indirect ownership by front companies, trusts and offshore entities

HC 1130 - Legacy Report

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 25

ISBN-13: 0215085663

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In this report the Committee has set out key elements of its work over the 2010-15 Parliament. The Committee believes that it is crucial that select committees follow up their work and do not simply see the publication of a report as the end of the process of scrutiny. Scrutiny should not end with the Dissolution of Parliament. The Scottish Government was clear that the 2014 referendum on independence would be a once generation event, but that does not mean that the relationship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom will remain unchanged. The recommendations of the Smith Agreement will be implemented during the course of the next Parliament. The major package of legislation, and the revised fiscal framework that will accompany it, will require careful and detailed scrutiny, as will any proposals to go further that the Smith Commission envisaged.

HC 1241 - The Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Scotland's membership of the EU

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-05-27

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 0215072839

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Today Scotland's interests in the European Union are represented by the UK which, as one of the largest Member States, has the voting power and leverage to influence decisions to the benefit of Scotland. In leaving the UK, a separate Scotland would lose this advantage. A separate Scotland is likely to have its application to join the EU accepted - but not within the self-imposed timetable of 18 months, nor with the terms, that the Scottish Government is proposing. The proposal that Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union could be used to provide for Scottish membership is not supported by any other EU state; senior EU figures have ruled it out and it is opposed by the United Kingdom Government - which would, under this process, have to initiate it. The additional and exceptional demand for the ability to discriminate against UK students with respect to tuition fees would be voted against by the UK Government and is therefore almost certain not to be met. Furthermore, insufficient attention has been paid to the need to negotiate the UK's retention of VAT zero rating on a wide range of goods. As a separate Member State, not only would Scotland cease to benefit from the UK rebate (currently worth in the region of £300 million per year to Scotland) but it would have to contribute to it. In these circumstances Scottish voters need a more realistic alternative perspective of how joining the EU would be achieved, and what its likely terms and timetable would be.

HC 1291 - Blacklisting in Employment-Update: Incorporating the Government's Response to the Sixth Report of Session 2013-14

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-05-19

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 0215072812

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This is the third report from the Scottish Affairs Committee on blacklisting in the construction industry in Scotland. The earlier interim reports published as 9th report, session 2012-13 (HC 1071, ISBN 9780215056832) and 6th report, session 2013-14 (HC 543, ISBN 9780215069535). The 9th report focused specifically on the work of The Consulting Association (TCA) and considered the issue of compensation for those workers who had been blacklisted. Significant progress has been made in highlighting and addressing issues relating to blacklisting: the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has launched its own investigation; many victims of blacklisting are bringing individual case to the High Court and a new compensation scheme, the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme (TCWCS), for blacklisted workers has been launched by eight of the companies that used the services of TCA. The 6th report aimed to identify ways of moving forward, both by addressing the crimes of the past and by identifying rules and structures to prevent such widespread and systematic exclusion of workers from employment from ever happening again. In this third interim report the Committee welcomes the significant progress which has been made in both revealing the practice of blacklisting, and in seeking redress for the victims, and families of the victims, of this odious practice. The Committee will continue to explore what more could be done to redress the crimes of the past and to ensure that reform in the industry to eradicate this practice is genuine, effective and comprehensive in its effects.