Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Report 2015

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Ministerial Foreword

The Scottish Government has demonstrated a strong record in delivering for Scotland on the issues that matter most to people: boosting economic growth and creating jobs, protecting the NHS, reducing crime, expanding childcare, investing in infrastructure, increasing access to higher education, protecting the environment and in supporting a range of measures that advance social justice, equality and human rights.

Our Programme for Government continues to build on our aim of creating a more successful Scotland and speaks to the values Scotland holds at its core. It reflects our commitment to equality and opportunity by delivering a strong sustainable economy and supporting a fairer society. We believe these go hand in hand and are underpinned by our desire to create jobs and tackle inequalities to ensure opportunity for all. It also highlights the importance we attach to people being more involved in the life of our country and empowered within their communities. Our Scottish Economic Strategy frames the Programme with a focus on inclusive growth through the mutually supportive pillars of competitiveness and tackling inequality.

Equality remains at the heart of our ambitions and our work. It informs our spending plans and is an integral part of the way we do our business as an organisation. This report provides an update on how we are continuing to improve our performance and making progress towards achieving the equality outcomes we set in 2013.

Since we published our last report so much has happened. 2014 was an extraordinary year, with Scotland delivering an exceptional Commonwealth Games, a year of Homecoming, the successful Ryder Cup and the biggest demonstration of participatory democracy anywhere in Europe in recent times. And for the first time the Scottish Government has a gender-balanced Cabinet – demonstrating the change we want to see.

We have made progress across a range of our activities but we are never complacent. We know that some of the challenges that face our communities are deep-rooted and long-standing and may not be resolved quickly or easily. What is important is that we are up to the challenge and are interested in the long-term success of Scotland not short-term fixes. That is why we will continue to work hard in pursuit of real change and improvement to the lives of people in Scotland and to be as good as we can be in our policy and practice.

Alex Neil MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights

A Statement from the Permanent Secretary

The Scottish Government is an organisation that is committed to public service, focused on improving outcomes for the people of Scotland and aspiring to be an exemplar in all that it does.

Our investment in the development and wellbeing of our workforce is a key component of the distinctly Scottish approach to public service. Underpinning this approach is a belief that everyone has a right to equality of opportunity and should be able to fulfil his or her potential free from the barriers that limit aspiration.

I am pleased that we are offering more opportunities to young Modern Apprentices. I welcome the increase in the proportion of women being appointed to Scotland's public boards and to senior executive positions. This reflects the hard work being undertaken across government and the wider public sector. I am also pleased that we are maintaining our focus and efforts on becoming a more diverse and representative workforce. We will be doing all we can in the period ahead to make further progress.

I welcome the emphasis we are putting on widening partnership and collaboration and to listening to the voices of those who have the lived experience of inequality and disadvantage. In all that we do on this agenda, we are the better and more effective for working together – across government, with our partners and alongside our communities.

Sir Peter Housden
Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government

Executive Summary

Significant advances have been made in tackling discrimination and disadvantage. People still experience inequalities and some of these can be long-standing and deep-rooted. Public authorities, including the Scottish Government, make decisions that affect the lives of people in Scotland and we have a duty to consider how to promote equality, foster good relations, address past inequalities and ensure that policies and actions are not unjustly discriminatory. Equality is thus an integral part of our business and the public sector equality duty provides a framework to help us deliver effectively.

This document provides an update on how the Scottish Government is making progress on incorporating equality across its activities and in moving towards its equality outcomes by 2017.

The Scottish Government as a Policy Maker

Building on policies and legislation already in place, the Scottish Government has introduced measures over the last two years to strengthen provision and to help advance equality. These include extending free childcare, providing a legal framework for same-sex marriage, driving forward to increase the diversity and gender balance of public boards and implementing the living wage.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights has lead responsibility for equality ensuring that it is considered at the highest level in government. It is an agenda championed by the Cabinet as a whole and is reflected in work across the portfolios, and thus woven into the Scottish Economic Strategy, the Programme for Government and the Scottish budget.

The report highlights the strengthening of data and evidence to support equality analysis and assessment and to inform decision making. The results of the 2011 Census are being published and Scottish Government analysts have provided a range of equality information using these data. These show how Scotland is changing and for the first time provides information on Gypsy/Travellers, a group experiencing particular discrimination. The Equality Evidence Finder, a tool for public access to equality data, is regularly updated.

Equality analysis and assessment informs policy making across government and the report outlines how this is supported. Scotland remains a leader in its approach to incorporating equality considerations in its spending plans including the annual publication of the Equality Budget Statement to accompany the draft Scottish Budget.

The Scottish Government values its stakeholders and places considerable emphasis on working collaboratively with communities. The report highlights the activity around communication and engagement including the support for a range of organisations and projects designed to increase the capacity and voice of equality communities and those experiencing discrimination or disadvantage. The report acknowledges the importance of developing wider and more innovative means of participation and dialogue.

The Scottish Government as an Employer

The Scottish Government's commitment to Fair Work is a key part of its agenda. Our Business Strategy and People Strategy continue to promote equality, diversity and the need to 'be the Scotland we want to see'. The report describes the activity underway to achieve these goals and reflects our close partnership with the Council of Scottish Government Unions. Together we ensure that equality of opportunity shapes all our employment policies and practices.

The report highlights specific measures designed to expand the diversity of the workforce and equality of opportunity in recruitment and resourcing: Positive about Disabled People Scheme; the Modern Apprenticeship Programme; and the Graduate Internship Scheme. Diversity monitoring and analysis of our internal promotion boards, for example, has shaped decisions about our policies and processes. The report emphasises the importance of staff engagement, measured through our annual People Survey, and support for the revitalisation of strong diversity networks.

The report provides summary and detailed tables of employee information and the gender pay gap. Between 2013 and 2014, the gender pay gap reduced by 0.9 percentage points.

Equality Outcomes

In April 2013, the Scottish Government set a suite of equality outcomes that it expects to move towards by 2017. These are on the following topics:

Scottish Government Representative Workforce

Scottish Government – Equality and Diversity Matters

Ministerial Public Appointments

Violence Against Women is Reduced

Gypsy/Travellers

Women and Employment

Disability and Access to Justice and Advice

Education

These outcomes will be reported upon and reviewed in 2017. This report provides information on the progress to date and the activity being undertaken on each outcome. Whilst there is progress across the programmes of work around each of the outcomes, at this stage some outcomes are better able to evidence change than others, for example the outcome on women's employment.

Introduction

Changing Scotland – Our People

Scotland is an increasingly diverse country. Promoting equality of opportunity matters if we are to enable all of Scotland to flourish and our people to fulfil their potential. 2011 Census data have become available since our last report, shedding new light on how Scotland’s diverse population is changing:[1],[2]

Equality characteristics of Scotland’s population (Source: Census data)[3]

Age

The population aged 65 and over increased by 10.6% between 2001 and 2011 – from 804,900 to 890,000.

Race and ethnicity

We have become a more ethnically diverse people in the decade to 2011, with a minority ethnic population of 4% and a further 4% identifying as white non-British ethnicity. This compares to 2% and 3%, respectively, in 2001. Within this period Scotland’s ‘Asian’ population doubled (an increase of 69,000 people), and our ‘African, Caribbean or Black’ population increased more than fourfold (by 28,000 people).

Religion or belief

Scotland remains a place of diverse religious and faith communities, although those having no religion increased from 27.8% of the population in 2001 to 36.7% in 2011.

Other characteristics

Other characteristics have shown less change since 2001. For example, there are still slightly more women (51.5% in 2011) than men. And the percentage of the population with a long-term, activity-limiting health problem or disability was 19.6% in 2011, compared with 20.3% in 2001. The incidence of long-term health problem or disability increases with age.

There remain no official data on numbers of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex – although various estimates have been made. For example, Stonewall Scotland suggest an LGBT figure of 5-7%[4], while the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) suggests an LGB population of around 1.0%[5] (The question on self-identified sexual orientation was introduced to the SHS in 2011 to provide statistics to underpin the equality monitoring responsibilities of public sector organisations and to assess the disadvantage or relative discrimination experienced by the lesbian, gay and bisexual population. Despite this positive step in collecting such information, it is thought that the figures are likely to under-report the percentage of lesbian, gay or bisexual people for a number of reasons).

Scotland’s age profile, 2011

Population Pyramid: All People, Scotland 2011

Relative size of ethnic groups in Scotland 2011

Religion in Scotland, 2001 and 2011

Long-term Health Problem or Disbility by Age, All People, Scotland 2011

Structure of the Report

Part 1 – Mainstreaming Equality

Our last report on how we are mainstreaming equality was published in April 2013.

This report provides an update on the activities we are undertaking and progress we are making to incorporate equality into our activities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for the people of Scotland. It may be helpful to read it in conjunction with a summary of the 2013 report.

Section 1 of the report covers the Scottish Government's role in making and delivering policy and legislation for the people of Scotland. It includes our overall approach to developing and using equality data, our engagement with equality communities, and how we use the evidence from data and engagement to inform our work on equality impact assessment. We provide some examples of recent legislation and policies that help to advance equality. We also refer to equality within corporate systems and practices, and in our budget-making process, and we report on equality within our procurement activities. Examples of mainstreaming equality from a number of Agencies covered by this report are also provided.

At Section 2 we discuss the actions we are taking as an employer – to support staff and to promote equality and diversity, including how the employee diversity information is being used to help the organisation inform our employment policies and practices. This section also highlights the work on staff engagement, including the diversity networks.

At Section 3 we provide a summary of the Scottish Government employee diversity information and our gender pay gap.

At Section 4 we provide information on Historic Scotland as an employer.

Part 2 – Equality Outcomes

In 2013, the Scottish Government set a suite of equality outcomes that it expects to make progress towards by 2017. In Part 2 of this report we describe the activities that are underway around these outcomes and the progress that has been made to date.

Coverage of the Report

The work of the Scottish Government is carried out by Directorates and Agencies.

This report covers all Scottish Government Directorates and the following Agencies:

Accountant in Bankruptcy

Disclosure Scotland

Education Scotland

Historic Scotland

Scottish Public Pensions Agency

Student Awards Agency for Scotland

Transport Scotland

The Scottish Prison Service, an Agency, is producing its own report, and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, a distinct part of the Scottish Government, has chosen to produce its own report.

Explanations regarding the coverage in relation to gender pay gap and employee data are given in the relevant sections.

Part 1. Mainstreaming Equality

Section 1: The Scottish Government as a Policy Maker

The Scottish Government places equality at the core of its business. The public sector equality duty helps us to integrate equality across our activities.

1.1 Policies and legislation that advance equality

A commitment to equality of opportunity is evident in the key documents that set the context and direction of this Government: Scotland’s Economic Strategy, Programme for Government 2014-15 and the Budget.

Legislation

Since 2013 a range of legislation has been made or introduced which advances equality. This includes the significant achievement of legalising same-sex marriage:[6]

Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act provides equality of opportunity for same-sex couples, who can now marry in the same way as opposite-sex couples, and for transgender people by making provision for them to obtain a full Gender Recognition Certificate and stay married.

The Act and associated legislation also promote and protect religious freedom, in that religious and belief bodies are free to decide for themselves whether or not to solemnise same-sex marriages and register civil partnerships.

Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill

The Bill is designed to improve how Scotland deals with the trafficking of human beings and the exploitation of individuals. It will create a legislative framework which ensures that police, prosecutors and other agencies have the powers to make Scotland a hostile environment for human traffickers and those who exploit others, and helps to identify and support the needs of victims. Some of the proposals are intended to ensure that the particular circumstances of individuals may be taken into account. For example, the slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour offence requires that the court, in assessing whether a person has been the victim of the offence, has regard to any characteristics that make the alleged victim more vulnerable than other people, and this could include protected characteristics.

Carers (Scotland) Bill

The Bill, introduced to Parliament on 9 March 2014, aims to better support Scotland’s estimated 745,000 adult carers and 44,000 young carers on a more consistent basis so that they can continue to care, if they so wish, in good health and have a life alongside caring, and so that young carers can have a childhood similar to their non-carer peers.

The Bill widens access to support by removing the current requirement that a carer must be able to demonstrate that they care for someone on a regular and substantial basis. It also introduces the adult carer support plan and the young carer statement. The adult carer support plan will replace carers’ assessments and will set out the adult carer’s identified personal outcomes and needs, and any support to be provided. The young carer statement will be introduced for carers of 18 and under to recognise their unique needs. The Bill places a duty on local authorities to provide support to carers based on whether the carer’s assessed needs meet local eligibility criteria, and a duty to publish these criteria, developed through public consultation. In addition, local authorities will have a power to support carers whose needs do not meet eligibility criteria.

The Bill places an obligation on local authorities to involve carers, young carers and carers’ organisations in the planning, shaping, delivery and review of service, and carers are to be involved in care planning for the person they care for and in support for themselves. The Bill will introduce a service to provide information and advice in a number of key areas, which will be both accessible and proportionate to the local population. As part of this service, local authorities will be required to prepare and publish a short breaks statement, providing information to adult and young carers about the range of short breaks that are available in Scotland.

Policies

Over recent years, a range of policies have been developed and delivered that have equality considerations at their heart. New policies that help to advance equality are building on the foundations of previous ones, strengthening the overall benefits to communities:

For a more comprehensive list and details on recent (since 2013) legislation and policies that help to advance equality, please see the Supplementary Information section.

Partnership for Change commitment – 50:50 by 2020

The Government is committed to making boards more representative of the communities and customers they serve. This will enable wider access to talent and it will improve board governance, decision making and performance. In the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government published in November 2014, we have committed to launching the Partnership for Change, bringing together an alliance of organisations across the public, private and third sectors, who are committed to increasing the diversity of boards and the talent pipeline to work towards gender balance – 50:50 by 2020.

Expansion of statutory early learning and childcare

In a staged approach to expanding and improving early learning and childcare to 2 year olds, we prioritise those who are most vulnerable or disadvantaged, for example those who are looked after or under a kinship care order, those who are likely to be more disadvantaged as a result of parents having no sustainable employment and living in poverty, or those in low income families.

We also make sure that expansion, most recently through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and statutory guidance, applies and is promoted to those children with additional support needs or a disability. In addition to the number of 2 year olds registered for early learning and childcare, annual national statistics indicate the number and percentages of young children registered for early learning and childcare whose home language is not English, or who have additional support needs or a co-ordinated support plan. Uptake of early learning and childcare by 2 year olds, including those in the groups identified, will continue to be monitored through the annual national schools statistical collection.

The aim of the policy is also to support parents to work or study, which will have particular benefits for women.

Digital participation

As stated in Scotland’s Digital Future – Delivery of Public Services (November 2012), our ambition is to use digital technology to redesign services, or find alternatives to such services, so that they focus on user needs and experience, and achieve the outcomes to which we aspire as a nation. Our “digital first” approach means that the public sector will deliver online all services that can be delivered online.

The majority of people do not require support to access public benefits and services in the analogue world and the same is true of the digital world. However, a significant percentage of people have no or low level digital skills, a recognised disability which limits online accessibility, or poor connectivity and thus require a third party to transfer information on line. It is also the case that some people who have the capability do not want to transact digitally.

About 20% of the Scottish population is not online. Internet access is lowest amongst the elderly, disabled people, those living in social housing and the unemployed.

Those who are not able to transact digitally, for whatever reason, will need to be supported through other means. This is commonly described as Assisted Digital.

Scottish Government is currently developing its approach to Assisted Digital, which will also consider the provision of software and applications that will enable those with recognised disabilities and other limiting physical and mental conditions to transact autonomously with public services.

1.2 Equality and poverty

Scotland’s economic performance is improving, but too many people are still living in poverty. The connection between poverty and equality is clear, if sometimes complex:

In 2012-13, 20% of individuals in families containing a disabled adult were in relative poverty; for families with no disabled adults the figure was 14%.

People from minority ethnic (non-white) groups are more likely to be in relative poverty (before housing costs) compared to those from the ‘White – British’ group (25% and 14% respectively[7]).

Although the headline rates of poverty between men and women were identical in Scotland in the most recent year (2012-13), this hides many differences within different household types. For example, women experience a higher rate of pensioner poverty than men, while men who are single working age adults without children face a higher rate of poverty than women in the same circumstances.

Women, disabled people and some minority ethnic communities are also particularly affected by UK Government welfare reform.

Inequalities in income, power, access and expectation persist across society. The combination of systematic and structural inequalities with prejudice and discrimination prevent many people from achieving their potential and living with dignity. That is why our commitment to social justice and the creation of a fairer Scotland are core themes of our Programme for Government, our Economic Strategy and our 2015-16 Budget.

Action on Poverty

The refresh of the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, published in 2014, focused on three key outcomes: maximising household resources; improving children’s wellbeing and life chances; and ensuring that children from low income households live in well-designed, sustainable places. These three outcomes (‘Pockets’, ‘Prospects’ and ‘Places’) are reflected in the range of activity funded by the Budget.

The expansion of provision of early learning and childcare for vulnerable 2 year olds will also help around 15,500 disadvantaged children and families on low incomes by 2015-16, in particular lone parent households, most of which are headed up by women. Alongside annual funded childcare provision for 3 and 4 year olds of 600 hours, this will reduce the cost barriers facing parents with young children when they participate in the labour market.

Housing quality is key to tackling fuel poverty and the Scottish Government continues to invest in domestic energy efficiency through the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland. Further, a new energy efficiency standard for social housing will help households save around £210 a year on energy bills by 2020.

Our Programme for Government emphasises a commitment to empower communities and to make government open and accessible through public participation in the decisions that affect them. We have committed to “poverty proofing” all of our new policies and legislation through the use of poverty impact assessments whenever we make a change, and we will be linking this to our work on equality impact assessments. As previously announced, we will appoint an Independent Advisor on Poverty and Inequality to hold public events with the First Minister to raise awareness of the reality of living in poverty, make recommendations to the Scottish Government on how collectively we should respond, and hold the Scottish Government to account on its performance.

The Impact of Welfare Reform

Many individuals affected by welfare reform are from particular equality groups. Over the last year, Scottish Government analysts have produced a range of analysis on welfare reform which has implications for equality.

Scottish Government spend to mitigate the worst impacts of welfare reform is significant at £81 million in 2015-16. Help for those in crisis or with an essential need is also being prioritised via the Scottish Welfare Fund. Assistance with basic costs via the Council Tax Reduction Scheme is also important – for example, it has gender implications, with more women than men receiving assistance in meeting their council tax liability.

1.3 Equality data

Good equality data are key to the performance of the public sector equality duty. We are committed to improving the gathering, collation and use of equality data. New developments since the 2013 report are described below.

The Census

The Census is the most comprehensive source of equality data in Scotland. Within Scotland’s Census website there is a vast array of national and local equality data, which is presented in a range of different ways, including user-friendly interactive maps and charts.

In 2014 and 2015 the Scottish Government produced three reports that provide additional analysis of the equality data published on Scotland’s Census website by National Records of Scotland (NRS). These reports filled evidence gaps across the following characteristics: age; gender; marriage and civil partnership; ethnicity; religion; disability. They also contained specific chapters focussing on Gypsy/Travellers and users of British Sign Language:

Overview of Equality Results from the 2011 Census Release 2 (focus on: Demographic Change since 2001; Country of Birth; Identity; Area Deprivation). This report, published in March 2014, showed how the size of Scotland’s ethnic and religious groups had changed from 2001 and revealed which of these groups were most likely to live in deprived areas. It also provided information on the change in the number of people in Scotland with a long-term health problem or disability.

Analysis of Equality Results from the 2011 Census (examines the following topic areas: Population and Households; Identity, Language; Health). This report, published in October 2014, provided information on the household structures and languages used by different ethnic and religious groups, and provided an analysis of their general health. It also analysed these topics for those who reported a long-term health problem or disability.

Analysis of Equality Results from the 2011 Census – Part 2 (the areas covered are: Labour Market, Education, Housing and Transport). This report, published in March 2015, provided information on how different ethnic and religious groups fared across the labour market, education, housing and transport. It also provided an analysis of these topics for those who reported a long-term health problem or disability.

The reports bring together relevant statistics from the Census and other sources to paint a highly detailed picture of equality in Scotland. They are accompanied by detailed tables which allow users to carry out their own analysis.

The analysis is designed to be used by policy makers and stakeholders to evidence policy and equality outcomes, target services and help tackle discrimination.

Using standard questions across household surveys

Although many large scale Scottish household surveys have included questions on some or all equality characteristics for some time, consistent questions have not always been used and the utility of the data has been limited.

In addition, although the overall sample sizes of surveys can be large, the number of individuals sampled from individual equality groups is often too small to allow for detailed analysis.

In response to this, the Scottish Government has developed a set of core harmonised questions, including questions on six equality characteristics. From the beginning of 2012 onwards these questions were asked in the major household surveys – Scottish Household Survey (SHS), Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) and Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS). In addition, the core questions are strongly recommended for inclusion in all Scottish Government cross-sectional population and household surveys.

Pooled sample data for the core questions from the three surveys cited above (SHS, SCJS and SHeS) was published for the first time in 2014. This dataset has a larger sample size, which allows the calculation of more robust estimates for smaller-sized equality characteristic groups.

The dataset was released under the classification “Data Being Developed” to encourage analysis, exploration and feedback by stakeholders, whilst ensuring that care be taken when analysing this data.[8]

Equality Analysts Network

A network of social researchers, statisticians and economists from across the Scottish Government’s Analytical Services Divisions contribute to the development and maintenance of the Equality Evidence Finder and to the delivery of the Equality Budget Statement.

“The Equalities Evidence Finder is a fantastic resource that pulls a range of information together for each of the equality characteristics across policy area/ topics.” Fife Council

“The site is one of my first ports of call and I have signposted colleagues who carry
out equality impact assessments to the site.” Moray Council

Review of the National Performance Framework

The Scottish Government is currently carrying out a review of the National Indicators and Purpose Targets in the National Performance Framework. This work is focused on producing an improved set of measures of what makes a successful Scotland with opportunities for all to flourish. Whether an indicator can describe the inequalities in Scottish society is one of the key criteria in assessing potential indicators’ suitability.

We are taking a pro-active approach to developing these new indicators, and will be engaging with the public to understand what matters to them.

When the new indicators are published, the revised Scotland Performs website will place a greater focus on describing performance in reducing inequalities. This follows an exercise that was carried out in the summer of 2014 to ensure that Scotland Performs contains all available data disaggregated by protected characteristics for the current indicators.

1.4 Equality Impact Assessment

The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) process is a key element of good policy making, helping to ensure that policies recognise the diversity of people and are shaped around diverse needs and experiences. EQIAs help to develop better policies and contribute towards achieving the Scottish Government’s vision of an equal Scotland.

“One of the objectives of Homecoming Scotland 2014 was 'to engage, inspire and mobilise communities across Scotland'. The process of developing an EQIA was invaluable in helping us particularly identify opportunities to engage multicultural and LGBTI communities in the Homecoming celebration, and also indicated that enhancing access and information would help engage disabled people throughout the year.

The Scottish Government and its partners organised a series of activities designed to promote the inclusion of people who share protected characteristics in Homecoming, inviting their participation through meetings with representative bodies which helped scope out the opportunities and also via targeted news updates to showcase attractions.

The multicultural Homecoming programme, delivered in partnership with BEMIS, was a great success involving over 6,500 people in over 40 events designed by communities themselves across 18 different ethnic and cultural communities.

We also worked with several LGBTI organisations to support a range of activities, including LGBT History Month, Pride House during the Commonwealth Games, research into the needs of LGBT visitors to Scotland, and an international conference for the Transgender and Intersex Community. The Scottish Government supported activity to engage multicultural and LGBTI communities in Homecoming with funding of around £70,000 and additional support was also provided to Visit Scotland for online training to boost accessible skills within the tourism industry, commencing in 2014. An EQIA is also being developed for 2015's Year of Food and Drink, which builds on the successes of Homecoming and helps us achieve our aim to ensure that all of Scotland's diverse communities have the opportunity to join the celebration.”

Policy Official, Homecoming Scotland Team

Commonwealth Games 2014

The Scottish Government’s overall vision for the Games was to host a successful, safe and secure Games that would deliver a lasting legacy for the whole of Scotland. Equality was an integral part of this vision.

An equality impact assessment highlighted a number of positive impacts resulting from the work of the Scottish Government Commonwealth Games Delivery Team, including additional changing facilities and accessible toilets and lifts. The EQIA helped identify further opportunities for continued communication with equality groups. The Scottish Government worked with the Organising Committee (OC) and the BIG Lottery fund to develop a £500,000 Volunteer Support Fund, to support volunteering among socially and economically disadvantaged young people and lone parents, rurally isolated people, and people from minority ethnic groups. Recognising the prevalence across the Commonwealth of issues relating to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the Scottish Government contributed almost £25,000 to the establishment of a Pride House in Glasgow during the Games. The Glasgow 2014 Accessible Transport Strategy covered not only disabled people, but also elderly people and passengers with buggies and small children. Along with the Accessible Transport Strategy the Games ticketing strategy ensured that the Games were the most affordable of recent times.

The Scottish Government had direct input into the OC‘s procurement policy to ensure that it was consistent with Scottish Government standards for the consideration of equality and diversity matters, and to ensure that supported businesses were included in the awarding of Games contracts. As a result, Games contracts to the value of approximately £1 million were awarded to supported businesses.

Our focus has been to continue embedding the EQIA process within the policy development process, including looking at making better links with the other impact assessment tools that are used when developing policies (Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Privacy Impact Assessment). We have also been further exploring how human rights considerations and equality considerations could be better integrated.

The Scottish Government maintains a list of published equality impact assessments.

1.5 Engagement with equality groups

Strengthening participative, democratic decision making is a key priority for the Scottish Government, as set out in the Programme for Government. In particular, we recognise the need to ensure that equality communities have a voice and are enabled to engage in shaping policy in order to make sure that it responds effectively to the diversity of need and so that it builds on the assets held by people and communities.

"The Scottish equal marriage legislation was developed in close consultation with LGBTI groups. The Equality Network worked with the Scottish Government to involve LGBTI people across Scotland through a series of meetings and in other ways, and to advise on the main provisions and details of the law. As a result, we have legislation which works successfully for people across Scotland's LGBTI
communities."

Tim Hopkins, Equality Network

For effective communication to happen, both sides of the dialogue need to be well supported. We need to ensure that Scotland’s equality communities can participate in public life and have the opportunity and capacity to engage in dialogue to inform policy decision making. We also need to invest in the skills of policy makers, to ensure that engagement with equality communities is well embedded within policy making. Our staff need to have appropriate skills and confidence to be able to effectively engage with different equality communities. Therefore, in 2013 we set an equality outcome to improve in this area (see Equality and Diversity Matters outcome).

Ongoing engagement with equality organisations

We provide support to a range of equality organisations with wide ranging networks to enable the voices of communities of interest to be heard right at the heart of policy making.

These organisations play an important role in building capacity within communities and amongst smaller, grass roots organisations. They ensure that we are made aware of issues affecting people with protected characteristics. The positive, collaborative relationships we have with equality organisations, both individually and collectively, ensure that our work is directed at the outcomes which will bring the greatest benefit. A programme of regular meetings and events takes place throughout the year, enabling policy to develop flexibly in response to emerging issues.

There is a wide range of activities happening across the Scottish Government that involves engagement with equality organisations and communities. Some recent examples are listed below.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Our work on FGM for 2015-16 has been developed collaboratively by working with a small group of stakeholder organisations to define and shape priorities. It helped us to move to a streamlined strategic approach with each organisation receiving funding for a specific area of work aligned to their expertise and strengths. The programme is strongly rooted in affected communities and the priorities identified by them.

Scotland’s future and further powers

The Scottish Government brought together a range of equality organisations on a regular basis to discuss Scotland’s future in the context of the Referendum on Independence and subsequent developments. Events took place in August 2013, in January, July and December 2014 and in February 2015. These discussions focussed on the kind of Scotland people wanted to see and sought to identify some of the actions which might be required to realise the vision.

For example, the event in July 2014 followed publication of the draft Scottish Independence Bill and allowed some discussion of how equality might have been provided for within an interim constitution. The events in December 2014 and February 2015 informed Scottish Government thinking on the Smith Commission Heads of Agreement on Equalities and subsequent UK Government draft clauses. Hearing the views of equality organisations was vitally important and helped the Scottish Government to appreciate a range of views and perspectives.

Working in co-production with disabled people

We are proactively implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which we see as an opportunity to articulate and illustrate the barriers which prevent disabled people from enjoying their human rights, and to work together to develop practical solutions.

Working in co-production with disabled people to design our approach and support improvement across key policy areas has been crucial. Our starting point has been focusing on what disabled people tell us needs to change, and promoting a ‘can do’ attitude to addressing these, in line with our Scottish Government-wide commitment to continuous improvement.

We have involved a wide range of disabled people and their organisations in delivering a series of seminars to lead officials in key policy areas, and we have facilitated the ongoing involvement of disabled people to help develop commitments which will be reflected in our Disability Delivery Plan, to be published for consultation in June 2015. We have also provided funding to disability-led organisations to help ensure that a diverse range of disabled people is supported to contribute to the plan as it develops.

1.6 Training and support

We recognise that we need to continue raising the levels of staff confidence on equality and diversity, including awareness and knowledge of the EQIA process. That is why one of our equality outcomes that we set in 2013 is on raising confidence levels of staff on equality and diversity matters (see Equality and Diversity Matters).

Since May 2013 we have delivered a range of training on equality issues:

Six transgender awareness sessions during May-June 2014, in conjunction with Scottish Transgender Alliance.

Disability – a series of seminars in 2014 to policy officials with responsibility for articles under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), delivered jointly with disabled people.

We have started a series of Inclusive Communication seminars, in conjunction with Sense Scotland.

A series of Saltire News (intranet) articles for Scottish Government staff on a range of equality related issues, including: gender equality, violence against women, transgender, LGBTI equality, same-sex marriage, the ‘One Scotland’ campaign, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, Scottish Government Diversity and Equality Networks, and the Civil Service Diversity and Equality Awards.

‘One Scotland’ campaign

In July 2014 the Scottish Government launched the next phase of the ‘One Scotland’ campaign, promoting equality and celebrating Scotland’s diversity. The first phase of activity is focusing on equality for minority ethnic and LGBTI people.

As part of the development of the campaign, 93 per cent of people we surveyed said they believe in a commitment to treating each other equally; however, some 89 per cent also said there’s more work to be done to improve equality in Scotland.

We worked with stakeholders and partner organisations to deliver a case study-led communications plan with an emphasis on PR and social media. This ran alongside outdoor, radio, digital and press advertising. The campaign reached a total of 1.8 million people on Facebook, and onescotland.org has received over 19,000 visits.

Our EQIA training and support has been focused on policy development in key policy areas, for example around Welfare Reform, and those areas that were developing Bills.

During 2015 we will be further developing our equality awareness raising programme (see Equality and Diversity Matters outcome).

Some policy areas develop their own equality training and EQIA support systems, based on the local needs:

Justice and Safer Communities Equality & Diversity Network

The role of the Network is to promote equality and diversity issues across the Justice and Safer Communities Directorates. Each division within the Justice and Safer Communities Directorates is represented on the Network. The Network will help ensure that, in discharging their policy-making functions, divisions fulfil their statutory responsibilities in relation to equality and diversity, as well as creating fair and supportive work environments. Members of the Network act as champions for equality and diversity within their divisions; signpost colleagues to relevant resources and opportunities designed to promote equality and diversity; promote completion of statutory requirements, such as equality impact assessments and mandatory requirements, such as training and staff objectives, across their division; and use the Network to share any best practice, skills or expertise that may be of assistance in fulfilling its remit.

1.7 Equality within corporate systems and processes

We continue to build reference to equality into corporate systems and processes:

There is a section on equality in the ‘delivery essentials’ portal on the Scottish Government’s intranet. The portal collates the most important and frequently used internal guidance, and includes reference to equality impact assessment and the public sector equality duty.

Equality impact assessment is also referenced in the internal control checklist within the certificate of assurance that senior civil servants sign at the end of every financial year.

References to the public sector equality duty are included in our public bodies guidance, including the Guide for Board Members of Public Bodies in Scotland.

There is a section on equality in the Scottish Government’s Bill Handbook – the definitive guide for civil servants working on legislation.

And within our HR functions and systems there are references to equality and diversity, for example, in our People Strategy.

1.8 Equality in the Budget process

How a government chooses to invest its resources is an important sign of the priorities that it holds on behalf of people. Information on the equality analysis and impact assessment of the Scottish Government’s spending plans is presented in the Equality Budget Statement (EBS), published every year alongside the draft budget. It offers details on the equality impact of spend by ministerial portfolio.

The Scottish Government’s spending plans over the last two years have drawn from the priorities set out by the Scottish Spending Review 2010-11. The 2014-15 EBS set out a comprehensive narrative on the Draft Budget 2014-15 and on the indicative plans set out at that time for 2015-16. The 2015-16 Equality Budget Statement provided supplementary assessments focused on areas where there had been a significant change in expenditure since the previous year or where new relevant equality evidence had come to light.

Responding to advice from the Equality and Budget Advisory Group (EBAG), a focus on continuous improvement has underpinned the development of these two equality budget statements. Recent improvements include:

In 2014, EBAG hosted a small number of discussions with relevant policy teams and analysts on strategic themes identified through EBAG and previous budget scrutiny. The purpose of these was to share insight about key equality considerations to help create better outcomes in policy design and budget decisions. A series of short thematic chapters was published as part of the 2015-16 EBS in response.

Each portfolio has identified key areas for improvement to ensure the effective use of equality impact assessments in shaping future spending decisions.

The Equality Budget Statement process is included within arrangements for managing and overseeing the main budget process.

Equality Budget chapters are produced for each portfolio, reflecting Draft Budget portfolio chapters and based on analysis and equality impact assessment work.

The Equality and Budget Advisory Group (EBAG) has continued to advise, shape and inform the Scottish Government’s approach.

1.9 Procurement

The public sector spends around £10 billion a year on buying goods, works and services. Public spend is a significant lever that can be used to support economic growth for all.

The Scottish specific duties contain an explicit procurement duty, which applies to public authorities listed in the Schedule to the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and which meet the definition of a “contracting authority” in the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2012.

We have worked with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to produce in 2014 further guidance for the wider public sector, including examples of existing good practice in Scotland on the public sector equality duty and procurement, with a view to this guidance being useful to service users, service providers and equality organisations. This builds on a Policy Note for the wider public sector produced in 2012 to provide information on the specific duty in the legislation in relation to public procurement.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a project with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and a number of other public bodies on the inclusion of equality and human rights-focused criteria within procurement exercises.

We are also working with Scottish Fair Trade Forum (SFTF) to increase public sector knowledge and uptake of fairly and ethically traded goods and services in public procurement.

A national reserved Framework Agreement was established in 2012, which covers four product groups: textiles and personal protection equipment; document management; furniture and associated products; and signage. The framework provides all Scottish public bodies with an easier route to contracts with selected supported businesses. Over £700,000 of spending has been reported by suppliers from the framework, with 255 orders delivered for public bodies from across the wider public sector.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 complements the requirements laid out in the Equality Act 2010 to further advance equality through procurement strategy and process.

Three new procurement Directives came into force on 17 April 2014. We have been working on a consultation relating to policy options in the new Directives and statutory guidance for the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. The consultation commenced in February 2015. Together, the Act and the Directives will provide the statutory foundations for the Scottish Model of Procurement, simplifying, standardising and streamlining procedures for both businesses and public bodies. It will place sustainable and socially responsible purchasing at the heart of the process.

Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act requires:

a contracting authority to consider how, by the way in which it conducts the procurement process, it might improve economic, social and environmental well-being; facilitate the involvement of small and medium enterprises, third sector bodies and supported business; and promote innovation. There is a requirement for ‘well-being’ to include reducing inequality.

those contracting authorities that expect significant expenditure in the next financial year (above £5 million) to prepare a new procurement strategy (or review the existing one) and produce annual procurement reports. Procurement policy officials intend to cross reference equality reporting duties in the guidance relating to the procurement strategy and annual report.

Scottish Ministers are given powers to issue guidance that contracting authorities must have regard to when selecting suppliers to participate in a procurement process. This will include suppliers’ approach to workforce matters.

The new Directive says that:

Technical specifications shall, except in duly justified cases, be drawn up so as to take into account accessibility criteria for persons with disabilities or design for all users.

Where mandatory accessibility requirements are adopted by a legal act of the Union, technical specifications shall, as far as accessibility criteria for persons with disabilities or design for all users are concerned, be defined by reference thereto.

1.10 Mainstreaming equality in Scottish Government Agencies

The following Agencies are covered by this report: Accountant in Bankruptcy; Disclosure Scotland; Education Scotland; Historic Scotland; Scottish Public Pensions Agencies; Student Awards Agencies for Scotland and Transport Scotland.

Agencies are constituent parts of Scottish Government with a stronger focus on operational management and direct delivery of public services.

A range of activities are supporting the mainstreaming of equality across Agencies. Some examples are listed below where activity is in addition to what is being done in the core Directorates of the Scottish Government.

1.10.1 ACCOUNTANT IN BANKRUPTCY

Learning, Development and Performance Management: Fairness at Work sessions are included as a mandatory part of all inductions. An ongoing management training programme is also delivered in AiB and one of the modules on this training programme is Equality, Diversity and Fairness at Work for Line Managers. In addition, a series of staff awareness seminars is provided every year, with at least one of these covering an equality and diversity related topic. The Agency is in the process of piloting a customer service qualification, part of which focuses on equality and diversity and how to ensure the service that is being delivered is appropriate.

Evidence gathering: in November 2012, Accountant in Bankruptcy adapted the equality data collected from those applying for bankruptcy in Scotland to conform to the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010, and to achieve consistency with Equality and Human Rights Commission recommendations and the 2011 Census. Since then the data collected have been analysed and no areas for concern have been identified. Ongoing collection of these data will provide robust material with which to undertake further statistical analysis, and this will inform any future equality issues that AiB seeks to address in the delivery of its services.

Equality consideration in decision making: the standard template for all AiB committee meeting papers includes a section to detail potential equality or diversity implications of proposed recommendations or changes to process. This ensures that equality issues are considered and recorded for all decisions, not just those subject to full equality impact assessments.

Access to information and services: AiB responds quickly to any requests for information in alternative languages and formats to ensure that there are no barriers to accessing information and services. On request AiB arranges for interpreters to attend meetings with Citizens Advice representatives to provide important information in relation to the insolvency process, options and consequences. The AiB website also publishes a number of corporate information booklets in alternative languages.

1.10.2 DISCLOSURE SCOTLAND

Disclosure Scotland has worked with information and data security specialists to put in place an enhanced translation service within its Protection Services department. This service will allow individuals whose first language is not English and who are under consideration for barring from regulated work with children or protected adults, to make personal written representations in their native language, enhancing accessibility and promoting engagement. This enhanced translation service has been delivered against strict security standards to ensure the continued protection of sensitive personal data.

Throughout 2014, Disclosure Scotland commissioned and facilitated Fairness at Work sessions for all staff, focused on bullying and harassment in the workplace and on respect for diversity issues. They introduced a “yellow card” system, through which staff could report unsavoury incidents to HR with the expectation that these would be followed up. This led to the formation of a staff improvement forum and a series of presentations by Directors to all staff on the theme of fairness at work, feeding back the results from the facilitated sessions and setting out the policy of the Agency on fairness at work and respect for diversity.

Protection Services operate a decision-making process that is structured and evidence based to avoid the reliance on inappropriate and irrelevant characteristics, and training for new caseworkers emphasises the subjective nature of judgement and sources of bias in decision making. Diversity training has been offered to staff in Protection Services twice in the last three years, and another session will be delivered in 2015.

Disclosure Scotland has commissioned an external social research agency to carry out a customer research study. This will give us an opportunity to gather structured data about our service users, including their protected characteristics, which will enable us to understand the user experience.

A Board Equality Champion has recently been appointed and, going forward, James Wallace, Director of Corporate Services, will lead this Agenda. Disclosure Scotland has a People Strategy Community Network, which includes a People Engagement Group to give staff a voice and to increase our understanding of the issues being faced in Disclosure Scotland. The group uses People Survey data as its evidence base.

1.10.3 EDUCATION SCOTLAND

Disability: Although we are seeing improvements, young people with a disability do less well than their non-disabled peers in terms of attainment and initial positive destinations on leaving school, and are nearly twice as likely to be excluded.

Gender: Regarding educational outcomes, there is a long history of boys doing less well than girls, and more boys are identified as having additional support needs. Too many young people continue to make choices which conform to gender stereotypes. Staff in secondary schools need to recognise and act on gender imbalance in science and technologies where it exists.

Race: Most young people from minority ethnic groups achieve high rates of attainment and positive leaver destinations, however, young people from a Gypsy/Traveller background continue to underperform quite significantly in comparison. The largest ethnic group in our schools, white Scottish, along with those whose ethnicity is not known or not disclosed, have the lowest levels of attainment and positive leaver destinations.

Bullying has a negative impact on school attendance and attainment, and young people with protected characteristics, such as young people who have a disability or are from a minority ethnic community, or LGBTI young people, may be more susceptible.

Transforming lives through learning

Education Scotland’s corporate plan for 2013-16 was built on a significant period of engagement with staff and stakeholders, and lays out how we plan to work collaboratively to improve outcomes for all learners in Scotland. The plan sets out our vision that learners in Scotland will progress in one of the most effective education systems in the world, renowned for the ability of national and local partners to work flexibly together to achieve high quality and equitable outcomes for all. Achieving this vision will be marked by the following outcomes:

educational outcomes for all learners are improving;

inequity in educational outcomes is eradicated; and

public confidence in education is high.

The first of the strategic objectives contained in the corporate plan is to build a world-class curriculum for all learners in Scotland. To deliver on this, we commit to:

“Focus on reducing inequity in educational outcomes for all learners by working with partners to identify and drive effective strategies to improve achievement and raise attainment, particularly in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.”

One of the ways in which we will measure success is that:

“Inequity in learner outcomes will begin to incrementally reduce as evidenced through analysis of specific vulnerable communities or groups and international benchmarking studies.”

Education Scotland looks to achieve its strategic objectives through the work of Directorates focused on different aspects of the learner’s journey, as well as our own staff. Our work is spread across four Directorates, with Directorate A (Families, Inclusion and Local Authorities) offering a lead for equalities work within Scottish Education. In addition to Strategic Objective 1 (see above), Strategic Objective 6 relates to how we carry out our work in respect of our own staff. Education Scotland aspires to go beyond compliance with the public sector equality duty and includes social background.

Recent equalities work

Education Scotland engages with a wide range of equality groups, representing stakeholders across the protected characteristics.

Our Diversity and Equality Network is an external group whose members include Scottish Government, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, Inclusion Scotland, Stonewall, LGBT Youth, Scottish Refugee Council, BEMIS, Respectme, Show Racism the Red Card, Roshni, the Educational Institute for Scotland and Glasgow City Council. The Network offers advice to Education Scotland in respect of diversity and equality, and collaborates on some specific projects. For example, ‘How Good Is Our School?’ is a set of quality indicators that provide the core tool for self-evaluation for all schools; the Network has been consulted on a new (fourth) version and on proposals for changes to inspection. Network participants are also involved in advice and guidance about curricular developments, such as ‘Learning Journeys’, and in reporting to Education Scotland aspects of research and campaigning linked to equalities.

Education Scotland has an Inclusion Reference Group drawn from practitioners, which aims to consider developments in inclusive learning and how Scottish education can consider new approaches to inclusion. The group has considered a definition for inclusion that takes account of a broader equalities agenda. It notes:

“In Scotland inclusive learning takes place when local schools and communities create a learning environment designed to meet the needs of all learners.

In inclusive environments the needs of diverse learners are provided through personalised learning and support that takes account of individual needs, choices and circumstances while relentlessly reinforcing high expectations. Effective individualised support is provided in environments that ensure all our children and young people become successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals.”

Inspection processes and equality

Education Scotland has been working with Scottish Government and other stakeholders to ensure that a new online benchmarking tool, Insight, takes account of equalities matters such as social background, gender, disability and ethnicity. These are key determinants of achievement and are readily benchmarked across schools and authorities.

Ahead of an inspection, every school is asked to self-evaluate its performance in respect of the question, “How do you ensure equality and inclusion and promote diversity across the school?“. The response to this question identifies issues for inspectors to discuss with the school about its approaches to equality and diversity. This question is not always answered effectively.

In every inspection, a sample of children, young people, staff and parents are surveyed across some key aspects of the work of the school, including whether children feel they are treated fairly in the school, if they get help when they need it and if bullying is tackled effectively by staff. Over the last five years, more than 120,000 children and young people across all 32 education authorities in Scotland have responded to questionnaires, and 95% agree or strongly agree that the school is helping them to become more confident and think they are getting on well with their school work. Education Scotland has equality monitored the use of the questionnaires and is considering moving to an online approach to pre-inspection questionnaires. Plans will consider linking equality monitoring not only to the use of the questionnaire but also to monitor responses by protected characteristics.

International profile

Scotland is an active and participative member of the European Agency in Special Needs and Inclusive Education. The Agency coordinates the work of over 30 European countries, focusing on inclusive education, and engages in project work across countries in areas such as organising provision and raising achievement of all learners in inclusive education. Scotland was one of three sites to welcome groups of expert project participants from schools and universities in 20 European countries to Calderglen Learning Community to promote inclusive education internationally. Scotland is taking a key role in an international Country Review Activity project, as well as participating in an Inclusive Pre-Primary Education project.

Education Scotland has worked with the British Council in Pakistan to promote gender equality in education and offered approaches to inclusion at a major conference in Dubai in December 2014. Scotland also welcomed a number of visitors during the Scottish Learning Festival who, in participating in the Festival and visiting schools, were struck at the general level of commitment to equality in Scottish education. The theme of the 2014 Festival was “Raising achievement and attainment for all”.

Conferences and events

Education Scotland recently held two very successful conferences for young deaf learners in Glasgow and a peer learning event across diversity and equality issues. Together with National Deaf Children’s Society over 60 deaf young people came together to share experiences and engage with deaf role models. While 120 young people from all over Scotland came to hear about a range of approaches to peer learning leading on diversity and equality matters. Groups included young people talking about their work in tackling homophobia, learning to remember about World Holocaust Day, tackling sectarianism, mentors into violence, promoting rights respecting schools and removing barriers to learning.

Education Scotland organises a series of events that support aims to tackle inequalities and encourage schools and authorities to take account of the needs of diverse learners. In 2014 this included supporting third sector organisations to consider ways to build sustainability into 44 projects connected with challenging sectarianism, and a peer learning seminar at the Scottish Learning Festival about how children and young people can be ambassadors for equality and diversity, tackling sectarianism, homophobia and racism. Practitioners have been engaged in events about children too ill to attend school, service families’ children, provision for those with social, emotional and behavioural needs; and resources have been produced to review good practice and research evidence. Over 200 guidance and support teachers have engaged on ways to improve personalised learning and support. Education Scotland has participated frequently with the Scottish Guidance Association to support the success of their Annual Conference. A number of other networks have been supported to good effect regarding groups linked to disabilities and health needs.

1.10.4 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Widening Access to Historic Environment

Scottish Heritage: We know that those most likely to engage are older, more affluent members of society. Therefore, work is targeted at reaching minority ethnic groups, Gypsy/Traveller communities and younger people.

Conservation: Based on audience research and analysis, hard to reach groups can include young people, particularly those from socially deprived areas; minority ethnic groups; people with mental health issues. Recent work includes engaging women with traditional skills.

Access for all

Historic Scotland is committed to developing and promoting inclusive access for all, while being sensitive to our special historic environments. Historic Scotland recognises that many historic properties can present difficulties for disabled people so each property page on our website provides access details, along with brief descriptions of the types of display and the tactile qualities of artefacts. In addition, we also have an Access Guide, which provides visitors with access information for attractions maintained by Historic Scotland. This guide is also available on request in large print, PDF and MP3/CD alternative formats.

In considering new interventions at our sites and monuments we always strive to accommodate, where we can, improvements that provide access for all. Historic Scotland currently carries out Visitor Services Risk Assessments at a number of monuments; offers free entry for one-to-one carers accompanying disabled visitors; welcomes assistance dogs at all sites; and provides large print scripts and portable induction loops with handsets on all audio tours. Wherever possible we provide accessible parking and blue badge holders take priority.

Engaging children and young people

Historic Scotland’s Learning Services Team supports access to the historic environment through operation of our Free Education Visits Scheme, Heritage Travel Subsidy for Schools and provision of learning programmes for wide-ranging audiences. The Free Education Visits Scheme is open to all schools and qualifying groups from within the EU and, in administering the Scottish Government’s Heritage Travel Subsidy Scheme, applications from Scottish schools in areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation are given priority, enabling enhanced access to young people from these areas. Our wide-ranging learning programmes and projects actively collaborate in partnerships and projects to foster opportunities to engage with diverse audiences such as schools, community groups, the youth work sector and groups with additional support needs, to enhance social inclusion, provide access to underrepresented groups and enable positive experiences inspired by our properties.

Engaging children -‘Heritage on Your Doorstep’

The Heritage Management Directorate within Historic Scotland has continued to work closely with local communities, encouraging different groups within the Scottish heritage environment sector to participate in such projects as ‘Heritage on Your Doorstep‘.

The Project Team developed ‘Heritage on Your Doorstep’ as a heritage/planning addition to the already successful and popular ‘Haunted Heritage Road Show’, in response to a request to design an ‘Inception Project’ to be piloted at Broomlands Primary School, Kelso. The Team worked closely with staff at the primary school and colleagues from the Scottish Government. After careful consideration, it was agreed that Heritage on Your Doorstep/Haunted Heritage would best support positive learning outcomes to young people in P7.

Heritage on Your Doorstep was centred around a number of lesson plans and learning activities, which were specifically designed to increase young people’s understanding, experience, and above all ENJOYMENT of the historic environment. We developed a number of learning tools, including a detective toolkit, clue sheets and quizzes. There was also a strong emphasis on anchoring the activities within the context of the planning system, fostering an understanding of the role we all play in our built environment. In particular a number of discussions and site visits were developed specifically around the Townscape Heritage Initiative that was taking place in Kelso. Heritage on Your Doorstep also supported the ‘Curriculum For Excellence’, drawing on ‘Creativity and Imagination’, ‘Thinking Skills’ and ‘Reporting and Presentation Skills’.

Miss Eilidh Porrelli, P7 teacher, explained:

“This tied in very well with our local history project. Good curricular links with history, social studies, mapping, environmental conservation works and art. Also good for collaborative work.”

After the successful delivery of the pilot project at Broomlands Primary School, we hope to collaborate further with Education Directorate in running ‘Heritage on Your Doorstep’ and the ‘Haunted Heritage Road Shows’.

Engaging minority ethnic communities

Our Investment Team provides funding to the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC) with grants of £36,000, £50,000 and £50,000 being provided for the period 2014-2017. Through their work on the Roots Scotland Project, WSREC aims to increase the knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the historic environment by minority ethnic communities in Scotland. Minority ethnic communities are now more aware of open events being held by Historic Scotland, and Historic Scotland continues to have an increased understanding of and opportunities to interact with minority ethnic communities across Scotland.

Volunteering

Historic Scotland currently offers a range of volunteering opportunities, in particular within our Ranger Services. We place no upper age limits for volunteers and our Historic Scotland Rangers Service (HSRS) has recently developed and piloted a national Junior Rangers Scheme.

Learning programmes and projects

Our Ranger Team, assisted by our volunteers, provides wide-ranging learning programmes and projects that enable positive experiences inspired by our properties and the outdoors:

Bus tours around Holyrood Park and home presentations for elderly care home/day care residents/dementia/stroke patients

The John Muir Award to impart skills and experiences to young people in various groups from socially challenged backgrounds

Various activities with the Edinburgh Garvald group – adults with physical and learning disabilities

The “Holyrood Park Pioneer Award” for Upward Mobility (six sessions in Summer 2014) – adults with physical and learning disabilities

Early intervention project to engage with, develop and encourage truant pupils to return to school /college

Natural Capital Project to engage and develop young people in care or who had come to the attention of City of Edinburgh Council Social Work

Development and delivery of ‘using my senses talking maps’ for pupils at Oaklands Special School to engage with the environment, history and our monuments.

Gaelic Language Plan

Historic Scotland’s five-year Gaelic Language Plan was officially approved in 2012 and signed off by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the government body responsible for supporting Gaelic in Scotland. The plan supports the National Plan for Gaelic, sets out our commitment to the Gaelic language and details what we will do to incorporate it into our day-to-day business. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 states that Gaelic should command ‘equal respect’ with English in Scotland. It is an official language of Scotland and we believe should be taken into consideration when discussing equality within our organisation and the community we serve. Over the last year, Historic Scotland has held a series of Gaelic awareness training sessions for staff and published information about Gaelic and its importance in the internal newpaper Historic Times. This helps staff to understand why Gaelic has been made an official language, and why it is important to include it in our work. We have launched a thesaurus of Gaelic terms relating to the historic environment, which is an invaluable resource not only for staff, but also for teachers, pupils and Gaelic speakers and learners across the country. In addition we have worked with schools, particularly in Edinburgh. Taobh na Pàirce primary and Stenhouse primary have taken part in the Gaelic Junior Guides Scheme at Edinburgh Castle. With the support of our Gaelic Learning Officer, second year pupils at James Gillespie’s High School have researched, written, illustrated and published a book about Mary Queen of Scots in Gaelic, aimed at primary school children.

Wedding service

Historic Scotland offers a wedding service and welcomes civil, religious and humanist ceremonies at many of our sites including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace and Urquhart Castle. This year we will start welcoming our first same-sex weddings.

Collaboration with Young Scot

The Young Scot Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of Scotland’s young people. Young Scot is looking for young people that have made a positive difference: unsung heroes who are worthy of recognition; young people who have improved their community and/or Scotland; or young Scots who have been an inspiration to Scotland and its people. For the last eight years, Historic Scotland has sponsored the Heritage Award which, year after year, pays tribute to those who have worked hard to protect, maintain and support Scotland’s historic environment.

Royal Commission of Ancient and Historic Monuments (RCAHMS)

The RCAHMS Education and Outreach programme has a nationwide remit covering a wide range of audiences. Online resources provide access to hundreds of thousands of unique images and information, in addition to a publication and exhibition programme. Through programmes of work and collaborative projects, there is a particularly strong focus on community engagement with local groups and organisations.

Scotland’s Urban Past is a five-year community engagement project supported by a £1.65 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant and will launch in June 2015. Through crowd-sourcing activities, hands-on training and creative input from artists, musicians, writers, actors and digital designers, SUP will work with communities of all age groups across the nation to explore the rich architectural, social and personal histories of Scotland’s towns and cities.

RCAHMS also manages Scran which is one of the largest educational online services in the UK, supporting over 4,000 schools, libraries, colleges and universities. It works in partnership with over 300 cultural institutions in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and gives access to 390,000 images, movies and sounds from museums, galleries, archives and the media. Supporting learning as part of the Curriculum for Excellence, its Education Officers offer support – at no cost – to all local authority schools in Scotland, including talks, workshops and CPD training.

A new public body, Historic Environment Scotland, will shortly replace Historic Scotland and RCAHMS. The Chair and Board of the new body were appointed in January 2015 and will take over all duties in October 2015. Historic Scotland and RCAHMS will cease to exist at that time.

1.10.5 SCOTTISH PUBLIC PENSIONS AGENCY

The SPPA has introduced its own People Strategy (People@SPPA), which correlates with the timings of the Agency Corporate Plan 2012-15. We aim to ensure that measures are in place within the Agency to encourage all staff to meet their full potential, and ensure we have a workforce which reflects the skills and knowledge required for significant changes in public sector pensions and how these changes will be administered. In November 2012 we received the ‘Investors in People’ Gold Award independently of the Scottish Government and, throughout 2013-14, we continued to encourage and support the values and requirements of the IiP key indicators. The SPPA also supports the Scottish Government Youth Employment Strategy. Eight of our 34 new starts in 2013-14 joined through the Modern Apprenticeship scheme, and we provided employment for one student placement.

Section 2: The Scottish Government as an Employer

Introduction

The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to promoting Fair Work. As an employer we are playing our part in making our workplace fairer. In partnership with our recognised trade unions, we promote fair work practices, employee engagement and job security. For example, all directly employed staff are paid above the level of the Living Wage and we have a no compulsory redundancy agreement in place until July 2016.

The Scottish Government is committed to continually increasing the diversity of our organisation. Diversity and equality considerations underpin all our employment policies and practices and shape the employee journey. We strive to develop all our people and see diversity as a strength.

This organisational vision is set out in our Business Strategy:

Being the Scotland we want to see

Giving everyone a chance to shine.

We have a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve.

And is delivered through our People Strategy with the specific commitment that:

The organisation treats everyone with dignity and respect and promotes equality and diversity.

This vision is realised through consistent improvement of our systems and processes of workforce development and planning (recruitment, promotion, performance management, learning and development) and through working to grow the right conditions and culture (engagement, leadership and management, networks of support). To create an environment where everyone has a chance to shine, we encourage an empowered and empowering organisation where leadership is more widely distributed and diversity of perspective is valued. The People Strategy embodies a ‘deal’ between the organisation and the individuals within it: the organisation will work to embed and promote equality and diversity and in turn each individual has a part to play to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn, develop, thrive and gain satisfaction from their work.

Pursuing workforce diversity goes beyond meeting our legal responsibilities. It is about ‘being the Scotland we want to see‘ and bringing diverse perspectives to create and shape better policy making and delivery. As set out in our Equality Outcomes, it is vital to our success that we become an organisation that broadly reflects wider Scottish society. We want to be an exemplar employer and lead the way for Scottish public services and for the wider Civil Service, sharing best practice and working together to progress the wider diversity and equality agenda. Our intention is for all our people to be treated fairly and equally and not to be disadvantaged because of their protected characteristics or as a result of, for example, their working pattern, employment status, caring responsibility, or trade union membership.

The Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme (PBCDPB), which was established by the Scottish Government in early 2014 encompasses: improving Board diversity in private, public and third sector organisations, making Ministerial public appointments more diverse, and improving the diversity of Scottish Government’s own leadership. Although the initial focus is on improving gender balance, the strand relating to Scottish Government’s own diversity at senior levels aspires to increase representation of people at senior level across all protected characteristics.

We are taking action to eliminate discrimination, advance equality and foster good relations at every stage of the employee journey. Actions at key points in this journey – recruitment into the organisation, resourcing and progression, development and retention – are set out below. We work closely with our Council of Scottish Government Union partners on all aspects and they bring a particular focus on ensuring that equality of opportunity and outcome are at the forefront of planning, decision making and evaluation.

Recruitment and resourcing

The employee experience begins with recruitment: ensuring equality of opportunity is a core and visible aim of our resourcing policy and supporting procedures. We welcome applications from all suitably-qualified people and aim to employ a diverse workforce that reflects the people of Scotland. Constrained resources may have limited our opportunities to increase diversity through recruitment but where we do recruit permanent staff from outside the Civil Service the diversity message is set out in our job advertisement template. We highlight that we are part of the Positive about Disabled People Scheme, and we promote flexible working and other benefits to help encourage a diverse range of applicants. Under the Positive About Disabled People Scheme, disabled applicants are automatically invited to interview if they meet the defined minimum criteria and reasonable adjustments are made to the recruitment process as required. This statement is included in our recruitment code on our website and the guaranteed interview symbol appears on press adverts. As part of its annual audit, the Civil Service Commission ensures proper arrangements for disabled applicants are in place.

In 2014 we included specific requirements on the management of disabled applicants in the procurement process to run our assessment centres. These related to how the bidder would ensure appropriate checks before placing a candidate in a role, would assess and implement reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants during the selection process and how they will ensure robust diversity and equality policies are implemented throughout the contract duration.

We test how far diverse needs are met through our recruitment process by requesting diversity monitoring information from all candidates. We use this information, which is held separately and accessible to a very limited number of colleagues, both to help ensure that our resourcing policy and procedures have no discriminatory impact on any groups of applicants and to assess the effectiveness of different recruitment campaigns for applicants from particular diversity groups to ensure equality of opportunity for all.

Through the sponsorship of the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme specific focus has been given to improving the diversity at our most senior levels. This began in late 2014, focusing on how we improve and sustain the gender diversity of the organisation at a senior level, including our Non-Executive Directors. This work has included reviewing the range of people attracted to roles and identifying alternative mechanisms for reaching potential applicants. We have not had all-male shortlists since early 2014 and all members of the senior Civil Service were notified in March that they are required to undertake a Civil Service Learning on-line course on unconscious bias.

Our age profile shows that we have fewer people in younger age groups and so one direct recruitment route – the Modern Apprenticeship Programme (MAP) – is specifically designed as a youth employment initiative and was negotiated with the Civil Service Commissioner to be targeted at 16 to 24 year olds. This programme of recruitment and assessed development is helping to widen the age profile of the organisation. Scottish Ministers’ commitment to youth employment initiatives has resulted in the recruitment of over 150 Modern Apprentices across the 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years. We continue to have regular networking events for Modern Apprentices and their line managers to help young people with the transition to work. We have updated our eHR system so that we can track the careers of those who join us as Modern Apprentices and from 2015-16 we will capture the protected characteristics of MAs at the point of recruitment. We are working towards an Investors in Young People award to ensure that we have the highest standards of practice.

We have established a Graduate Development Programme (GDP) to externally recruit 20 new employees. The GDP aims to be an exemplar in terms of diversity and equality with the advertising and recruitment process reaching deep into communities to connect with under-represented groups. We have worked with internal and external equality and diversity networks to get advice on how best to attract people with protected characteristics to our Graduate Development Programme and Graduate Internship schemes.

We worked with Adopt an Intern, an organisation established in 2009 to place unemployed and under employed graduates into graduate internship schemes, to recruit to our Graduate Internship Scheme. Through Adopt an Intern the Scottish Government offered 26 graduates the opportunity to work with us on projects lasting 6-12 months. Eighteen females and eight males were accepted onto the scheme last year. We will learn from and build on the success of this scheme by running an Internship scheme annually and will continue to monitor and evaluate the process. For example, with the Internship scheme we did not ask for any specific level of degree (which many other schemes do) thus increasing the pool of applicants. This subsequently informed our approach to the Graduate Development Programme.

As part of our role to foster good relations with stakeholders and to ensure that recruitment and development opportunities offered by Scottish Government have the widest possible reach, we have engaged in a number of initiatives. We have collaborated with the UK Government to participate in the Whitehall Internship Programme as part of the Coalition Government’s social mobility strategy for 2011-15. It is designed to give young people from under privileged and under-represented backgrounds access to internships in every Whitehall Department and in Glasgow. These include Black, Asian and Minority ethnic communities.

We have been liaising with the City of Edinburgh Council to bring the Project Search Work Experience Programme for young people with autism to the Scottish Government in 2015-16. The Scottish Government has also been working with the charity Career Academy (soon to be known as Career Ready) to provide students (school children and college students studying the equivalent of three Highers) with a structured two-year programme, which includes mentoring (Scottish Government employees volunteer to be mentors), motivational lectures, workshops and a four week paid placement. Through the placement students get a chance to experience the working week in a real operating environment, undertaking a job that benefits the employer and putting into practice what they have learned at school or college. The programme in Scotland focuses on young people with limited social mobility who are at risk of under-achieving and not fulfilling their potential.

Talent and development

The Scottish Government values individual learning and talent development to allow everyone to grow and reach their potential. These commitments are at the heart of our People Strategy. We mainstream equality in learning and development through ensuring that our corporate learning offering is open and accessible to all. We recognise that each individual is unique and make available support and development which is appropriate to the needs of the individual. Support is targeted where necessary.

Our core learning offer is available to all via the intranet and our open online booking system. These core programmes have no application process and every employee is encouraged to have an active learning plan. Individuals are able to determine their learning needs and discuss these with their line manager through the Monthly Conversation and personal learning plan process. They are then free to book onto the core learning which fits their individual and business need. Our investment in products such as the Civil Service Learning online system means that even formal learning is available in a range of locations, times and channels to suit the whole workforce. We have a Union Learning Agreement and our trade union partners are active in promoting learning opportunities and spreading awareness of ‘learning for all’ at a local level.

We actively target support to ensure that all our people can access learning. All who wish to attend a learning event are specifically asked if we can provide any additional support or adjustments. This includes making arrangements to ensure that disabled colleagues can access corporate courses and programmes, visually impaired colleagues can access course materials online using assistive technology or direct support and can also receive 1-2-1 training covering essential business needs (e.g. IT skills) as required. Colleagues can also arrange loans of laptops and on line learning materials to allow them to learn in a place and time that suits them. Materials are also made available in large print and in dyslexia-friendly print colours, and we have the option to record audio books of training materials. We also respect religion and beliefs and ensure that where required colleagues can access space and time to honour prayers during learning and development activities.

To help us ensure our learning is truly open and to ensure equality of opportunity to all we actively seek feedback on an ongoing basis. We have end of event surveys which includes a question about awareness of availability of reasonable adjustments that allows us to monitor how we are doing and consider areas for improvement. Results in 2014 were roughly 50/50 in terms of awareness and we are taking action to increase awareness levels. Every learning opportunity descriptor will now include a statement about reasonable adjustments. Our network of Training Liaison Officers will also be undertaking awareness sessions locally. A review of the end of event questionnaire/evaluation questions will also take place during 2015 to improve the feedback we receive on equality of accessibility to learning.

In addition to our core learning provision, we have targeted talent and development programmes. Our Realising Potential Programme (RPP) aims to identify individuals with potential, accelerate their development and build long term leadership capacity, across all grades and role types, for the organisation and for Scotland. The first cohort 2012-14 were 32 male/38 female. We were flexible about the commitment of time to RPP based on working patterns and have allowed participants who went on maternity leave either to stay in touch with their current cohort or to defer until the next cohort of RPP. We also provided resilience training as part of RPP and all participants were offered a resilience coach to help with work-life balance. When the second cohort of the RPP is launched later in 2015, we will use targeted communications and work with our equality networks to ensure that we attract a diverse cohort.

Our mentoring programme is a good example of the combination of openness and accessibility and equality of opportunity. It is open to staff in all bands across the Scottish Government. Where possible we meet any specific requests for either mentor or mentee, e.g. location; gender; sexual orientation; specialism etc. and personal circumstances such as work pattern; travel constraints; special requirements. We also ensure that we promote it regularly through our staff diversity networks which in turn helps us to foster good relations across different groups of staff.

Our mentoring team supports requests from across the organisation for best practice and guidance on ‘mentoring’/buddying opportunities that are being developed within their specific area. The training provided by our mentoring team is open to all those with an interest in mentoring – either as a mentee or mentor. We are developing a series of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) interventions for mentors to enhance their skill and quality as a mentor. As part of our commitment to providing colleagues with a variety of mentoring opportunities we have developed several collaborative initiatives to mentor young people in our communities such as Career Ready and Edinburgh University Mentoring Programme. We provide advice and guidance for our Race and Equality Network on best practice in undertaking a mentoring programme. As part of this collaboration the Race and Equality Network have decided to mainstream their applications into the core programme.

The work of the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme (PBCDPB) has highlighted that individuals, particularly those currently underrepresented at senior levels, require role models at the highest level in the organisation to be visible and inspire them. One of our early actions is to roll out the ‘9 box grid process’ – a succession planning tool which helps identify talent – to senior managers at C Band. The 9 box grid has been used over a number of years to assist with the active career management, succession planning and appropriate development of senior civil servants. This will help identify those with the potential to progress to the senior Civil Service and together with diversity information will assist with identifying those with potential in the protected characteristics groups to allow targeted support and development including mentoring.

GRID FOR C Band – FOR COMPLETION

Progression and Promotion

Ensuring equality of opportunity to move through the organisation is a key consideration within Scottish Government. We have looked closely at our central promotion board process and, working closely with our trade unions, conducted extensive evaluations of the last two rounds. Equality considerations have been at the heart of those reviews.

In 2014 we held internal promotion boards to bands B and C. On completion of this exercise, a comprehensive assessment of the process was undertaken, including a survey of the views of candidates (71% response rate), and interviews with colleagues involved in the process. Diversity analysis was produced to highlight both strengths and areas for improvement in relation to gender, age, national identity, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and health condition/disability. For disability, national identity, ethnicity and religion there were either no notable differences in the success rates of different groups of candidates, or the proportion of candidates in minority groups was too small to draw any valid conclusions. For gender and age statistically significant differences were found, however:

Female candidates were relatively more successful than male at the C band board: 15% of female candidates passed the board compared to 9% of men. This may be related to the fact that proportionately fewer women applied to the C band board: 47% of candidates were women compared to 52% of people in the grade eligible to apply. Hence, female candidates may have more frequently ‘self-selected’ when applying than male candidates.

Relatively fewer people aged 50 years or older applied, and those who did were relatively less successful at both boards than younger candidates. At the C band board, fewer than 5% of candidates aged 50 years or older were successful, compared to the average pass rate of 11%. At the B band board, 8% aged 50 or older were successful, compared to the average pass rate of 19%.

The results of this diversity analysis are being used in a review of the processes in place for promotion, including the use of multi-test assessment centres and competency based interviews and the possible effect they have on the relative success rates of diversity groups, including in terms of age. This is to ensure that the promotion process does not inadvertently discriminate against any group and attracts applications from under-represented groups. Findings from this review will be fully discussed with staff diversity networks as part of the equality impact assessment.

The Promotion Review Project is an in-depth examination of our approach to internal promotion. We have looked to the lessons learned from previous exercises including the evaluation and diversity analysis undertaken by our Corporate Analytical Services team, benchmarking with public and private sector organisations and research into current best practice. We are developing proposals to inform our future promotion process, in discussion with our trade union partners. This review will inform process and policy change and help us continue to ensure that our promotion activity is fair and presents no barriers to any individual groups.

Retention

Diversity is also important for our people’s engagement – engagement is a measure of how attached and proud people feel to be part of the organisation and how motivated and inspired they are to achieve its objectives. We know from our annual People Survey that there are some groups that are less engaged in the workforce than others, and we want to change this. We know for example that colleagues who report they have a long-standing condition or disability that impacts on their daily work a lot have a lower engagement score than the Scottish Government average and across the survey themes, a less positive workplace experience in general. We will work with our disability network to identify any reasons for this and take steps to rectify this. Increasing the engagement levels of all groups of staff is important because research indicates that engaged people tend to have higher wellbeing at work, perform better, be more innovative and take less time off sick and are more likely to remain working in the organisation.

We are also aware that difficulties experienced in returning to the workplace after a long absence could further delay that return, or indeed lead to an employee leaving the organisation. We were therefore keen to identify the issues facing those returning from an absence from the organisation to ensure we were able to make their return easier and more welcoming and ensure we were able to ensure equality of opportunity for that particular group.

A group of colleagues on our extended development programme undertook a research project during 2012-14 into the barriers faced by those returning from a long-term absence from the organisation. The research has shown that the biggest impact is most likely to be on women returning from maternity leave and those returning from a long term sick absence. The group have now delivered their final report and recommendations which included; detailed guidance for line managers and staff, dedicated points of contact within HR for those out of the office for longer periods and a network to enable those out of the office to meet and share experiences. The implementation of these recommendations is now being consider by the responsible business areas within HR.

We understand the importance to individuals to remain in, and to be able to, contribute fully in the workplace. To support our colleagues who are absent from the office we have a dedicated Attendance Management team who provide support, advice and guidance to individuals and managers. The team works with individuals, their managers and the Scottish Government’s Occupational Health Adviser to ensure appropriate measures are in place to support those experiencing health problems.

As an exemplar employer, the Scottish Government appreciates that we have a pivotal role to play in supporting colleagues diagnosed or living with cancer. We strongly believe that maintaining a positive relationship between employer and employees diagnosed or living with cancer is the right thing to do. In 2013 a group of employees along with our Diversity Manager consulted with colleagues who had had cancer, line managers who had managed individuals returning from absence and professional organisations. From this the group created comprehensive guidance for individuals and managers to support them when having to work with and support colleagues who may be diagnosed with cancer. We also held an event called “Let’s Talk About It” to encourage colleagues to talk about cancer in the workplace and outwith.

The Scottish Government continues to make any reasonable adjustments to premises or employment arrangements if these place a disabled employee, or prospective employee, at a disadvantage due to their disability, to ensure that our disabled colleagues are able to work to their full ability and remain in employment.

Our Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) team are responsible for ensuring that our people are able to access the equipment and environment required to allow them to contribute fully. The team has kept abreast of new adaptive technologies that allow disabled people and those with health conditions who cannot utilise standard pieces of furniture to access alternatives. For example, in 2014 the team initiated a trial on the use of desk equipment that easily allow people to stand at their desk. The user feedback has been collated and clearly demonstrates the health and performance benefits of encouraging postural changes. We are now looking to expand the use of these desks across the office including installing some in our shared spaces.

In 2013-14 members of the OHS Branch attended specialist ergonomic training to allow them to better understand the needs of individuals with disabilities and health issues. The training has ensured that appropriate specialist assessments are undertaken, equipment procured and offered for trial so as to minimise any barriers to retaining and rehabilitating colleagues with disabilities and/or health issues. Including – trialing alternative non-standard seating devices (Sitness stool, Sitfit cushion, Swopper 3Dee chair) and wheeled transportation chairs for individuals with unique medical conditions for use in emergency situations.

Since February 2014 workplace assessments have been completed on-line through a ‘Display Screen Equipment Self-Assessment’ module with support available from local trained Health and Safety Liaison Officers and the OHS Branch. Since the launch in February 2014, 1495 staff have undertaken these on-line assessments. In addition to identifying the need for replacement equipment (e.g. chair, monitor riser, footrest, copy holder etc) to minimise risks to health, DSE risk assessment findings occasionally include recommendations for alternative styles of chair, for desks to be raised in height or for the trial of specialised items of equipment such as ergonomic keyboards, alternative styles of mice and telephone headsets.

We are also keen to fully understand the reasons for staff leaving the organisation so that we can address any factors leading to this. In early 2015 an exit interview for all senior civil servants and Non-Executive Directors leaving the Scottish Government was introduced. The interview covers a number of areas including the individuals reasons for leaving and whether they consider they have suffered from any unfair treatment during their employment. This will enable us to capture information on any policy or processes that may lead to someone leaving the organisation earlier than they would have chosen.

The Scottish Government has, over the past two years, allowed staff to leave under voluntary exit arrangements. We have considered whether an analysis of the protected characteristics of those who have left under the scheme would give us any meaningful data about trends or impacts on particular groups. To date, the small number of people who have left under the scheme means that the sample size is too small to give us any useful information. We will keep this under review and see whether any patterns emerge as the sample size increases over time.

Monitoring and evidence

To deliver our ambition to mainstream equality and achieve our Equality Outcomes, we use evidence from a range of sources, including our annual People Survey; workforce information from our electronic human resources (eHR) system; equality impact assessments (EQIAs); engagement and interaction with our diversity networks, diversity champions and expert external organisations; and through our partnership with our trade unions. For employees, we collect diversity information across the protected characteristics through our self-service e-HR system. Our detailed workforce information is included as part of this report at Annexes A to E.

Policies supporting our people

Fairness at Work

To tackle harassment and victimisation, we have consistently good people management and well-being as core People Strategy priorities.

To ensure that staff understand how they can get issues resolved, we have a Fairness at Work policy which supports resolution of complaints fairly and quickly. In 2012-13 we undertook a light touch review of the policy to identify some policy changes that would improve its implementation. This included training a further tranche of Investigating Officers in 2013 to undertake robust and effective investigations. In further reviewing this policy during 2015, in conjunction with our trade unions, we will work to eliminate bullying, harassment and discrimination for all our people.

Each year we carry out a detailed analysis of our annual People Survey results. In 2014, 7% of respondents indicated that they personally experienced discrimination at work in the last 12 months (compared to 8% in 2013 and to 9% for the whole of the Civil Service in 2014). Eight per cent of respondents indicated that they personally experienced bullying or harassment at work in the last 12 months (which is the same level as in 2014 and compared to 10% for the whole of the Civil Service in 2014). Through this we are able to identify business areas with higher reported levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination (B,H&D) breaking down results by protected characteristic.

Appreciating how difficult it was to fully understand the issues behind the B,H&D statistics, in 2012-13 and 2013-14, our diversity adviser has offered dedicated support to such areas, including putting in place bespoke workshops to understand and address any practices or behaviours that have a disproportionate impact on any particular group. In addition, we have offered training sessions on bullying, harassment and discrimination, confidential drop-in sessions for colleagues and managers, and a mechanism for the anonymous reporting of unacceptable behaviour in addition to informal or formal action. Joint action has then been taken to address any cultural or behavioural issues that have been impacting on individuals in those areas. Whilst we have continued to implement this programme of work through 2014-15, we are now undertaking some analysis to see if the work has resulted in the staff in those areas reporting lower levels of unacceptable behaviour.

Flexible Working

We understand fully and continue to promote to all our people the benefits of flexible working. We have used a variety of mechanisms to do this, including intranet guidance, best practice guides and case studies on our intranet, concentrating in particular on the groups least likely to work flexibly, i.e. our senior civil servants and younger men. Our People Survey 2014 indicated that 73% of our people are now able to enjoy a good work-life balance and 87% say that their manager is considerate of their life outside work.

We are committed to ensuring that we work to improve work life balance and also to ensuring that changes to the estate and workspace are representative and reflective of the views of all our people across the office and recognise the different groups’ experience of the office environment. The Transforming Our Workplace Project has involved staff and has been informed by our diversity networks including the Disability Network.

The Disability Network was consulted on the shared flexible workspaces and touchdown centres to ensure that colleagues who use particular assistive technologies and aids can easily access those areas. In light of this consultation the workspaces are equipped with technologies (including assistive technology such are ergonomic keyboards and Zoomtext) to give all colleagues the right tools when working away from their main location.

Staff engagement and Diversity networks

The Diversity Team continues to work closely with our eight diversity networks, each of which is managed by a committee of volunteers. The networks cover a range of diversity issues and reflect protected characteristics. The following networks are now well established:

Alternative Working Patterns;

Carers;

Disability;

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI);

ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS);

Mental Health; and

Race and Equality.

In late 2012, we launched our newest network – LGBTI Allies – for non-LGBTI colleagues who wish to champion and support LGBTI issues in and out of the workplace.

Our networks are a valuable resource in helping us understand the issues our under-represented groups face in joining and progressing through the organisation. In 2013 we noticed that there had been some loss of focus and direction in the networks and so they were less able to contribute to the work of the organisation. Throughout 2013-14 we worked to re-invigorate and re-establish each network to help them operate effectively. We also identified that these networks required senior level support to add value and champion their work across the organisation. We have now identified and appointed champions at senior Civil Service level to support and work with each network to identify the future direction, remit, role and strategy of their network.

“I was delighted to be asked to champion the work of the Race and Equality Network. They have already shown great energy and passion in promoting issues of race, religion and belief in the Scottish Government, and the programme for 2014-15 looks first class.”

Joe Griffin, Champion of the Race and Equality Network

We recognise the importance of integrating plans to promote equality and diversity into our People Strategy, informed by the wider UK Civil Service Talent Action Plan, to ensure that our policies and processes are in line with best practice. We are keen that this reflects the specific reality for Scottish Government colleagues, so we are working with our diversity champions to identify the initiatives that will best support them, and in particular those in our under-represented groups.

We have continued to work with the Public Sector Employers’ Diversity Network to ensure that best practice is shared. We do this through: regular meetings; online collaboration through the Knowledge Hub; our Public Sector Diversity Network; and practice sharing with organisations such as Standard Life and City of Edinburgh Council. We continue to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion and will work closely with the Stonewall Diversity Champions Network to ensure that our policies and practice reflect the highest standards of practice for our LGBT staff. We have also signed up with the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion to ensure that our policies are inclusive for all groups of staff.

Public Appointments

As well as the role we play as an employer, the Scottish Government has a key role to play advancing diversity at senior levels across the wider public service, through Ministerial public appointments to the boards of Scotland’s public bodies. As set out in detail in our specific equality outcome for Ministerial Public Appointments, we have introduced a comprehensive programme of work encompassing three strands of activity: improving Board diversity in private, public and third sector organisations, making Ministerial public appointments more diverse, and improving the diversity of Scottish Government’s own leadership.

The Programme for Government, published in November 2014, set out the key mechanisms that the Government intends to use to secure commitment to improved diversity, including a voluntary commitment to achieve gender balance on public boards by 2020. The Scottish Government has a programme board which is chaired at Director General level to drive this work forward.

Whilst we are giving some initial and particular focus to gender, with the aim of achieving gender balance by 2020, we will not lose sight of other groups who are underrepresented on Scotland’s Boards. We will draw on the lessons we learn from our work on improving gender balance, recognising the potential benefits for a wide range of diversity groups. Furthermore increasing the number of women appointed has the potential to impact more broadly than gender as women bring with them other protected characteristics.

Section 3: Employee Information and Gender Pay Gap

3.1 Summary of Scottish Government Employee Information

This summary refers to the tables for staffing within the Scottish Government (Annexes A – E). All data are for current staff as at 31 December 2014, unless otherwise stated. Data from the previous report (showing staff as at 31 January 2013) and for 31 January 2014 are included for comparison purposes. All data include Scottish Government Core Directorates and all Agencies, relevant Non-Departmental Public Bodies, and Other Bodies (including National Records of Scotland) for which the Scottish Government provides HR Shared Services. The term “Scottish Government employees” will be used to refer to all employees covered.

The list of bodies covered in this report is broadly consistent with that used previously. However, we are keen to review the range of bodies included in future to ensure that the statistics align better with the category of organisations included in other datasets. We will do this for the next report.

Age

The majority of Scottish Government employees are in the 30-39 and 40-49 age groups, with 56.4% of the workforce in these age groups, a drop of 2.0 percentage points since 2013. The younger age group (16-29 year olds) has not changed since 2013, making up 11.8% of Scottish Government employees.

The proportion of part-time staff in the 30-39 and 40-49 age groups is higher than that for full-time staff. Over two-thirds (67.4%) of part-time employees are in these age groups, compared with 54.3% of full-time employees.

Gender

51.9% of Scottish Government employees are female and 48.1% male.

When broken down by work pattern, there is a clear difference between full-time and part-time employees. Full-time employees are more likely to be male (54.6%), while part-time employees are much more likely to be female (85.3%).

There are 177 senior Civil Service staff in the Scottish Government (2.2% of the total workforce). Of these, 36.2% are female, compared with 36.3% in 2013.

Ethnic origin

Around a fifth of Scottish Government employees (20.9%) have not provided any information on ethnic origin. Of those whose ethnic origin has been recorded, 122 are from an ethnic minority, representing 1.5% of the total workforce (compared with 1.4% in 2013).

Sexual orientation

In 2013, 80.6 % of Scottish Government employees had not provided any information on sexual orientation. This figure has now fallen to 55.1%.

Of those whose sexual orientation has been recorded, 139 are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or another non-heterosexual orientation, representing 1.8% of the total workforce (compared with 0.8% in 2013).

Disability

Over two-fifths (41.7%) of Scottish Government employees have not provided any information on disability status, an increase of nearly 5 percentage points since 2013. We are currently unaware of the reason for this and expect that this may have been due, in part, to the transfer of data across our systems. It is of concern to us and we will aim to identify reasons by undertaking a further analysis of the information and will work closely with our disability network to identify any areas of concern.

Of those whose disability category has been recorded, 385 have one or more disabilities, representing 4.9% of the total workforce (compared with 3.9% in 2013).

Part-time employees are slightly more likely to have registered a disability than full-time employees, with 5.4% of part-timers and 4.8% of full-timers registering a disability.

Marital/Civil Partnership Status

Over a quarter (27.7%) of all Scottish Government employees have not provided any information on marital status, compared with 22.7% in 2013.

Scottish Government employees are more likely to be married than the general adult population of Scotland. Although 42.6% of Scottish Government employees have declared that they are married, compared with the slightly higher proportion of the Scottish population aged 16-64 from the 2011 Census (43.2%), we know that the Scottish Government figure is an under-estimate because of the incomplete data (see previous paragraph). Single people make up a further 16.3% of Scottish Government employees (compared with 18.7% in 2013), while the other marital status categories each account for 3% or less of the total workforce.

Religion or belief

In 2013, 80.5% of Scottish Government employees had not provided any information on religion or belief. This figure has now fallen to 55.7%.

Those who have declared a religion or belief is roughly the same as those who declared they had no religion or belief (19.9% of Scottish Government employees compared with 21.6%, respectively).

3.2 Scottish Government – Gender Pay Gap

Summary

The Scottish Government defines the gender pay gap as the difference in mean full-time equivalent earnings for men and women. The mean is the sum of hourly rates for each person divided by the number of people.

The national (UK) figure for the gender pay gap is 9.4% in 2014 and in Scotland the figure is 9.0% for 2014 (source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014, Office of National Statistics, median full-time hourly earnings excluding overtime).

Within the Scottish Government, where men and women are undertaking work of an equal value (i.e. within the same pay range) they are paid a similar hourly rate and consequently the pay gap is low as can be seen in the table below. However, the overall pay gap is 6.3%.[9] The reason for that is that the Scottish Government has more women in lower pay ranges which lowers the overall hourly rate. Thus, the overall pay gap is at least partly a function of the gender distribution across our grade structure.

The Scottish Government ensures that all policies that support the employment of staff are free from gender bias and that equal work attracts equal pay. Gender distribution across our grade structure can be influenced to some degree through promotion, talent development and recruitment activity.

Between 2013 and 2014, the gender pay gap reduced by 0.9 percentage points.[10]

Coverage

The Scottish Government has three groups of staff each with separate sets of remuneration arrangements. The three pay groups are:

Scottish Government Main bargaining unit (SGM)

Scottish Government Marine bargaining unit (SGMarine)

Senior Civil Service (SCS)

(Further information on the make-up of the pay groups is supplied below)

The Senior Civil Service is reserved to the UK Government. While the members of the SCS are Scottish Government employees, their remuneration is in line with UK Cabinet Office pay and performance management framework.

In addition there are a small number of staff (individuals and small groups) who have retained the terms and conditions of previous employers under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE). These staff have not been included in this report.

Details of SGMarine have not been included in gender pay gap information. Within this group there are a very small number of female members of staff and such a small number does not lead to statistically robust results.

The table below details gender pay gap information of the mean hourly rate of pay (excluding overtime) for men and women within each pay bargaining unit (except SGMarine – see above). This information has been withheld (*) where the total number of staff within any grade is less than 5 to ensure that individual rates of pay cannot be calculated.

Mean gender pay gap

| 2013 | 2014
| Hourly Rate | Gender Pay Gap | Hourly Rate | Gender Pay Gap
Pay Range | Female | Male | Female | Male
A3 | £8.32 | £8.32 | 0.0% | £8.41 | £8.39 | -0.2%
A4 | £9.44 | £9.46 | 0.1% | £9.67 | £9.64 | -0.4%
B1 | £11.26 | £11.23 | -0.2% | £11.32 | £11.35 | 0.2%
B2 | £13.41 | £13.47 | 0.5% | £13.52 | £13.55 | 0.2%
B3 | £17.60 | £17.65 | 0.3% | £17.71 | £17.89 | 1.0%
BF | £13.96 | £14.09 | 0.9% | £14.15 | £13.80 | -2.5%
C1 | £23.06 | £23.01 | -0.2% | £23.13 | £23.30 | 0.7%
C2 | £27.75 | £27.99 | 0.9% | £27.83 | £28.14 | 1.1%
C3 | £29.58 | £29.99 | 1.4% | £30.06 | £30.43 | 1.2%
SCS – Deputy Director 1 | £32.40 | £32.01 | -1.2% | £32.62 | £32.53 | -0.2%
SCS – Deputy Director 1A | £39.09 | £36.62 | -6.7% | £39.95 | £39.11 | -2.2%
SCS – Director | £42.65 | £44.86 | 4.9% | £43.01 | £45.14 | 4.7%
SCS – Director General | * | * | -10.2% | * | * | -0.6%
SCS – Permanent Secretary | n/a | * | n/a | n/a | * | n/a
All Staff | £14.82 | £15.97 | 7.2% | £15.03 | £16.04 | 6.3%

Notes:

- Gender pay gap calculated as the female hourly rate divided by male hourly rate, subtracted from 1.

- Values of zero indicate no gender pay gap, negative values indicate women earn more than men, and positive values indicate men earn more than women.

Breakdown of pay groups

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MAIN (SGM) & SCS

Core Directorates of the Scottish Government falling within the responsibility of:

Permanent Secretary

Directorate General – Enterprise, Environment and Innovation

Directorate General – Finance

Directorate General – Communities

Directorate General – Health & Social Care

Directorate General – Learning & Justice

Directorate General – Strategy and External Affairs

Agencies and Non-Ministerial Offices:

Scottish Public Pensions Agency

Student Awards Agency for Scotland

National Records of Scotland

Education Scotland

Accountant in Bankruptcy

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Transport Scotland

Scottish Housing Regulator

Disclosure Scotland

Staff serving elsewhere on assignment, loan or secondment are regarded as being part of SGM except where provision has been agreed for other terms and conditions to apply.

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MARINE (SGMARINE)

Officers and crew of three Fishery Protection Vessels

Officers and crew of two Fishery Research Vessels

Marine, Engineer and Safety Superintendents

Section 4: Historic Scotland as an Employer

Historic Scotland has a separate HR function from the Scottish Government.

This section covers Historic Scotland’s HR policies and the organisation’s gender pay gap.

Historic Scotland’s staff diversity information is provided at Annex G.

4.1 HR policies

Historic Scotland understands that offering equality of opportunity across our workforce is one of the most important investments that we can make as a responsible and caring employer. In addition, we are committed to developing a working environment and practices which support and develop our diverse workforce.

Recruitment

Historic Scotland requests diversity monitoring information from all candidates and uses this information to help ensure that resourcing policy and procedures have no detrimental impact on applicants. Most diversity information is not seen by recruiting managers, however they are provided with relevant information, for example reasonable adjustments requested by a disabled applicant. In addition, Historic Scotland operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme, whereby candidates with disabilities are automatically invited to interview for a post if they meet the defined minimum criteria.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Staffing information shows that our employee profile does not yet reflect the wider communities that we serve. However, with 50% of our Band G Directors (Scottish Government equivalent – C2/3) and 44% of our Band F senior managers (Scottish Government equivalent – C1) being women, we are making good progress to meeting the wider UK Civil Service target of 34% for top management posts. The representation of women in traditional skills apprenticeships has continued to improve since 2013, with 14% of our apprentices being female, however we continue to strive to go beyond this. Our data on sexual orientation and religion or belief have significant gaps, making it difficult to understand and address issues in these particular areas. Currently, 28.7% of staff have not yet recorded their ethnic background and 48% have not recorded their religion or belief and their sexual orientation. It is our priority to enhance the accuracy of staff data. To do this, we will continue to raise staff awareness of the need for the information – particularly for the establishment of Historic Environment Scotland in October 2015 – and to explain why this is important.

Apprenticeships

One of Historic Scotland’s key performance indicators was to recruit an additional 10 apprentices in 2012-13 and a further 10 in 2013-14. Moreover, in 2013 it was noted that only 5% of our workforce was under 25 and there was a Government Social Agenda to tackle youth unemployment. In response, Historic Scotland ran targeted recruitment campaigns for traditional skills apprentices between the ages of 18 and 25. In 2013 this campaign was run in conjunction with Young Scot, who advertised on our behalf through their own website, and Apprenticeship Scotland. The campaign was successful in recruiting 16 new apprentices and, following a further campaign in 2014, another 11 apprentices under the age of 25 were recruited. The campaign was managed across the whole of Scotland and we were able to recruit from areas outside of the central belt.

Flexible working

Historic Scotland is committed to supporting the health, well-being and flexibility of our staff. We have introduced a shared parental leave policy, which gives both parents more choice and flexibility in how they share the care of their child in the early stages of its life. Whereas previously fathers were entitled to just two weeks’ paternity leave, the new policy will allow both parents and adopters to share leave for a year after their child is born, in the same way that maternity leave works for mums. We have also reviewed our Flexible Working Policy so that all employees have the right to request flexible working, not just parents and carers. We hope that this will enable all our staff to enjoy a positive work/life balance.

Training & development

As a leader in the commercial tourism industry and a public sector employer, we recognise the importance of ensuring our staff are fully educated and aware of the standards and expectations of service placed on them when interacting with both customers and prospective employees. Each year, all new customer-facing visitor operations staff must undertake mandatory diversity training as part of their seasonal induction process. This provides both a general understanding and awareness of diversity issues, and also consideration of how to interact with members of the public.

All recruiting managers within Historic Scotland are expected to undergo formal recruitment training. Equalities and diversity play a pivotal role in this training, incorporating elements such as legal requirements and the need to ensure discrimination and stereotyping play no part in the recruitment and selection process. It emphasises the importance of valuing differences between people and understanding the positive benefits for the Agency of employing a diverse range of talented people. Successful candidates are appointed on the grounds of merit, irrespective of their sex, marital status, age, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, working pattern, gender identity or caring responsibility.

4.2 Gender pay gap

Historic Scotland (HS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Its purpose is to safeguard the nation’s built heritage and promote its understanding and enjoyment on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Its functions include managing and presenting to the public over 340 monuments in its own care, and helping other owners to preserve and maintain their properties. Approximately 73 sites charge for admission and have a retail outlet, providing an important source of income for the Agency.

To undertake its function, HS employs over 1,000 core staff, which increases to around 1,200 during the summer season. Staff are employed in a wide variety of occupational disciplines, ranging from stonemasons and other traditional crafts to professional and technical specialists such as architects and inspectors, as well as front-line stewarding staff and behind-the-scenes support and administration staff.

During 2012-13 a number of employees transferred to HS from Aberdeenshire Council under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE). Of the original 22 who transferred, nine employees remain employed on the terms and conditions of previous employers under TUPE arrangements. These staff have not been included in this report.

Pay Bands and Working Patterns

In line with the various occupational disciplines and functions, there are a variety of grades and associated rates of pay. There are eight pay bands incorporating some 16 different occupational groups, and this includes the introduction of an Apprentice pay band in 2013. There are also a variety of working patterns, including standard full-time arrangements, five out of seven day rotas, part-time arrangements (ranging from 40 hours per month to 35 hours per week and any number in between), permanent part year, temporary fixed‑term and annualised hours. Details of the pay bands and the occupational disciplines are shown at Table 1, Appendix A.

Gender Mix

Overall, there is a higher proportion of males than females (60:40). This can be accounted for, in part, by the group of those employed in traditional craft and labouring grades being almost exclusively male. However, we are seeing a gradual increase in the number of females working in this area through Apprentice recruitment campaigns in recent years.

Pay Progression

Of the eight pay bands, one has a progression time of three years, and one a progression time of five years. The remaining five pay bands have progression times of four years. Progression times, and respective minima and maxima for each of the Bands are detailed at Table 2, Appendix A.

Pay on Promotion

All staff are placed at the minimum of the pay band on promotion irrespective of position in previous pay band or length of service.

ANALYSIS

The tables below detail gender pay gap information of both the mean and median hourly rate of pay for men and women within each pay band. Analysis of hourly rate of pay was based on Basic FTE Salary / 52 / 37 as at 31 December 2014.

| Gender
| Female | Male | Female/Male
Pay Band | Mean Salary | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Median Salary | Mean | Median
Apprentice | £6.17 | £6.30 | £6.08 | £6.30 | +1.5% | 0.0%
Key keeper | £7.80 | £7.80 | £7.80 | £7.80 | 0.0% | 0.0%
Pay Band A | £8.46 | £8.71 | £8.53 | £8.71 | -0.8% | 0.0%
Pay Band B | £10.42 | £10.90 | £10.58 | £10.90 | -1.5% | 0.0%
Pay Band C | £13.54 | £14.79 | £13.96 | £14.79 | -3.1% | 0.0%
Pay Band D | £17.17 | £17.41 | £17.68 | £18.22 | -3.0% | -4.7%
Pay Band E | £21.22 | £22.17 | £21.68 | £22.17 | -2.2% | 0.0%
Pay Band F | £26.15 | £27.21 | £26.61 | £27.21 | -1.8% | 0.0%
Pay Band G | £31.86 | £31.92 | £33.15 | £33.15 | -4.1% | -3.9%
All Staff | £12.13 | £10.90 | £12.11 | £10.90 | -0.2% | 0.0%

CONCLUSIONS

Within Historic Scotland where men and women are undertaking work of equal value they are paid a similar hourly rate and consequently the gender pay gap is low, with an overall pay gap of 0.2% and 0.0% (mean and median respectively). This sits comfortably below the national (UK) figure for the gender pay gap, which was 9.4% in 2014; in Scotland in 2014 the figure was 9.0% (source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014, ONS). The Office for National Statistics bases the headline gender pay gap calculation on the median full-time hourly earnings excluding overtime.

Historic Scotland experiences gaps in median pay within two of the higher grades. Again, these sit comfortably below national averages. Within these grades there are a higher proportion of longer serving men who have reached their maximum salary for the grade, for example Pay Band D has 68% of men on the maximum salary compared to only 43% of woman. This is similar to those at Pay Band G where, although the gender balance is equal, 100% of males are on the maximum salary compared to only 33.3% of females.

As the mechanism for eliminating/reducing equal pay gaps will be dealt with under the pay negotiations, the affordability factors will be explored as part of the pay remit.

Appendix A Historic Scotland

Table 1: Pay Band Description and Occupational Disciplines

PAY BAND
OCCUPATIONAL TYPES

Apprentice

Apprentice Stonemasons

Apprentice Electricians

Apprentice Gardeners

Apprentice Joiners

Apprentice Painters

Keykeepers
Keykeepers

BAND A

Stewards

Labourers

Apprentices

Retail Assistants

Administrators

BAND B

Senior Stewards

Plumbers

Stonemasons

Painters

Joiners

Electricians

Administrators

BAND C

HR Managers

Works Managers

Regional Tourism & Community Manager

Senior Heritage Management Officers

Architectural Technicians

Photographers

Retail Supervisors

BAND D

District Works Managers

Inspector of Historic Buildings

Senior Heritage Management Officers

HR Business Partners

Conservators

Commecial Business Managers

Retail & Admissions Manager

Administrators

BAND E

Senior Conservators

Regional Works Managers

District Architects

Heritage Management Team Leaders

Head of HR Teams

Head of Training & Development

Health & Safety Advisors

Branch Heads

BAND F

Regional Architects

Castle Executive Manager

Heads of Groups

BAND G

Directors

Table 2: Pay Band Progression Times (1 August 2014)

PAY PROGRESSION
PAY BAND | MIN | MAX | PROGRESSION TIME (YRS)
Apprentice | £11,110 | £15,655 | 4-year programme
BAND A (Keykeepers stay on min) | £15,000 | £16,764 | 3
BAND B | £18,213 | £20,973 | 4
BAND C | £22,022 | £28,448 | 5
BAND D | £29,870 | £35,061 | 4
BAND E | £36,815 | £42,662 | 4
BAND F | £44,796 | £51,344 | 4
BAND G | £54,961 | £63,775 | 4

Part 2. Progress on Equality Outcomes

Introduction

In April 2013 the Scottish Government published a set of eight equality outcomes for the period 2013-17 around the following issues:

Scottish Government Representative Workforce

Scottish Government – Equality and Diversity Matters

Ministerial Public Appointments

Violence Against Women is Reduced

Gypsy/Travellers

Women and Employment

Disability and Access to Justice and Advice

Education

The equality outcomes and background information are available in the Scottish Government Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Report 2013.

Overview of Progress

The Scottish Government’s policies and programmes are focused on improving the outcomes for the people of Scotland; to making a real difference to people’s lives. The equality outcomes that have been set are designed to focus attention on some longstanding and deep-rooted issues and to help increase the capacity and performance of the Scottish Government. Change in some of these areas will not necessarily come quickly or indeed easily and we are aware that shifting attitudes and changing systems and processes can take time. So while we are pleased to report progress across all of the outcomes set by the Scottish Government we recognise that in some areas progress has been slow or subject to some fluctuation. Effort will continue to be sustained as we are determined to make a real difference to the lived experience of our equality communities.

The Scottish Government prides itself on its workforce policies, its support for staff and its commitment to equality and diversity. It is determined to be exemplar and so will continue to seek improvement. In relation to our role as an employer we have made progress towards a more representative workforce, increased the reporting on religion and sexual orientation, raised awareness about equality across the organisation and are on our way towards increasing staff confidence. We report progress on our employee outcomes in the Scottish Governement Representative Workforce section.

Public institutions make many of the decisions that affect people’s lives and as such their boards should reflect something of the communities they serve. In addition their governance can be enhanced by being able to draw on a breadth of talent, being informed by different perspectives and insights and engaging the fullest range of appropriate skills. We value the contribution of those who participate and give service through public appointments but we are clear of the need to increase the diversity and gender balance. Our equality outcome on public appointments aims to increase the diversity of the participation in our boards and we report progress in the Ministerial Public Appointments section.

Challenging attitudes which result in discrimination, disadvantage and abuse is a particular area of focus for the Scottish Government. Our equality outcomes on tackling discrimination and prejudice against Gypsy/Travellers and reducing Violence Against Women show progress although we note the impact of under-reporting on the upward trend in reported incidents. We report on this in the Violence Against Women is Reduced section.

There has been a concerted effort to address the barriers to women’s employment and to promote gender equality. We are pleased with the progress that is being made towards improving women’s position in the economy and participation in the labour market and report in the Women and Employment section.

Access to justice particularly for disabled people remains an important issue for us and our partners in the justice sector. We report on the activities being undertaken in the Disability and Access to Justice and Advice section.

Education is Scotland’s lifeblood; a vital element in its social and economic wellbeing and essential for its future success. Our equality outcome in this area shows, in the Education section, how progress is being made and how we will develop this work over the coming years.

Scottish Government Improvement Framework

Setting equality outcomes makes it clear where we want to improve performance in order to bring about some tangible change and shift in people’s life experience. As an employer and as a policy maker, we have used the Improvement Framework to test policy in practice change where we can, for example, in our public appointments procedures.

Evidence-based Reporting

Reporting progress on outcomes relies on data and evidence. Significant progress has been made to improve the equality evidence base in Scotland. The Census is the richest source of equality data and the Scottish Government’s analysis and dissemination of this has provided new information on the life circumstances for a number of equality groups. This analysis has shown how these groups fare in the labour market, education, health, housing and transport. New statistics on particular groups, e.g. Gypsy/Travellers, provide a strong baseline which will allow for the measurement of future progress.

But barriers to gathering evidence still exist. These tend to be around the fact that data on some of the protected characteristics (e.g. sexual orientation) come from sample surveys where the sample size is often too small to carry out meaningful disaggregations. Data on transgender and on pregnancy and maternity are very difficult to collect, particularly from traditional surveys. There are therefore barriers to reporting directly on some of our equality outcomes at this stage.

The Scottish Government will continue to identify and fill evidence gaps, and will aim to improve the online presentation of its equality evidence.

Scottish Government Representative Workforce

90% of Scottish Government employees are responding to diversity monitoring by 2017 contributing to the Scottish Government workforce becoming broadly reflective of the Scottish population by 2025

Progress Report

The Scottish Government wants to improve the outcomes for the communities that it serves. To ‘be the change it wants to see’, the Scottish Government needs a workforce more representative of those communities. It understands that there are deep rooted inequalities which act as barriers and therefore there is a responsibility to ensure that these are not perpetuated in the systems and procedures relating to the employment of and engagement with its workforce.

We were aware that our workforce profile in 2013 did not reflect the wider Scottish population: although women made up 52% of the population and 51.3% of our workforce, only 36.3% were in our most senior grades: only 1.4% were from a minority ethnic background, compared to a (2009i) estimate of 3% in the wider Scottish population and only 3.9% had recorded that they were disabled compared to a figure of 20% for the wider population.

We were also aware that the coverage of our employment data at that time had gaps. Although we had a 78.3% response rate for ethnicity and 63% for disability, we only had a 19.4% response rate for sexual orientation and 19.5% for religion and belief. We are committed to addressing these gaps to ensure that we have an effective evidence base for our employment policy decisions and work is underway to improve these response rates.

On publication of the 2011 Census data in 2013 we were better placed to use the robust information in that to help us understand more about people’s identities and experiences and to inform our understanding and decisions about what a representative workforce should look like.

The Scottish Government remains committed to increasing the diversity of our people within the organisation, with diversity and equality considerations continuing to underpin all of our employment policies and practices. To support us in doing so we require robust and complete information across relevant protected characteristics for all of our staff.

We understand the need for high quality staffing information to allow us to monitor our policies and practice. For staff in post, we collect diversity information through our electronic human resources system (eHR), which allows staff to update their own information online, across the protected characteristics. Our eHR system is the main source of the employee data that informs our employee policies and procedures and helps us to assess the equality impact.

In April 2014 we updated our HR systems to reflect changes to the 2011 Census categories, so we would be better able to measure how reflective we were of Scottish society. With the new categories in place for staff diversity monitoring we are now able to measure progress in this area and identify gaps in our data collection. As we are now able to capture visible and non-visible minorities, it is our plan going forward to report on both.

Initial analysis of our staff diversity information in 2013, identified low response rates to some protected characteristics, in particular around sexual orientation and religion or belief. Before we were able to consider appropriate interventions to change the shape of the organisation we were aware that we had to increase the levels of staff providing their diversity information; In doing so it was important to understand fully the barriers to declaring diversity information.

During 2013-14 we held sessions with our staff diversity networks to try to get a clearer picture on the barriers. The barriers identified by staff included; lack of clarity of purpose or use of the data; concern over confidentiality; resistance to having to declare information more than once as systems not aligned; process of completing the data fields over-complicated.

Over the past 12 months we have been implementing solutions and improvements to address these barriers. In particular, we have worked to simplify the data capture process within our electronic data capture system and linking appropriate HR systems to capture data only once. We are also helping staff to understand the process and reasons why we are asking for this data, by producing detailed guidance and have a detailed Q&A published on our intranet.

We have also held sessions with, and issued communications to, our staff diversity networks to encourage them to complete their own diversity information. We have sent targeted messaging to all members of our Senior Civil Service and our senior managers. Although we are making progress on declaration rates, with significant progress being made in particular for religion or belief with an increase of 25.5% and an increase of 24.8% for sexual orientation, further work is needed and we will continue to build on this programme of targeted action.

Declaration Rates
Protected Characteristic | Jan-13 | Jan-14 | Dec-14
Ethnicity | 78.3% | 78.3% | 79.1%
Disability | 63.0% | 60.6% | 58.3%
Sexual Orientation | 19.4% | 41.8% | 44.9%
Religion or Belief | 19.5% | 41.6% | 44.3%
Gender | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0%

However, from our data we also appear to have experienced a decrease in the numbers of staff providing disability information (which includes not disabled and prefer not to say) in that period but have experienced an actual increase in the numbers of disabled staff from 3.9% in Jan 2013 to 4.9% in Dec 2014. We are currently unaware of the reason for this discrepancy and expect that this may have been due, in part, to the transfer of data across our systems. It is of concern to us and we will aim to identify reasons by undertaking a further analysis of the information and will work closely with our disability network to identify any areas of concern.

Now that we are able to identify where we have gaps in our data, planning is underway for implementation of a programme of work and communications plan to address those gaps. This will ensure that we have comprehensive actions in place to increase the level of diversity data within the Scottish Government to have a comprehensive profile of our workforce by 2017.

In 2014 we set up the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme (PBCDPB), which was established by Scottish Government encompassing: improving Board diversity in private, public and third sector organisations, making Ministerial public appointments more diverse, and improving the diversity of Scottish Government’s own leadership.

Although the initial focus is on improving gender balance, the project relating to Scottish Government’s own diversity at senior levels aspires to increase representation of people at senior level across all protected characteristics. We know that our people, in particular those currently underrepresented in the organisation, require role models at the highest level in the organisation to be visible and inspire them.

Specific work on improving the diversity of our Band C and SCS staffing began in late 2013, with an initial focus on how we improve and sustain the gender diversity of the organisation at that senior level, including our Non-Executive Directors. This has seen an increase in women at band C from 48.9% in Jan 2013 to 51.9% in Dec 2014. Going forward, we will be looking at how we extend that work to all grades and across protected characteristics including disability and ethnicity.

Disability | April 2012(% of staff) | Jan 2013(% of staff) | Jan 2014(% of staff) | Dec 2014(% of staff)
SCS | 4.3 | 3.6 | ** | **
Band C | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 5.4
Band B | 5.7 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 7.7
Band A | 10.3 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 13.4
Ethnicity
SCS | ** | ** | ** | **
Band C | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.4
Band B | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8
Band A | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.9
Gender
SCS (Women) | 36.9 | 36.3 | 36.3 | 36.2
Band C | 48.3 | 48.9 | 51.1 | 51.9
Band B | 50.6 | 51.6 | 51.5 | 51.3
Band A | 59 | 58.4 | 58.8 | 58

* All figures are percentages of known staff responses for the Scottish Government Main Bargaining Unit

** Not published to preserve confidentiality

The publication of the Programme for Government on 26 November 2014 put equality and tackling gender inequality at the heart of what we do. As part of delivering the work to deliver the Programme for Government we are committed to making Scottish Government’s senior leadership more diverse, reflecting broadly the general population in Scotland by 2020.

Moving forward it is our intention to use our response to the Civil Service Talent Action Plan to re-emphasise our commitment to becoming a truly diverse organisation, reflective of the people of Scotland and place a renewed focus on mainstreaming activity. By mainstreaming the outcomes of the Talent Action Plan into our People Strategy, we will ensure that diversity remains at the heart of all interactions with our people and ensure that our policies and processes are in line with best practice.

Scottish Government - Equality and Diversity Matters

Scottish Government directorates are by 2017 more confident in and better informed on equality and diversity matters and can engage with partners and stakeholders to effect change and improvement

Progress Report

Equality is at the core of the Scottish Government’s purpose and work. Scotland’s Economic Strategy provides a framework for Government business and sets out an ambition of achieving inclusive growth, where competitiveness is balanced with fairness and equality. Alongside the Programme for Government, this has placed renewed focus on action to achieve social justice, to promote equality and to tackle inequality in Scotland.

Underpinning this is a stronger than ever commitment to pass power to Scotland’s people and communities and to open up opportunities for all to participate fully in society and the economy.

So it is even more important that as an organisation we are confident in equality and diversity matters; that we expand our knowledge on the issues and inequalities that affect different groups of people; that we feel confident in engaging with diverse communities and that we are able to promote equality in our day-to-day work.

Measuring effectiveness

As an employer we want to ensure that the HR policies we have in place for our staff are inclusive, effective and support our staff. We also want to be able to identify and eliminate discrimination and unfair treatment. To that end we regularly review our policies using relevant staffing data and involving our staff diversity networks. We also benchmark with other organisations to ensure they reflect best practice. As part of our improvement process we will be undertaking a project to gauge the level of knowledge about HR policies and to better understand the issues on which our staff most regularly require information.

The People Survey is our annual organisation-wide initiative seeking opinions about work. The survey runs October 1 to 31 as part of the Civil Service People Survey conducted across 101 UK Civil Service Departments. It provides an opportunity to gain a good measure of the effectiveness of HR policies, in particular our Fairness at Work policy and our Flexible Working Policy. It also helps to establish how different groups of people feel in the organisation and their levels of engagement.

The detailed analysis and insights from the People Survey provide information on Employee Engagement, Inclusion and fair treatment, Wellbeing, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying across grades, business areas and protected characteristics. The themes about which people are most positive include ‘Inclusion and Fair Treatment’ (81% of 4,452 respondents). This is our highest score since the survey started in 2009 and is +6 above the Civil Service average and +3 above Civil Service High Performers, defined as the upper quartile across all 101 organisations that have taken part. Those experiencing discrimination at work is 7% which is down since 2012. Those experiencing bullying or harassment is 8% which is static since 2012.

This analysis feeds into the annual evaluation of the People Strategy, informing priorities for 2015 as well as contributing to the Scottish Government’s People Strategy Annual Report. Priority outcomes for the People Strategy in 2014 continue to be Leadership & Management, Building Capability, Wellbeing & Resilience.

Raising awareness

The information from People Survey analysis is used to identify and assist business areas where the survey has shown potential issues of concern. Bespoke sessions are run to raise awareness of the policy and its application in the workplace. During 2013-14 and 2014-15 these have included sessions on Fairness at Work, Alternative Working Patterns and reasonable adjustments.

In addition, through our staff diversity networks, we have ran various awareness raising sessions on the areas that staff have told us they are keen to know more about. These have included sessions on Asperger’s, Alzheimer’s, Flexible Working, Mental Health, and cancer awareness.

Raising awareness on transgender issues

We had identified a lack of knowledge of transgender issues across our workforce. To improve knowledge in this area, during May – June 2014 we held, in conjunction with Scottish Transgender Alliance, six transgender awareness sessions. Each of the sessions was tailored for a different policy area, in order to facilitate a more in-depth discussion of the trans issues that were particularly relevant to that policy area. The following policy areas, based in a number of different Directorates, were covered: Public Finance, Business and Enterprise; Health and Social Care; Housing and Sport; Justice; Education, Children and Families; Equality, Human Rights and Third Sector.

We measured the immediate impact of the awareness sessions on the participants’ knowledge, which showed that participants’ self-evaluation of their level of knowledge of transgender issues on a scale of 0 (no knowledge) to 10 (extremely knowledgeable) had increased from an average rating of 4.6 to an average of 7.7. Following the training, no participant rated their knowledge below 5, compared to 43 participants having done so before the training. In addition, 71 of the 84 respondents (84.6%) indicated that they thought the knowledge gained could be put to use in the work that they do; only one person thought they could not (12 were unsure). We are planning to measure the impact of the sessions one year on to establish how knowledge has been used by the participants in practice, and 60 participants have agreed to assist with this.

Transgender-related information and statistics, to help with equality impact assessments in particular, have been expanded and made available on our intranet pages.

Raising awareness of inclusive communication

Being able to communicate in an inclusive way is a key requirement in order to be able to reach all of the stakeholders. Guidance and tips are available, and to help raise awareness of inclusive communication principles within the organisation, we are undertaking a series of seminars on Inclusive Communication.

The first of these was held in conjunction with Sense Scotland, in September 2014 for Scottish Government Communications colleagues who lead on the communication activities within the organisation. A programme of activities is currently being developed by colleagues to further embed inclusive communication principles into consultations, marketing, publications and internal and external websites.

Embedding inclusive communication principles across the organisation will not only be important for disabled people, but will also assist in addressing the needs of some older and minority ethnic people.

Measuring confidence levels on equality issues

As activity and focus on equality and diversity have grown over the years so has the level of awareness and understanding across the organisation. However, not all policy areas offer the same exposure to issues or opportunity to gain experience directly with communities. As such some people are more confident than others in equality matters. In order to take stock and to identify how we can help grow people’s confidence and understanding, we have conducted a staff survey on Equality. Following the analysis of the survey a series of focus groups will be undertaken to explore the emerging issues in more depth. The results of the staff survey and the focus groups will then be used to shape the next phase of our equality and diversity awareness raising programme.

Increasing confidence in engagement

The Scottish Government is clear about the importance of shifting the power of decision making towards communities and about engaging and involving people in the matters that affect them. As this work around participation and democratic renewal takes shape, so we will be looking to develop the skills of our staff; increasing confidence and understanding around equality and diversity will be a vital part of this work.

Most importantly however, we will need to draw on the expertise and insight of our stakeholders and communities, including equality groups, in making the changes to the way we do our business. We will need to work together in order to ensure that all the people of Scotland are heard and able to influence policy making (see section 1.5 for further information on community engagement).

Ministerial Public Appointments

Ministerial public appointments are more diverse reflecting broadly the general population by 2017

Progress Report

Public bodies make decisions which are of relevance and importance to communities across Scotland. Ministers make appointments to the Boards and governing committees of many of these bodies and it is important that those serving come from the widest of backgrounds if those bodies are to have rounded and informed input and credibility across Scotland.

Appointment to these boards is on merit but under-representation of a range of groups makes it likely that talent is being lost or being under-utilised. We know therefore that there is a need to address the barriers to appointment and through effective guidance and training to ensure that processes are fair and transparent and open to all. We also acknowledge that a key issue, in parallel, is to develop the experience and capacity of under-represented communities to be successful in appointment and thus to contribute to governance in the public sector. The table below sets out the comparison between the figures for the year to December 2014 compared to the figures for the year to January 2013:

Regulated appointments | Year to 31 Jan 2013% | Year to 31 Dec 2014%
| Applicants | Appointed | Applicants | Appointed
Women | 30.5 | 39.2 | 38.2 | 45.8
Disabled people | 14.1 | 12.4 | 10.4 | 7.5
Minority ethnic people** | 4.9 | 6.2 | 4.7 | *
Age under 50 | 21.2 | 22.7 | 29.8 | 24.9
LGB | 2.6 | 6.2 | 4.0 | *
Christian | 50 | not known | 49.9 | 50.8
Non-Christian | 3.9 | not known | 3.5 | *

*Values for less than 5 have been supressed to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.

** ‘Minority ethnic’ covers the non-white broad ethnic groups: African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish and Asian British; mixed or multiple ethnic group; other ethnic group.

These figures demonstrate a significant increase in both applications from and appointments of women helping to increase the gender diversity of Ministerial public appointments. Conversely, we note in particular the drop in applications and appointments from disabled people, although this is based on small numbers and longer-term data is required to establish real trends.

It is important to recognise that progress towards greater diversity in public appointments must be measured over a long period to establish a trend, as year on year figures may not present a complete picture. This is for a variety of reasons, for example: the number of rounds and vacancies to be filled fluctuates from year to year; the types of bodies to which appointments are made does not follow a standard pattern from year to year; the nature of individual appointments varies from round to round; and decisions may be taken to reappoint or extend existing members rather than undertake new appointment rounds.

In November 2013, Scottish Government held the Women On Board: Quality through Diversity event, attended by Chairs from a wide range of public bodies and women considered to be genuine prospects for board positions, having applied previously for public appointment or indicated their interests in doing so. The event examined the perceived barriers that prevent women from being appointed to Scotland’s public boards and considered potential action to help overcome them.

From this work we set up the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board to oversee a comprehensive programme of work covering: improving Board diversity in private, public and third sector organisations, making Ministerial public appointments more diverse, and improving the diversity of Scottish Government’s own leadership. The programme board is chaired at Director General level and meets on a quarterly basis.

Whilst we are giving some initial and particular focus to gender, with the aim of achieving gender balance by 2020, we will not lose sight of other groups who are underrepresented on Scotland’s Boards. We will draw on the lessons we learn from our work on improving gender balance, recognising the potential benefits for a wide range of diversity groups. Furthermore increasing the number of women appointed has the potential to impact more broadly than gender as women bring with them other protected characteristics.

Using Scottish Government’s improvement methodology approach and maximising the flexibility offered by the 2013 Code of Practice for public appointments, we have trialled different methods of outreach and selection to bring forward a more diverse range of candidates for appointment. We have, for example, seen the use of role play and board simulation exercises for the first time in competitions, and we have introduced different types of selection criteria, for example, the ‘potential to develop as a board member’, or first-hand experience within the sector, instead of the more traditional selection criteria around corporate governance, thus seeking to achieve true diversity of contribution. As can be seen from the above these new approaches have led to us starting to receive applications from a broader range of candidates. However, it is clear that we have more work to do, for example in improving opportunities for increased representation of disabled people and those from minority ethnic groups.

We have learned from previous outreach work that a targeted approach is the most effective in getting to under-represented groups. As our immediate focus is on gender balance in Ministerial public appointments, we have concentrated our initial outreach work around women. In the last year we have targeted various women’s conferences and networks to publicise opportunities. We have held open days as part of the publicity strategy for individual appointment rounds, inviting potential candidates to come along to access help and advice about public appointments and the process. We have been working closely with the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (CESPLS) to raise awareness of public appointments, for example delivering presentations and holding joint workshops, with the aim of supporting strong applications from underrepresented groups, which meet the required competencies of the positions.

We also know that due to the increase in the use of digital technology that people access information in different ways now. We have therefore made changes to the way in which we advertise public appointments. This has involved increased and improved use of social media to engage with a wider, more diverse audience. There has also been much more emphasis on using the Boards’ own networks and contacts to ensure we reach the widest possible audience.

Published in November 2014, Scottish Government’s Programme for Government encourages the public, private and third sector to set a voluntary target for gender balance on their boards of 50:50 by 2020, by signing up to the Partnership for Change. We want to see Boards better reflect the population and e communities they serve, with better access to talent and improved board governance, decision making and performance. The Scottish Cabinet sets an example by having 50:50 gender balance.

In addition, to help improve transparency public bodies will be asked to publish the diversity composition of the board and an associated action plan to work towards greater diversity and gender balance. Scottish Government will continue to work with partners, such as the Institute of Directors, to develop the talent pipeline for boards.

We will continue momentum with this work to ensure that continued improvement and progress is made.

Current pieces of work underway include:

- training for selection panel members in unconscious bias – we understand that all people carry with them biases that can impact on decisions, therefore we will develop training to raise awareness and to help to remove any bias in our processes;

- a revised, accessible appointability/competency framework to assist panels in setting selection criteria that do not inadvertently restrict the pool of people that may consider putting themselves forward for consideration; and

- a simplified, accessible application pack and supporting materials to ensure that we do not inadvertently exclude any particular group from making an application.

Further work planned includes:

- a communications and engagement strategy which will encompass further targeted outreach to raise awareness for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that our opportunities are promoted to the more difficult to reach groups or these groups who traditionally would not apply for boards; and

- pre-application support that will help under-represented groups to better understand the application processes so that they are better placed to submit an application that fully reflects their skills and experience.

Violence Against Women is Reduced

Progress is made towards the reduction in violence against women by 2017 through a strategic and co-ordinated approach by agencies and women’s organisations

Progress Report

Violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights. It damages women’s and girls’ health and well-being, limits their freedom and potential, and causes wide-ranging negative impacts on our society. The Scottish Government is unequivocal – violence against women and girls in any form, has no place in the strong and flourishing Scotland we all want to see.

Table 1: Incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police, by financial year, Scotland, 2011-12 to 2012-13

Number

2011-12
2012-13

Total incidents
59,847
60,080

Incidents resulting in the recording of a crime/offence(of which reported to the procurator fiscal)

32,369

24,963

30,259

23,606

Table 2: Sexual crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, 2011-12 to 2013-14

Number

| 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14
Rape & attempted rape | 1,274 | 1,462 | 1,808
Sexual assault[11] | 2,908 | 3,008 | 3,405
Crimes associated with prostitution[12] | 567 | 534 | 490
Other[13] | 2,612 | 2,689 | 2,901
Total Sexual crimes | 7,361 | 7,693 | 8,604

Regrettably, as Tables 1 and 2 demonstrate, violence against women and girls in our society remains prevalent as a large proportion of these crimes and incidents reported involve women and girls. However, while there is undoubtedly significant progress to be made towards achieving a reduction in violence against women and girls, evidence does point towards increasing numbers of women coming forward to report violence and abuse perpetrated against them.

According to data from Police Scotland, approximately half of the increase in sexual crimes recorded in 2013-14 was driven by increased reporting of crimes not reported at the time they were committed. In 2013-14, 2,091 offences were reported at least 12 months after they were alleged to have been committed, representing 24.3% of all recorded sexual crime.

While it is difficult to say definitively, it is likely that an increase in historic reporting is at least partly attributable to victims of these crimes having greater confidence in the police, a conclusion supported by Rape Crisis Scotland. Since the establishment of the single service in 2013, Police Scotland has taken a number of steps to: raise awareness of violence and abuse; encourage victims to come forward, and to improve the investigation and detection of different forms of violence (see Figure 1).

A Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse currently being piloted by Police Scotland in Aberdeen and Ayrshire for six months from 25 November 2014 will potentially further enhance the opportunities available and the confidence of victims of domestic abuse to come forward. The scheme provides a formal mechanism for people to seek information about a partner’s past criminal history.

“It is true that victims now have more confidence in the police, thanks to the efforts that have been made to increase reporting, and that will have had an impact on the figures.” – Sandy Brindley – Rape Crisis Scotland - Glasgow Evening Times - 27 November 2014

Furthermore, the numbers of reports of domestic abuse submitted by the police to the Procurator Fiscal have increased significantly in the last 10 years, from 51% of all incidents of domestic abuse where a crime or offence was recorded in 2003-04, to 78% of incidents in 2012-13, suggesting that there has been a paradigm shift in the way police are responding to domestic abuse. The number of people proceeded against for offences with a domestic abuse aggravator has more than doubled, from 5,881 in 2006-07 to 13,590 in 2013-14 (up 131%).

These developments are significant. Historically, violence against women has been considerably under-reported making it difficult to identify the true scale of the problem. Undoubtedly, under-reporting continues to be an issue. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2012-13 estimates that 21% of those who had experienced partner abuse within the last 12 months said that the police came to know about the most recent (or only) incident,[15] while a lack of qualitative research and data collection means accurately quantifying the scale of other forms of violence such as Female Genital Mutilation continues to prove difficult.[16]

However, the indication that the targeted action and focus being placed on violence against women and girls by the police and prosecution service is having an impact on women coming forward to report abuse is an encouraging and positive development.

Figure 1

Measures taken by Police Scotland and COPFS to raise awareness of and improve the investigation and prosecution of domestic abuse.

The creation by Police Scotland of a National Domestic Abuse Taskforce and National Rape Taskforce as well as specialist local teams within each local police division in Scotland has helped to improve the investigation and detection of domestic abuse and sexual offences.

The introduction by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service of a Specialist Procurator Fiscal for Domestic Abuse; lead prosecutors for human trafficking and female genital mutilation, and the launch of a dedicated National Sexual Crimes Unit.

The launch of the ‘We Can Stop It Campaign’ in March 2014 aimed at challenging perceptions and raising awareness about rape and the meaning of consent.

Recognising the impact that an increased volume of cases has on the Scottish Court Service and particularly the Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts, the Scottish Government has invested additional funding to assist the efficient processing of summary cases with £1.47 million on top of agreed budget allocations provided to the Scottish Court Service and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 2014-15. This additional investment which is being used to support additional fiscals, court staff and judiciary will be maintained for the next three years, 2015-18.

The Scottish Government has also continued to take steps to ensure that the criminal law provides a robust and effective legal framework in relation to violence against women and girls (see Figure 2). This is important, not only to ensure that perpetrators of violence against women and girls can be prosecuted effectively, but also to send a clear and unequivocal message to society about the unacceptability of different forms of violence and abuse, particularly where there is arguably some uncertainty about whether specific behaviours are wrong, as one could argue there is in relation to non-violent controlling behaviour in the context of domestic abuse, or the posting of intimate images online without consent.

Figure 2

Measures to strengthen the criminal law to address violence against women and girls.

In 2014 we criminalised forced marriage, building on the existing civil protection already in place and ensuring that there is no dubiety about the criminality of forcing someone into marriage.

We have taken action to strengthen existing legislation on female genital mutilation to ensure that persons who are not permanent UK residents can still be tried in Scottish Courts.

We introduced the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill to the Scottish Parliament on 11 December 2014 to: consolidate and strengthen the existing criminal law; enhance the status and support for the victims, and give statutory responsibility to relevant agencies to work with the Scottish Government to develop and implement a Scottish Anti-Trafficking Strategy.

Our Victims and Witnesses Act 2014, passed by the Scottish Parliament in December 2013 brings into law a number of changes to improve victims and witnesses experience of Scotland’s justice system, including by giving victims automatic access to measures such as screens and video links when giving evidence.

In addition to those measures described in Figure 2 the Scottish Government also launched the consultation paper Equally Safe: Reforming the Criminal to Address Violence Against Women and Girls on 26 March 2015. The paper, which follows the launch of Equally Safe: Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls published in June 2014, seeks views on five key areas relating to how the criminal law and criminal justice system addresses domestic abuse and sexual offences:

Whether a new specific criminal offence of domestic abuse is needed;

Whether a new specific offence for the non-consensual sharing of private, intimate images (often called ‘revenge porn’) is needed;

Whether juries in sexual offence cases should be given specific directions about what account to take of the fact that a significant period of time elapsed between the time an offence is alleged to have been committed and the reporting of the offence to the police, and the absence of the use of physical force by the alleged perpetrator or the absence of physical resistance by the victim;

Whether the law should be strengthened to allow courts to directly protect victims where the court is satisfied a person did harass another person, but that person is found unfit to stand trial by reason of a mental or physical condition; and

Whether child sexual offences committed elsewhere in the UK should be capable of being prosecuted in Scotland.

Prevention

Of course, achieving a reduction in violence against women and girls cannot be achieved only through the investigation and prosecution of crime after it has occurred. We must take action to prevent this violence from occurring in the first place through sustained and concerted action which strikes boldly at the systematic gender inequality which lies at the heart of violence against women and girls.

So too must we challenge negative attitudes and assumptions to gender, promoting healthy, positive relationships from an early age. We are encouraging equality and mutual respect from an early age through the Curriculum for Excellence with its guidance on relationships, sexual health, and parenthood education, while the Mentors in Violence Prevention Scotland Programme funded by the Scottish Government uses a bystander approach to tackle gender stereotyping and attitudes that condone violence against women and girls.

Partner organisations such as Zero Tolerance and White Ribbon Scotland continue to raise public awareness of and challenge violence against women and girls.

But we also recognise that attitudes must be challenged and an investment made in preventing men who perpetrate violence and abuse against women from reoffending. We will continue to invest in the Caledonian System, an integrated approach to addressing men’s domestic abuse. The system works with men convicted of domestic abuse related offences to reduce their re-offending while also providing services to women partners and ex-partners.

Supporting those affected by violence and abuse

While we recognise that prevention is fundamental to reducing violence against women and girls we also accept that this is a long-term aspiration and that women and children who are affected by men’s violence and abuse, both now and in the future, require access to relevant, integrated and effective services.

This is why the Scottish Government is committed to maintaining its support and investment in third sector organisations, including: Scottish Women’s Aid and the Women’s Aid Network, Rape Crisis Scotland; local rape crisis centres, and ASSIST, who provide crucial advocacy, information, safe accommodation and emotional support to women and children affected by violence and abuse.

The Scottish Government has not only maintained its core funding for violence against women and girls with £11.8 million allocated for 2015-16, but has committed to providing an additional £20 million over the next three years, 2015-18. This additional money will be used to support a range of measures to tackle violence against women and girls, including widening victim’s access to specialist advocacy, support and legal services.

Equally Safe

In conclusion, while there is much progress still to be made, action by all partners in Scotland is helping to put us in an ideal place in which to respond to violence against women and girls successfully. Our approach is set out in a national strategy – Equally Safe: Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls which explicitly recognises the dual requirements of prevention and effective intervention and advocates a collaborative approach across central and local government and the statutory and third sectors.

The publication of Equally Safe is a key milestone which will help to support the realisation of our equality outcome to reduce violence against women by 2017. In 2015 and beyond we will seek to build on the positive initiatives set out above and the activity set out in our strategy.

Gypsy/Travellers

Gypsy/Travellers experience less discrimination and more positive attitudes towards their culture and way of life by 2017

Progress Report

This outcome seeks to tackle issues faced by Gypsy/Travellers, one of the most discriminated against and disenfranchised communities in Scotland. The issues that they face are long-standing and deep-seated, and progress to overcome them has been relatively slow. However, we are determined to increase the pace of change and a programme of work is underway across the Scottish Government, which aims to improve outcomes for the community across a range of areas.

The Scottish Government agreed to develop an overarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland, in response to recommendations included in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report on Where Gypsy/Travellers Live.[17] Under the auspices of the strategy, the Scottish Government is also undertaking work relating to Gypsy/Traveller sites and access to education.

The development of a strategy for Gypsy/Travellers was not included in the activities originally planned to achieve the equality outcome, but it is now the main focus of the Scottish Government’s work in this policy area. This means that some of the original plans are being pursued in a different way to achieve the outcome, including engagement with the Gypsy/Traveller community.

Measuring progress

For a long time the lack of data and information on Gypsy/Travellers has been an issue and this is now being addressed.

The 2011 Census was the first to include a ‘box’ for Gypsy/Travellers in its ethnicity categories. This was a positive step to help build the evidence base on Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland. The results of the Census have enabled us to establish a baseline and will provide a rich source of data. However, as the next Census will not take place until 2021, it will be some time before change can be measured.

In the meantime, Scottish Government statisticians have been analysing the data from the Census. A summary of the evidence base relating to Gypsy/Travellers was published in July 2013,[18] and an analysis of equality results from the 2011 Census was published in October 2014.[19] This included a chapter relating to Gypsy/Travellers, covering demographics; identity, language and religion; households; and health. A second analysis paper on equality results from the Census was published on 26 March 2015.[20] It also included a chapter relating to Gypsy/Travellers, covering the labour market, education, housing and transport. The Scottish Government has committed to publishing analysis of further results from the Census as they are released.

The chart below shows some of the key results from the 2011 Census for Gypsy/Travellers across a range of topic areas.

Summary of Census Statistics for Gypsy/Travellers, Scotland 2011

This data has implications for the actions to be included in the overarching strategy and action plan and will be explored further as work progresses. The fact that the community includes relatively high numbers of younger people and of disabled people increases the importance of access to education and health services and good quality accommodation. These areas will be addressed in the strategy.

The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey provides data on attitudes towards Gypsy/Travellers, which will help us to measure progress on the Equality Outcome. The 2010 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (Attitudes to Discrimination and Positive Action module) concluded that Gypsy/Travellers are the subject of widespread discriminatory attitudes.[21] The next edition, which will show whether there has been a change in attitudes and whether progress has been made towards the outcome, is due to be published in spring 2016.

In December 2014, the Scottish Government published statistics on accommodation based on data collected for the Scottish Housing Charter by the Scottish Housing Regulator and on the 2011 Census.[22] The data covered the number of Gypsy/Traveller pitches, pitch rents and site satisfaction, in relation to the new Scottish Housing Charter outcome on Gypsy/Traveller sites.

The Scottish Government collects data on educational outcomes for Gypsy/Travellers in relation to positive destinations and qualifications, and on attendance and exclusions from school. Because of the small and fluctuating numbers, this data is only reliable when using a two or three year average, but does allow comparison with other groups of pupils. Data may not be directly comparable to previous years due to changes in ethnicity categories.

As work is still at a relatively early stage progress to date is described in terms of the outputs relating to the development of a strategy for Gypsy/Travellers and associated work on sites and access to education. This work is outlined in the next section.

A strategy for Gypsy/Travellers

The Scottish Government is working with partners to develop an overarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers for publication in 2015 to help improve outcomes for Gypsy/Travellers and reduce discrimination against them. Work is being overseen by a group of key stakeholders (Gypsy/Traveller Strategy Development Group chaired by the Scottish Government), including members of the Gypsy/Traveller community.

The aims of the strategy are to support:

a reduction in discrimination against Gypsy/Travellers and more positive attitudes towards their culture and way of life;

improvements in their quality of life and life outcomes;

an increase in understanding of their needs among service providers and commissioners, which are addressed through provision of a national action plan to address identified needs; and

an increase in mutual understanding and respect with the settled community.

We are working with the group, which includes members of the Gypsy/Traveller community, to ensure that Gypsy/Travellers are involved throughout the development of the strategy and action plan. We have also undertaken to engage more widely, so that Gypsy/Travellers, who are not members of the Group, can contribute. We are working with key stakeholder organisations to achieve this participation.

The overarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers is due to be published in 2015. The Gypsy/Traveller Strategy Development Group is keen to ensure that progress towards the outcomes is measureable and that monitoring arrangements are put in place.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have established a sub-group, under the auspices of the Gypsy/Traveller Strategy Development Group, to develop a briefing for elected members of local authorities. The aims of the briefing are to raise awareness among elected members about Gypsy/Travellers, their way of life, cultural traditions and sensitivities; empower elected members to deal with any issues that may occur in their local area involving Gypsy/Travellers; and provide information on the rights and responsibilities of elected members in relation to the legislative framework and their role in enabling access to services and participation in society.

In parallel with the development of the overarching strategy, we are also working on an awareness raising campaign to tackle prejudice and discrimination against Gypsy/Travellers, building on the success of the ‘Scotland believes in Equality’ campaign which ran during the Commonwealth Games.

The overarching strategy and action plan will take account of the work of the Gypsy/Traveller Site Working Group and the Scottish Traveller Education Review Group.

Sites

The Scottish Government’s role is to set a robust framework and promote good practice. We want the most effective approaches to be used across the whole country to meet the needs both of the Gypsy/Traveller community and the settled community.

The Scottish Government has been taking forward several areas of work this year related to Gypsy/Travellers sites. This includes:

publishing in 2014 revised guidance for Housing Need and Demand Assessments and for Local Housing Strategies. This is to help make sure the accommodation needs of Gypsy/Travellers are fully taken into account by councils as they plan accommodation provision;

convening the Gypsy/Traveller Site Working Group. This brought together local authorities, the Police, and organisations working directly with Gypsy/Travellers to explore ways to improve provision for Gypsy/Travellers;

publishing minimum quality standards for Gypsy/Traveller sites and setting out core rights and responsibilities for site tenants in May 2015. We will also publish revised guidance on unauthorised sites. We will be consulting with the Gypsy/Traveller community on all of these documents;

exploring ways of promoting good practice in handling planning applications for Gypsy/Traveller sites. We have funded PAS to carry out a project on planning with the Gypsy/Traveller community. Guides for councillors, local authorities, community councils and Gypsy/Travellers, produced as part of that project, were launched on 1 April 2015; and

continuing discussions with stakeholders about how an asset based approach could work in this area. We want to explore ways in which communities could be empowered to resolve their own accommodation needs.

Education

The Scottish Traveller Education Review Group was re-formed in February 2015 with the primary purpose of developing, and then promoting, guidance on the education of young people from Traveller families, to share best practice and support the development of local, inclusive approaches across Scotland. The Group is chaired by the Scottish Government, and members represent schools and school leaders, local authorities, the voluntary sector, the health sector, colleges, early years practitioners, the Scottish Traveller Education Programme and Education Scotland. It is expected that the Group will hold a number of meetings in Gypsy/Traveller communities to seek the views of parents and pupils, and develop draft guidance for consultation in 2015 and publication in 2016.

Equality funding

From 2012-15, the Scottish Government’s Equality Fund provided funding of just over £700,000 to organisations to support work with the Gypsy/Traveller community, focusing on young people, carers, education and planning. In 2015-16, we are providing £200,000. The projects funded during 2012-16 are:

Article 12 in Scotland’s Young Gypsy/Travellers’ Lives Project

Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project

The Scottish Traveller Education Programme

PAS‘s Gypsy/Traveller Planning Project

Women and Employment

Women’s position in the economy and in employment is improved in the long term and reflected more comprehensively in Scottish Government economic policy and strategies by 2017

Progress Report

Since the publication of the Scottish Government’s equality outcomes in April 2013, issues of equality and gender equality have been centre stage – particularly those relating to women’s employment and place in the economy.

Not only was the position of women a strong feature of the discourse around the referendum on independence but it has been clearly highlighted and articulated in the Scottish Government’s key publications: Programme for Government and the Scottish Economic Strategy.

In April 2013 we identified that improved outcomes for women in employment could be evidenced through two key indicators: a decrease in the gender pay gap in Scotland and increased employment rates for women.

While women’s employment rates over the subsequent two year period have improved considerably, the long term trend of the gender pay gap is less clear, with a fall registered in 2013 but an increase occurring in the 2014 figure.

Employment

Scotland has the highest female employment, second lowest female unemployment and lowest female inactivity rate of any UK nation.[23]

Scotland continues to have a higher female employment rate than the UK (72.1% vs. 68.6%).

Female employment level increased by 52,000 over the year to Dec-Feb 2015 to 1,292,000, the third highest level since comparable records began in 1992.

The female unemployment rate is lower than the UK‘s (5.0% vs. 5.4%).

The female labour market participation rate is also at a record high of 75.9%, the UK rate is 72.6%.

The gender employment rate gap in Scotland is 4.2 percentage points, compared to 9.8 percentage points in the UK.

Female inactivity rate in Scotland is lower than in the UK (24.1% vs. 27.4%).

Barriers for women

These figures show very positive improvements, however, there remain longer-term challenges for women in Scotland’s workforce.

Women tend to be employed in lower-skilled jobs, paid less, and are more likely to be underemployed than men. Occupational segregation is also key – women are more likely to work in particular occupations or sectors. Further, women may ‘downgrade’ in order to obtain part-time work, for example, to fit in with caring responsibilities.[24]

Time-based underemployment rates are generally higher for women reflecting the higher prevalence of part-time work amongst women compared to men. Since the 2008 recession there has been a greater increase in the number of women working part-time who are underemployed than for men (an increase of 23,500 for women compared to an increase of 22,500 for men over the same time period).[25]

Caring responsibilities remain the most prevalent reason (40.6 %) for parttime working by women in the UK (6.5% for men).[26] The evidence suggests that the greater female part-time working can be as a result of a lack of options for women, as time underemployment data shows that female involuntary part time work as a percentage of total part-time employment in UK was 14.9% in 2013 (having risen nearly 6.9 percentage points since 2007) compared with 38.3% for men (having risen 18 percentage points since 2007).

The Scottish Government understands that the cost of childcare can be a major concern for families and a barrier to work for many parents, especially women. That is why we have strong ambitions to transform early learning and childcare to match the best in Europe.

We want a high quality, flexible system that is affordable and accessible for all children and families and we have already increased the amount of funded early learning and childcare through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 to 600 hours for all 3 and 4 year olds, which is more than anywhere else in the UK. In addition, we have also extended this entitlement to our most vulnerable and disadvantaged 2 year olds. From August this year, we will extend this further to include those 2 year olds who would be eligible under the Free School Lunches criteria; this will represent around 27% of all 2 year olds.

We are also increasing flexibility through the Children and Young People Act in order to support working parents. The Act introduces a new duty on local authorities which requires them to consult at least once every two years with representative groups of local parents on patterns of provision which best meet their needs. This will allow local authorities to plan how they will reconfigure services to better meet the needs of working parents and should introduce a greater level of flexibility and choice in to the system, year on year.

In the years ahead we want to build on the current system to almost double the number of hours to 30 a week of funded early learning and childcare by the end of the next parliament, and we have started planning for this expansion.

Gender pay gap

Evidence also shows that 57% of all women in employment are employed in medium-low or low skilled occupations compared with only 37% of men.[27] These factors contribute to the gender pay gap.

In 2013, the gender pay gap in Scotland, measured using the median for full-time hourly earnings excluding overtime, fell from 8.4% to 7.7%. Using the mean as a measure it was 13.3%, down from 13.9%. However in 2014, it increased to 9.0% using the median but fell to 11.5% using the mean measurement.

Table: Gender pay gap over time, Scotland, 1999 and 2006-2014, using the median[28]

Year | 1999 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014
Gender Pay Gap – Scotland | 16.7% | 10.6% | 11.9% | 10.8% | 8.5% | 7.4% | 6.6% | 8.4% | 7.7% | 9.0%

a Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

b Workplace based estimates.

c Estimates for 1999 and 2006-2010 based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000 (SOC 2000). Estimates for 2011-2014 are based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010 (SOC 2010).

d Estimates for 2014 are provisional.

There are a number of different factors driving the increase in the gender pay gap in Scotland, including those affecting employment sectors and occupations, earnings percentiles and the age of the workforce:

Male full-time workers earn more on average than female full-time workers across the majority of the industrial and occupational groups.

Women have lower hourly earnings than men across all age groups. For example, the gender pay gap has almost doubled between 2013 and 2014 in the 16-24 year olds age group.

The gender pay gap increased for low earners between 2013 to 2014, while decreasing at the opposite end of the earning spectrum with a lower pay gap for high earners.

Future Work on Outcome Indicators

We understand that further analysis of the available statistical data on women and employment is required as underneath the top level indicators lies a layer of more complex factors that impact on women’s participation in the labour market.

We also know that for some women the barriers faced in the workplace can be compounded by other forms of inequality that they face. For example we know that:[29]

Older women in the UK aged between 50 and 59 earn on average 17.9% less than their male counterparts, facing a gender pay gap significantly larger than the UK-wide pay gap of 9.4%.

Although educational qualifications data routinely demonstrate higher attainment by young women, for example in 2012-13, 60.9% of young women left school with highest attainment of Higher or above compared to 50.7% of young men, this position is not reflected in employment with 57% of all women employed in medium-low or low‑skilled occupations compared with only 37% of men.

Female minority ethnic employment rates are typically more than 15 percentage points lower than that of minority ethnic men. This is around two to three times higher than the gap of around 8 percentage points between the employment rates for all males and females living in Scotland.

Female employment rates for disabled women aged 16-24 were more than 13 percentage points lower than employment rates of non-disabled 16-24 year-old women.

The Scottish Government has also begun to analyse the underlying trends effecting the pay gap figures to better understand the factors dictating its fluctuation from year to year, including the intersectional inequality that many women face. This work will be developed further over the next two years.

Women’s Position in the Economy and in Employment is reflected more comprehensively in Scottish Government Economic Policy and Strategies by 2017

http://www.gov.scot/publications/2014/11/6336

http://www.gov.scot/publications/2015/03/5984

http://www.gov.scot/publications/2014/10/2706

Our response to tackling women’s inequality in employment is to ensure that we develop our understanding of the barriers they face to develop a response which addresses these issues, which is then embedded into our economic policies and strategies.

Scotland’s Economic Strategy

Scotland’s Economic Strategy, published on 3 March 2015, sets out an overarching framework for achieving the two mutually supportive goals of increasing competitiveness and tackling inequality in Scotland. It forms the strategic plan for existing and all future Scottish Government policy and prioritises boosting investment and innovation, maintaining our focus on increasing internationalisation and supporting inclusive growth.

The Economic Strategy recognises that maximising economic opportunities for women to participate fully in the economy, and the wider social role they provide, is key to improving economic performance and tackling inequality.

The Strategy commits to accelerating the Scottish Government’s interventions to support this outcome in the future.

We have set out an ambition to almost double the number of free hours of childcare to 30 hours per week by the end of the next Parliament.

We have set a voluntary target for all organisations to achieve gender parity on their boards by 2020, with a commitment to legislate on this issue, with regards to public boards, as soon as we have the powers to do so.

Scottish Equality Budget Statement

The Government has developed a systematic approach to assessing budget decisions for their impact on equality groups. Assessing the equality impact of policy proposals and related spending in this way allows the experiences of different groups to be actively taken into account. This means that budgets can be effectively targeted to benefit specific groups, and helps to avoid or mitigate particular negative impacts.

The equality assessment of the budget is presented in an Equality Statement, published each year alongside the Scottish Draft Budget.

Programme for Government 2014

50:50 by 2020

In the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government published in November 2014, we have committed to launching the Partnership for Change, bringing together an alliance of organisations across the public, private and third sectors, who are committed to increasing the diversity of boards and the talent pipeline to work towards gender balance – 50:50 by 2020.

Scottish Business Pledge

The 50:50 by 2020 commitment fits within the overarching Scottish Business Pledge, which invites companies to support company and inclusive growth by committing to innovation, internationalisation, paying the living wage, playing an active role in their local communities and supporting Invest in Youth.

Fair Work Convention

The First Minister also confirmed in the Programme for Government that we would establish a Fair Work Convention. The Convention will prioritise the promotion of the living wage, but have a wider role, championing a partnership approach between government, businesses, the trade unions, the third sector and local government. It will therefore contribute to our work to tackle the gender pay gap and occupational segregation.

Such an approach recognises that sustainable growth has a social dimension; that fairness supports and underpins long-term prosperity.

The Convention will provide independent advice to the Scottish Government on matters relating to innovative and productive workplaces, industrial relations, fair work and the Living Wage in Scotland to support the Scottish Government’s objective to reduce inequality, promote diversity and equality and increase sustainable economic growth.

Commission on Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce

Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy set out how we will implement the recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce. By doing so, we will work with partners including Skills Development Scotland and local government to reduce gender imbalance in skills and training provision and tackle gender stereotyping to ensure young women consider all the opportunities in their local labour market.

Scotland’s Women in Enterprise Action Framework

Scotland’s Women in Enterprise Action Framework (codeveloped by Women’s Enterprise Scotland and the Scottish Government), is the only one of its kind in Europe. It was developed following extensive review of good practice at an international level, as well as pan-Scotland consultation. The proposed actions address the issues of mentoring and networking; role-models; markets and finance; and gender specific support.

Scottish Government Maximising Economic Opportunities For Women In Scotland Report

To support our understanding of the issues effecting women, last month the Scottish Government published its report, Maximising Economic Opportunities for Women in Scotland, which provides a detailed explanation of features of economic outcomes for women in Scotland and their recent trends. The report also explores the key barriers to women’s economic opportunities and seeks to learn from the experiences of other countries.

Council of Economic Advisers

Many of the issues presented in the ‘Maximising Economic Opportunities for Women in Scotland’ report were discussed at the sixth meeting of the First Minister’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), held on 12 November 2014.[30]

The Council highlighted the importance of continued efforts to expand childcare provision, while also recognising the importance of STEM and a continued focus on this area was strongly encouraged.

Continuous Improvement

There are a number of activities and strands of work that will we will continue to develop between now and 2017, which were included in the equality outcome published in 2013.

We will continue to work over the next two years to increase the understanding across government of the issues relating to men and women’s employment and position in the economy and the importance and benefits of gender equality for other outcomes. This will be taken forward via the Strategic Group on Women and Work chaired by the Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, and supported by the Fair Work Convention.

The Scottish Government Equality And Human Rights Analysis work programme for 2015-16 will include work to analyse gender pay gap historical trends, to conclude on likely future trajectories for the pay gap and issues that policies may need to be sensitive to. It will also provide a summary of international policy perspectives on the pay gap, for example to what extent policies are focused on directly tackling the pay gap itself, or focused on underlying drivers such as discrimination, family friendly policies etc.

We have also stated that we will reflect the progress with regard to the economic framework and modelling in future Equality Budget Statements and Government Economic Strategies, with the support of the Equality Budget Advisory Group (EBAG).

Our understanding of the issues will also be informed by drawing on the evidence which becomes available from the forthcoming reports on occupational segregation and equal pay published by public authorities.

We will also undertake an audit of Scottish Government key strategic documents this year and again in 2017.

Actions we are taking to deliver our Equality and Diversity Matters outcome are helping us to explore the breadth and depth of understanding among Scottish Government staff of key equality and diversity issues, the extent to which they feel confident about these issues and what could be done to assist them in developing their confidence. There are obvious links to the Women and Employment equality outcome and we will continue to work to build awareness among staff of the need to ensure policies properly reflect our communities, e.g. work with public bodies’ sponsor teams to encourage sign up to the 50:50 by 2020 Programme for Government commitment.

Managing Progress

Strategic Group on Women and Work

As stated previously, overseeing all of the Scottish Government’s work to improve outcomes for women in employment is the Strategic Group on Women and Work, established in 2013.

Cross Directorate Working Group on Occupational Segregation

This includes the direction given to the Scottish Government’s Cross Government Working Group on Occupational Segregation (CDWGOS).

Public Bodies and Corporate Diversity Programme Board

In December 2013 the Scottish Government established its Public Bodies and Corporate Diversity Programme Board.

Disability and Access to Justice and Advice

Disabled people have improved access to justice and to advice in relation to their rights by 2017

Introduction

The Scottish Government has been working with its partners under the auspices of the Strategy for Justice in Scotland to improve and bring greater cohesion to the justice system. We have been clear from the outset about the importance of ensuring equality is woven into the work and have set up structures to make sure that happens. We also recognise the need for improvement in disabled people’s access to justice and in the data and evidence to measure progress. Our collaboration with stakeholders and engagement with disabled people’s organisations is immensely valuable in this regard and we have drawn on their reports and evidence to inform our work.

This report outlines the progress made in putting into place a number of actions that are designed to assist disabled people and to improve their outcomes. We are also working across Government to identify and report on the progress being made in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The Scottish Government will work closely with disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) to publish a Draft Disability Delivery Plan in June 2015 for consultation on its commitments to implementing the Convention. This will be finalised in December 2015 for the UN Disability Committee’s examination on the UK‘s progress in 2016.

Justice Board and Strategy for Justice in Scotland

Equality is a central theme in the vision for justice in Scotland outlined in the Justice Strategy 2012, with its focus on creating an inclusive and respectful society in which all people and communities live in safety and have the opportunity to lead fulfilled lives. The Justice Board was set up to lead the justice system in delivering the outcomes in the Strategy through a collaborative and proactive approach. It was established in August 2011 and comprises the Chief Executives and equivalent leaders of the key justice organisations. The Justice Board is chaired by the Scottish Government. Reporting to the Justice Board, an Equality and Diversity sub-group strategically coordinates resource and effort so that the Scottish Government and justice organisations can successfully improve services and implement reforms through effective partnerships.

Criminal Justice Disability Project Team (CJDPT)

The Justice Board oversees six sub-groups. One of these is the Equality and Diversity Sub-Group and within its remit, a project team – The Criminal Justice Disability Project Team (CJDPT) – has been tasked to deliver an action plan to increase access to criminal justice for disabled people. The action plan progresses 81 recommendations from the following three reports, which were undertaken in consultation with disabled people:

Justice Disability Steering Group Report

Hidden in Plain Sight – Equality and Human Rights Commission

Out in the Open – Equality and Human Rights Commission

The CJDPT has members from all the main criminal justice organisations and specifically focuses on access to criminal justice for disabled people. In progressing the Scottish Government’s commitments to the Disability Delivery Plan of the UNCRPD, good practice models and expertise gained in this project will be transferrable to other areas of justice.

The CJDPT is supported by the Criminal Justice Disability Advisory Group (DAG). The DAG was established in December 2014 and comprises 15 organisations representing disabled people. This responds to suggestions made in the ILIS report ‘Justice is Served’ which suggested that: justice organisations and disabled people should be better connected; that the justice profession would benefit from the expertise of DPOs; and that a national forum should be set up on access to justice for disabled people which would include disabled people and representatives from the justice sector.

Improving Access to Justice

While disabled people, like all people, will have a variety of experiences in accessing justice there is evidence that access can be more difficult for disabled people. This is identified in the Access to Justice report 2010 and the Scottish Government equality outcome published in 2013.

The needs of disabled people are being considered as part of a series of reforms across the justice system. The Scottish Government is working with both statutory and non-statutory bodies and the third sector to improve access to justice for disabled people, by providing funding and coordinating activity. This can be seen by the establishment of the Criminal Justice Disability Project, the Making Advice Work programme and the justice contribution to implementation of ‘The Keys to Life’. There is ongoing constructive dialogue between the Scottish Government and Scottish Legal Aid Board around independent living to assist in increasing the opportunities and capacity of disabled people and older people to exercise their rights.

We know that there are issues to address. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2012-13 showed that the prevalence of civil legal problems is higher for disabled people at 32% as opposed to 23% in the general population. In addition, only 37% of disabled people had solved their problems whereas 51% without a disability had succeeded in resolving their problems.

The report produced by Independent Living in Scotland (ILiS) in April 2015 ‘Justice is Served – Disabled People’s Access to Justice’ advises that 70% of disabled people know little or nothing about their rights. This is compounded, they argued, by a lack of independent advocacy in Scotland and few places for disabled people to go to get targeted advice.

Addressing the Barriers

The Access to Justice Report 2010 identified a number of barriers which prevent access to justice. Some of the action being taken to address barriers and promote access to justice are described below.

Physical access to buildings

The CJDPT has developed a standard template to evaluate accessibility of sites and services of the seven criminal justice partners for disabled people. A programme of site audits is being progressed to identify barriers within the estate and 102 accessibility audits across the organisations have been completed to date. An improvement programme for each organisation will be considered and implemented based on the findings of these audits to improve accessibility for disabled people. These will be reflected in the equality mainstreaming reports of these organisations at a later date and in the UNCRPD Draft Delivery Plan.

Communication issues

The Scottish Government’s Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, in 2010 showed that 93% of those surveyed believed that providing information about public services in ‘easy read’ formats for people with learning disabilities is a good use of government money.

The CJDPT is coordinating a review by September 2015 of the written communications issued by all of the seven partner organisations, and will identify the priority communications used by disabled people and provide these in alternative formats from the current PDF format, including Easy Read version. This will be a commitment in the UNCRPD Draft Delivery Plan.

The Letter of Rights

To enable people to understand exactly what their rights are when they are detained in a police station, a Letter of Rights is provided by Police Scotland in English. Versions of the letter in other formats, such as Braille, audio and British Sign Language, can be requested if required. An updated Letter of Rights was published by the Scottish Government in January 2015 and is available in 34 different languages. An accessible easy-read version of the text is also available.

Additional Q&A for people under the age of 18 can be provided and, where police consider that a person needs additional help to understand their situation and their rights, an Appropriate Adult will be made available to provide this support. The Letter of Rights was developed through engagement with a wide range of groups including DPOs. In terms of monitoring and evaluation, the Scottish Government will consider the requirement to update the Letter of Rights further after the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill completes its Parliamentary process. At that stage, the Scottish Government will engage with stakeholders, including DPOs on the effectiveness of the letter in its current form.

Video Conferencing – the Justice Digital Strategy

The Justice Digital Strategy is an ambitious programme to use digital technology to transform the way justice is delivered, including how advice can be sought and delivered. As part of this, video conferencing is being piloted in courts, prisons and police stations. This will help inform the development of live video conferencing TV links throughout the justice system which will benefit disabled people and those who live in institutions and rural areas.

Video conferencing will enhance disabled prisoners’ welfare by reducing travel and the time held in overcrowded holding cells for what might only be a short court appearance. It will also improve access to legal advice and services for disabled people in rural areas.

Provision of advice and support

People with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities or difficulties, accused or suspected of committing a crime will often require extra support to help them understand the criminal justice system and to ensure that the treatment they receive within that system is fair and equal to other people in the same situation.

There is a challenge in identifying robust statistics on the numbers of people with learning disabilities in prison. It is estimated that between 20-30% of the prison population require some form of support. A Scottish Prison Service pilot project at HMP Shotts and HMYOI Polmont in 2013-14 demonstrated that the prison population:

has significantly higher levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

has significant levels of historic brain trauma

A second stage pilot will begin at HMYOI Polmont in May 2015 to consider the development and implementation of joint care pathways for people identified with potential learning disability/difficulties between learning services, health services and prison regimes. This will expand to include HMP and YOI Cornton Vale and HMP Glenochil. The screening tool across the three prisons will enable implementation of a second stage study under one single NHS Board.

The Scottish Government’s learning disability strategy ‘The Keys to Life’ is a 10-year plan to improve the quality of life for people with learning disabilities to live independently in the community. In keeping with one of the key justice recommendations, the Scottish Government is providing funding of approximately £100,000 per annum for three years from 2014-17 to establish the The Supporting Offenders with Learning Disabilities Network (SOLD). This is a partnership between People First Scotland and ARC Scotland. The SOLD Network aims to reduce offending and improve support for people with learning disabilities who are offenders in Scotland.

The SOLD network will be advised and guided by a steering group consisting of lead professionals and people with learning disabilities. It is delivering a three-year programme of activity up to 2017.

Tackling Negative Attitudes

Disability Harassment and Hate Crime

Negative attitudes towards disabled people can also find expression through harassment, hostility and hate crime. The report Equality and Human Rights Commission 2011 Hidden in Plain Sight refers to studies that indicate that disabled people may be more likely to be victims of antisocial behaviour. As such, disabled people need confidence to report these crimes to the police and support to do so.

A poll by Scope in the UK suggested that 56% of disabled people say they have experienced hostility, aggression or violence from a stranger because of a condition or impairment and 50% said they experience discrimination on either a daily or weekly basis. In 2013-14, 154 charges were reported with an aggravation of prejudice relating to disability, 12% more than in 2012-13 (17 additional charges). There is a broad consensus however that this type of crime continues to be under reported compared to other forms of hate crime. Both Police Scotland and COPFS are engaged in a variety of activities aimed at increasing the level of awareness, especially amongst disability communities, that hate crime is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Court proceedings were commenced in respect of 126 charges (82%) reported in 2013-14, a higher proportion than in previous years. In total 130 (84%) of charges led to court proceedings, including those not separately prosecuted, but which may have been incorporated into other charges for the same accused.

Raising awareness of hate crime to increase access to advice and reporting

During the period 2012-14 the Scottish Government funded a project for Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD) to raise awareness of disability hate crime among adults with learning disabilities. This innovative project involved professional actors and people with learning disabilities co-performing in a play called ‘Who Do I Turn To?’. This project reached over 1,000 people, raising awareness on hate crime and providing access to Easy Read guidance, professional online good practice guidance and support to service users. The project was shortlisted as a finalist in the Scottish Community Safety Awards.

Hate crime awareness in the Deaf community

The Scottish Government provided funding to British Deaf Association of £180,000 for 2012-15 to develop resources and information in British Sign Language (BSL). The project was to raise awareness on hate crime, its underlying causes and to improve reporting within the Deaf community. Research is currently being produced and will be available by June 2015, from evaluation reports of over 300 people who attended awareness events. 80 participants in the programme will be involved in a research report for the Scottish Government. Findings of the report will reflect if there is increased awareness through reported incidents of hate crime from BSL users, and on partnerships with a wide range of other organisations.

Social Media Hate Crime Campaign

In 2014, the Scottish Government launched its first hate crime publicity campaign which incorporated a focus on disability hate crime. This joined-up approach is the preferred method for initiating similar campaigns in future as it represented value for money with potentially 3,775 people reached through social media for each £1 spent. From the evaluation study, the campaign was well received in the media and social media, with prominent emotive stories in Scottish national newspapers and on radio and TV making the biggest impact. Toolkits were developed for involved organisations to disseminate through their networks. It was reported that there is increased confidence in third party reporting centres and it is hoped that this will be reflected in the hate crime statistics issued in June this year.

Advice about Welfare Rights

Our equality outcome also referred to the impact of cuts in public spending and welfare reform measures on disabled people and the need for advice and support in this area.

The Scottish Government’s report ‘Financial Impacts of Welfare Reforms on Disabled People in Scotland’ published in April 2014 identified that disabled people face a disproportionate loss of income as a result of these reforms. As part of the mitigation of the impact of welfare reform the Scottish Government has taken a range of measures to help those affected and this has included supporting the increase in the provision of advice. Funding of £5.1 million from 2013-15 was provided towards a jointly funded programme Making Advice Work (MAW), managed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board including funding of £2.35 million from the Money Advice Service. The Scottish Government’s funding for this programme focusses on improving access to advice for people in Scotland affected by welfare reform.

An additional specific stream of funding, totalling £1 million for 2013-15 focused on priority groups and seven projects were funded to help disabled people specifically. Some of these projects have been extended to September 2015. This funding was to ensure access of assistance to resolve problems and achieve sustainable solutions in ways best suited to individual disabled people’s needs. It also focused on overcoming barriers and finding new and innovative ways of delivering help with particular focus on preventative help.

An evaluation of this stream of funding is currently underway and is expected to be completed later this year. The results of this will be reflected in the next progress report.

Education

Within the longer-term outcome that all children and young people will be able to make the most of the education opportunities available to them to reach their full potential, there will be progress by 2017 in the experience of those with protected characteristics who are currently disadvantaged or underperforming

Progress Report

Scottish education is doing better but it is clear that we must do more. In the 2014 Programme for Government, the First Minister made it clear that improving school attainment for all and closing the attainment gap is a Scottish Government priority. To do that we need to address the inequalities which exist. Some inequalities are clearly related directly to protected characteristics, while some, such as social background, are not.

To help measure the progress of children and young people with protected characteristics who were disadvantaged or underperforming, indicators are used, where available, relating to attainment, positive destinations,[31] exclusions[32] and attendance,[33] given that increased levels of attendance show positive pupil engagement in their learning. Data from the 2012-13 school year is used as a comparison to the baseline April 2013 report which predominantly drew on 2010-11 data.

There are barriers to measuring progress in some cases, for example: where changes in definitions used in schools data mean comparisons between years are unreliable; where it is considered inappropriate to collect data across the whole school population for some protected characteristics; and where small numbers or fluctuations in numbers for some groups mean that data is not reliable and not usable. We will continue to look for ways to overcome barriers. As an example, the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research Group (BiSSR), chaired by the Scottish Government, will be including in its next study of behaviour in schools, questions relating to protected characteristics, fostering good relations and eradicating bullying.

Disability

As the summary below shows,[34] the gap in achievement between those with and those without a disability is narrowing. However, we need to do more to further narrow the gap.

The outcome in terms of attainment for school leavers with a recorded disability has been improving over the last two years. Data on attainment for secondary and special school leavers shows an increase in average tariff score for pupils with a disability from 157 in 2011-12 to 175 in 2012-13, a rise of 18 points. This is encouraging given that the average tariff score for pupils who are not disabled rose by only one point over this period – from 406 to 407.

Data on leaver destinations for secondary and special school leavers also presents an improving picture showing an increase in pupils recorded with a disability moving into an initial positive destination – from 81.8% in 2011-12 to 85.0% in 2012-13, i.e. an increase of 3.2 percentage points. This is again encouraging as it compares to a 1.6 percentage point increase over the same period for non-disabled leavers (figures of 89.7% and 91.3% for 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively) although the gap is still too wide.

The following tables include data on pupils with additional support needs related to dyslexia and illustrate this improving picture.

Leavers’ average tariff score for pupils with dyslexia

School year | Average tariff score
2011-12 | 251
2012-13 | 273

Secondary and Special school destinations % data for pupils with dyslexia 2011-12 and in 2012-13[35]

Reason for additional support | School year | No. of leavers | Higher Ed | Further Ed | Training | Employment | Voluntary work | Activity agreement | % leavers moving to an initial positive destination
Dyslexia | 2011/12 | 1,413 | 17.1 | 38.1 | 9.2 | 21.2 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 88.2%
2012/13 | 1,734 | 18.6 | 39.2 | 7.6 | 22.4 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 90.8%

Schools and authorities are identifying more children and young people with dyslexia using the national definition and more and more young people with dyslexia are improving the number of qualifications they gain and achieving a positive destination.

Between the periods 2009-10 and 2012-13 the rate of exclusions has dropped for pupils with a disability and for pupils who are not disabled. However, the reduction has been less for disabled children and young people. In 2012-13 exclusion rates were 63 per 1,000 pupils for pupils with a disability recorded and 31 per 1,000 for non-disabled pupils (compared to 70 and 44 respectively in 2009-10). So, in 2012-13, pupils with a disability recorded were twice as likely to be excluded as pupils without a disability.

Pupils with a disability continue to have a very slightly lower attendance rate at school than their non-disabled peers. In 2012-13 attendance rates were 91.9% for pupils with a disability recorded and 93.7% for non-disabled pupils (compared to 92% and 93.3% respectively in 2009-10). This shows a very slight drop in the attendance rate for pupils with a disability between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Statistics for attendance for the 2014-15 academic year will be available in October 2015[36].

Action that the Scottish Government/Education Scotland have taken to support progress towards the equality outcome for pupils with a disability includes:

Accessibility strategies guidance – The Scottish Government published in autumn 2014 the revised guidance Planning improvements for disabled pupils’ access to education[37] The guidance, developed following consultation with stakeholders,[38] supports responsible bodies (education authorities, independent and grant-aided schools) to fulfil their statutory duty to develop and publish Accessibility Strategies. The guidance is clear around advancing equality of opportunity and improving the physical environment to enable better access to education and associated services for disabled pupils. It helps education authorities to engage disabled pupils in their learning and to include them in school as fully as possible.

Dyslexia activity - The Scottish Government recognises the early identification of dyslexia as a priority for all our schools and Education Scotland published Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland[39] in May 2013. This followed the introduction in September 2012 of an enhanced Dyslexia Toolkit[40] to help all teachers address the needs of children with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. We can see from the data above that there is already evidence of progress for young people who receive additional support for learning because of dyslexia (that is around 11% of pupils who receive additional support).

Autism activity - We launched the Autism Toolbox website[41] in April 2014 to help teachers and educational support staff meet the needs of pupils with autism. This online national tool will encourage best practice for all education staff in schools to support pupils with autism and provide a forum for continually updating and disseminating good practice. This work falls under the Scottish Government and COSLA‘s Autism Strategy[42] in which £13.4 million is invested over the next four years – £3.4 million more than originally pledged. Progress is already being seen and future impact of the toolkit will be monitored centrally through annual data on attainment and positive destinations for leavers with additional support needs.

Early Years activity - In terms of activity around early years, we have continued to prioritise participation of early learning and childcare for those who are most vulnerable or disadvantaged in the first instance. We also make sure that expansion of early learning and childcare, most recently through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, is promoted to those children with additional support needs (ASN) or a disability, e.g. through our statutory guidance. We expect this to have an impact on the numbers of children with additional support needs in nurseries and will be monitoring this through the ELC (Early Learning and Childcare) Census,[43] published in December each year, with particular interest in the impact on children with disabilities.

In 2014, children with additional support needs accounted for 9.4% of registrations with local authority or partnership early learning childcare providers. This was an increase from 8.4% in 2013, and 8.3% in 2012. Of those children with additional support needs, the 2014 data shows slight increases in the percentage of registrations for all groups compared to 2013 (a breakdown is not available for 2012, i.e. children with language, speech and communication needs; children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties; children with a visual or hearing impairment, or who are deafblind; and children with a learning disability).

Sex (Gender)

There is a long history of boys doing less well than girls in terms of educational outcomes. It should be noted that more boys (62%) than girls (38%) are identified as having additional support needs. The most recent statistics show that outcomes in attainment and positive leaver destinations for boys and girls continue to improve. While the gap is closing in terms of positive destinations, the gap is not closing for tariff scores (attainment).

Average tariff score and % in a positive follow-up destination by gender, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13

| Average tariff score | % in a positive follow-up destination
08/09 | 09/10 | 10/11 | 11/12 | 12/13 | 08/09 | 09/10 | 10/11 | 11/12 | 12/13
Male | 331 | 346 | 358 | 377 | 377 | 83.8 | 83.7 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 88.9
Female | 382 | 398 | 412 | 437 | 439 | 86.5 | 86.7 | 88.5 | 90.6 | 91.3

The table below shows that although there have been significant reductions in the numbers of exclusions over the past few years, boys are still more likely to be excluded from school than girls.

Cases of exclusion and rate per 1,000 pupils by gender, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13

| Cases of exclusion | Rate per 1,000 pupils
Year | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2012/13 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2012/13
Male | 23,596 | 20,812 | 17,104 | 68.7 | 60.8 | 50.1
Female | 6,615 | 6,032 | 4,851 | 19.9 | 18.3 | 14.8

There have been improvements for boys and girls in rates of attendance and there continues to be little difference between boys and girls at 93.7% and 93.5% respectively in 2012-13 (compared to 93.2% and 93% in 2010-11).

Action that the Scottish Government/Education Scotland have taken to support progress towards the equality outcome for pupils who might be disadvantaged or underperforming because of their gender includes:

Gender-based bullying - respectme, the Scottish Government-funded national anti-bullying service (see under ‘bullying’ below and supplementary information), has begun work on a key objective to develop and lead a partnership around gender-based bullying and violence.

Raising attainment – see information under the section ‘Race’.

Race

The picture across the outcomes measures for ethnic groups continues to be very mixed. Recent data[44] show that the pattern continues of most children and young people from minority ethnic groups achieving high rates of attainment and positive leaver destinations and in 2012/13 the highest rates were achieved by those with a Chinese ethnicity.

On the other hand, white Scottish pupils (around 91% of pupils) and those whose ethnicity is Not Known/Not Disclosed (around 1% of pupils) have the lowest rates for attainment and positive leaver destinations.[45] A significant challenge is therefore to raise the attainment of the largest ethnic group which is white Scottish pupils, and within that group, boys in particular (see section on sex (gender)).

In terms of minority ethnic groups, one group in particular – Gypsy/Traveller children and young people – continue to experience barriers to learning and therefore currently underperform quite significantly compared to other ethnic groups. There is little positive evidence that Gypsy/Traveller children and young people are making progress as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. (See also equality outcome progress report for Gypsy/Travellers.)

Data for 2012-13 shows that most children and young people from minority ethnic groups have low rates of exclusion, with the lowest rates for those with Asian ethnicity – 10 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. White Scottish pupils and those whose ethnicity is Not Known/ Not Disclosed have the highest rates of exclusion at, respectively, 34 and 32 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. The overall average is 33 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. Analyses at more detailed ethnicity breakdowns are not possible due to small numbers.

Attendance data continues to show a much more even pattern of attendance across ethnic groupings although pupils with Chinese ethnicities have the highest attendance rates (96.3% attendance) and those with White-Gypsy/Traveller (79.1%) or ‘Other’ (91.9%) ethnicities have the lowest rates of attendance. It is positive that attendance continues to improve year on year for children and young people in all ethnic groups in Scotland (although changes in data recording means that direct comparisons with previous years are made with caution). For example a 96.3% rate of attendance for Asian Chinese pupils in 2012-13 compared to a 95.5% attendance rate in 2010-11, and an average 95.7% attendance rate across African, Black and Caribbean groups in 2012-13 compared to in 93.4% in 2010-11. To put this in context, overall pupils’ rate of attendance has increased from 93.1 per cent in 2010-11 to 93.6 per cent in 2012-13.

Percentage attendance by ethnic background, 2012-13(1)

| 2012-13
White Scottish | 93.7
White non-Scottish | 92.8*
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups | 93.9
Asian Indian | 93.7
Asian Pakistani | 93.0
Asian Chinese | 96.3
Asian other | 93.5
African/Black/Caribbean | 95.7
Other | 91.9
Not disclosed/not known | 93.0

* see detailed breakdown in table below

Percentage attendance by those with White non-Scottish ethnic background, 2012-13 (see note above)

White – Gypsy/Traveller | 79.1
White – Other British | 94.2
White – Irish | 94.1
White – Polish | 90.2
White – Other | 92.2

Action that the Scottish Government/Education Scotland have taken to support progress towards the equality outcome for pupils who might be disadvantaged or underperforming because of their race includes:

Gypsy/Travellers – The Scottish Government formed, in 2013, a Scottish Traveller Education Review Group (STERG) to work to improve the equality of access to education for the children of all Travellers in Scotland. STERG‘s work was put on hold pending clarity on how it would fit within the Scottish Government overarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers which is being developed and due to publish summer 2015. The Scottish Government also continues to fund and support the Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP). (See also equality outcome progress report for Gypsy/Travellers.)

Raising attainment - The Scottish Government and all our partners have a strong shared commitment to raising attainment and achievement for all and closing the equity gap between children and young people who are most and least advantaged. Evidence shows that this includes the largest ethnic group in our schools which is white Scottish pupils.

There are a range of activities to tackle this attainment gap, including the Raising Attainment for All[46] Programme which is working with over 180 schools across Scotland to drive forward sustainable and consistent improvement, and the £1.5 million Access to Education fund, which aims to reduce the barriers to learning experienced by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Going forward, this work will be complemented by the Scottish Attainment Challenge[47] announced in February 2015 and the introduction of a legal requirement for local authorities to introduce measures to reduce the attainment gap. There is some evidence that the gap in attainment between the most and least advantaged is beginning to close.

Bullying

“Many children and young people experience bullying because they are ‘different’ or because they are perceived to be different. A recognition of prejudice-based bullying underpins and informs all of our work.”

(From the respectme website)

The Scottish Government understands that bullying can impact negatively on attendance and attainment leading to disadvantage and potentially under performance. Children with some protected characteristics, such as disabled children or children from some ethnic groups, may also be more susceptible to bullying. The progress towards the equality outcome, set out in this report by protected characteristic, may therefore be accredited to some extent to anti-bullying work by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland.

Data on bullying, including prejudice-based bullying, is not collected centrally in Scotland. The National Approach to Anti-Bullying[48] is clear that recording and monitoring of bullying incidents is essential, but best carried out locally where it can be understood and acted upon.

Action that the Scottish Government/Education Scotland has taken to support progress towards the equality outcome for pupils who might be disadvantaged or underperforming due to bullying related to a protected characteristic includes:

Support for respectme – The Scottish Government continues to fund and support respectme[49], Scotland’s anti-bullying service. respectme work with local authorities and all those working with children and young people, to build confidence and capacity to tackle bullying effectively.

Education Scotland activity – Education Scotland also continue to provide support around promoting positive relationships with children and young people, which includes providing support and resources around anti-bullying strategies. They provide schools with support and resources to help them promote understanding and tackle prejudice around equality and inclusion through the curriculum. The Dealing with Homophobia and Homophobic Bullying in Scottish Schools, Toolkit Resource for Teachers,[51] for example, can be used by teachers to address equalities issues in the context of the values, purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence.

Scottish Government Guidance - In November 2013 the Scottish Government published Guidance on Developing Policies to Promote the Safe and Responsible Use of Mobile Technology in Schools[52]. This was developed by a sub-group of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS is jointly chaired by the Minister for Science and Scotland’s Languages and COSLA) in response to the 2012 Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research[53] which identified concerns around the misuse of mobile phones in schools. The guidance supports schools and local authorities to develop policies designed to protect staff and children and young people from harassment and abuse which can arise from the misuse of such technology.

Following stakeholder engagement, the Scottish Government published revised guidance[54] for teachers on the conduct of teaching relationships, sexual health and parenthood education (RSHP) within the Health and Wellbeing organiser of Curriculum for Excellence, in December 2014. The intention is that RSHP education should be inclusive of, and responsive to, all, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Research activity - The Scottish Government commissioned respectme to undertake research to obtain a picture of how children and young people experience bullying in Scotland. The research report Bullying in Scotland 2014[55], published in November 2014, along with the Teachers Report 2014: Homophobic Bullying in Scotland’s Schools[56] published by Stonewall, will inform future policy development.

In addition, Education Scotland have provided advice to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), respectme and LGBT Youth around researching prejudicebased bullying in schools in Scotland and the report Prejudice-based bullying in Scottish schools was published by EHRC in March 2015.[57] Education Scotland is now working with EHRC on the next steps.

Continuous improvement

This report describes some specific work aimed at ensuring that “there will be progress by 2017 in the experience of those with protected characteristics who are currently disadvantaged or underperforming”. This work sits within the context of the Programme for Government which sets out what will be done more broadly to provide the support, the opportunities and the right environment for all children and young people in Scotland to thrive, including:

The introduction of a Read, Write, Count literacy and numeracy campaign for P1-P3. This campaign will include parental support and assertive outreach activity to ensure the most vulnerable children in Scotland can access its benefits.

Education Scotland appointing an Attainment Advisor for each local authority.

Continued support to the ‘Raising Attainment for All Programme’, a quality improvement collaborative consisting of 23 local authorities and over 180 schools, with further authorities expected to join shortly.

Continued support to improve the learning and teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in schools; as well as enabling all young people to have the opportunity to learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue (1+2 model).

The introduction of an Education Bill aimed at improving children’s rights and which will require local authorities to introduce measures to reduce the attainment gap and report on their progress.

In addition, the First Minister launched the Scottish Attainment Challenge in February 2015,[58] backed by the £100 million Attainment Scotland Fund over four years. The fund is intended to drive forward improvements in educational outcomes in Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities. It will focus on literacy, numeracy and health and well-being in the primary sector and the Scottish Government will work closely with local authorities to establish the right improvement plan for their context.

Annex A - Scottish Government, Agencies and Other Bodies - Staff diversity data

The tables and charts in this Annex show the diversity statistics for Scottish Government employees as at 31 December 2014.

Coverage

Along with the core Scottish Government, the statistics in this annex include the following public bodies: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Advocate General for Scotland, British Irish Council, Courts Tribunals, Court of Lord Lyon, Crofting Commission, Disclosure Scotland, Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, Education Scotland, HMI Constabulary, HMI Prisons, Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Parole Board, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Risk Management Authority, Scotland Office, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Scottish Housing Regulator, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland.

Employees in the following categories are included:

Permanent staff; staff on maternity, paternity or adoption leave; outward secondments; staff on career breaks; modern apprentices; fixed-term appointments (open competition and no competition); and students (paid).

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Tables and charts

The tables show the diversity data as at 31 December 2014, along with summary data for two earlier points in time to give trend information. The December 2014 data includes a breakdown by work pattern (full-time or part-time) and by pay band.

The previous version of the publication reported on the data at 31 January 2013. These tables were updated (but not published at the time) with data from 31 January 2014. The summary data for these two points in time are included in the tables. It is intended that future publications of this report will use data as at 31 December each year. As the staff numbers are a snapshot taken at a specific point in time, the effect of the change should be minimal. However, the table 'Staff on maternity leave' reports an 11-month period for the latest data. This will revert to a 12-month period in future editions of this report.

Where appropriate, charts have been included to illustrate the information in the tables. The charts show the work pattern breakdown and trend information. Please note that in cases where data suppression has been necessary the chart will show a blank column.

The tables contain staff headcounts and row percentages – that is, the percentage of the total staff in each category (for example, in each of the age groups 16-29, 30-39, and so on). The sum of the percentages in each row will be 100% (with the exception of Table A8 which is slightly different from the others).

Where tables provide a breakdown by pay band, the 'Other' category includes people whose pay band is not assimilated into the SG Main structure. The majority of these are staff working in Marine Scotland.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Table A1: Staff numbers by age

| Counts and row percentages
| Age Group
16-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60+ | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 866 | 11.8% | 1991 | 27.1% | 2303 | 31.3% | 1047 | 14.2% | 763 | 10.4% | 379 | 5.2% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 881 | 11.7% | 2064 | 27.3% | 2310 | 30.6% | 1106 | 14.7% | 789 | 10.5% | 397 | 5.3% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 937 | 11.8% | 2127 | 26.9% | 2334 | 29.5% | 1194 | 15.1% | 883 | 11.2% | 435 | 5.5% | 7910
Full-time | 882 | 13.3% | 1718 | 25.9% | 1882 | 28.4% | 1064 | 16.0% | 790 | 11.9% | 296 | 4.5% | 6632
Part-time | 55 | 4.3% | 409 | 32.0% | 452 | 35.4% | 130 | 10.2% | 93 | 7.3% | 139 | 10.9% | 1278
Pay Band A | 467 | 23.1% | 438 | 21.7% | 428 | 21.2% | 271 | 13.4% | 251 | 12.4% | 165 | 8.2% | 2020
Pay Band B | 419 | 10.4% | 1256 | 31.2% | 1223 | 30.4% | 582 | 14.5% | 373 | 9.3% | 171 | 4.2% | 4024
Pay Band C | 22 | 1.5% | 381 | 26.5% | 567 | 39.5% | 251 | 17.5% | 163 | 11.3% | 53 | 3.7% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | 0 | 0.0% | 9 | 5.1% | 68 | 38.4% | 44 | 24.9% | 44 | 24.9% | 12 | 6.8% | 177
Other | 29 | 11.5% | 43 | 17.1% | 48 | 19.0% | 46 | 18.3% | 52 | 20.6% | 34 | 13.5% | 252

Chart A1: Work pattern by age group, Dec 2014

Chart A2: All staff by age group, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A2: Staff numbers by gender

| Counts and row percentages
| Gender
Female | Male | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 3772 | 51.3% | 3577 | 48.7% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 3903 | 51.7% | 3644 | 48.3% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 4102 | 51.9% | 3808 | 48.1% | 7910
Full-time | 3012 | 45.4% | 3620 | 54.6% | 6632
Part-time | 1090 | 85.3% | 188 | 14.7% | 1278
Pay Band A | 1172 | 58.0% | 848 | 42.0% | 2020
Pay Band B | 2063 | 51.3% | 1961 | 48.7% | 4024
Pay Band C | 746 | 51.9% | 691 | 48.1% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | 64 | 36.2% | 113 | 63.8% | 177
Other | 57 | 22.6% | 195 | 77.4% | 252

Chart A3: Work pattern by gender, Dec 2014

Chart A4: All staff by gender, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A3: Staff numbers by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
| Ethnic Group
Ethnic minority | White | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 101 | 1.4% | 5550 | 75.5% | 105 | 1.4% | 1593 | 21.7% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 116 | 1.5% | 5692 | 75.4% | 100 | 1.3% | 1639 | 21.7% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 122 | 1.5% | 6017 | 76.1% | 118 | 1.5% | 1653 | 20.9% | 7910
Full-time | 106 | 1.6% | 4982 | 75.1% | 105 | 1.6% | 1439 | 21.7% | 6632
Part-time | 16 | 1.3% | 1035 | 81.0% | 13 | 1.0% | 214 | 16.7% | 1278
Pay Band A | 42 | 2.1% | 1355 | 67.1% | 29 | 1.4% | 594 | 29.4% | 2020
Pay Band B | 60 | 1.5% | 3229 | 80.2% | 65 | 1.6% | 670 | 16.7% | 4024
Pay Band C | 17 | 1.2% | 1190 | 82.8% | 20 | 1.4% | 210 | 14.6% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | * | * | 147 | 83.1% | * | * | 24 | 13.6% | 177
Other | * | * | 96 | 38.1% | * | * | 155 | 61.5% | 252

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
'Ethnic minority' group includes African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; Other Ethnic Group.

Chart A5: Work Pattern by ethnic group, Dec 2014

Chart A6: All staff by ethnic group, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A4: Staff numbers by sexual orientation

| Counts and row percentages
| Sexual Orientation
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and other | Heterosexual/ straight | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 66 | 0.9% | 1268 | 17.3% | 91 | 1.2% | 5924 | 80.6% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 129 | 1.7% | 2841 | 37.6% | 181 | 2.4% | 4396 | 58.2% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 139 | 1.8% | 3199 | 40.4% | 211 | 2.7% | 4361 | 55.1% | 7910
Full-time | 134 | 2.0% | 2726 | 41.1% | 190 | 2.9% | 3582 | 54.0% | 6632
Part-time | 5 | 0.4% | 473 | 37.0% | 21 | 1.6% | 779 | 61.0% | 1278
Pay Band A | 39 | 1.9% | 632 | 31.3% | 50 | 2.5% | 1299 | 64.3% | 2020
Pay Band B | 67 | 1.7% | 1829 | 45.5% | 111 | 2.8% | 2017 | 50.1% | 4024
Pay Band C | 30 | 2.1% | 633 | 44.1% | 46 | 3.2% | 728 | 50.7% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | * | * | 61 | 34.5% | * | * | 110 | 62.1% | 177
Other | * | * | 44 | 17.5% | * | * | 207 | 82.1% | 252

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart A7: Work pattern by sexual orientation, Dec 2014

Chart A8: All staff by sexual orientation, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A5: Staff numbers by disability status

| Counts and row percentages
| Disability status
Disabled | Not disabled | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 290 | 3.9% | 4309 | 58.6% | 34 | 0.5% | 2716 | 37.0% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 307 | 4.1% | 4234 | 56.1% | 36 | 0.5% | 2970 | 39.4% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 385 | 4.9% | 4182 | 52.9% | 46 | 0.6% | 3297 | 41.7% | 7910
Full-time | 316 | 4.8% | 3420 | 51.6% | 41 | 0.6% | 2855 | 43.0% | 6632
Part-time | 69 | 5.4% | 762 | 59.6% | 5 | 0.4% | 442 | 34.6% | 1278
Pay Band A | 138 | 6.8% | 885 | 43.8% | 10 | 0.5% | 987 | 48.9% | 2020
Pay Band B | 188 | 4.7% | 2207 | 54.8% | 31 | 0.8% | 1598 | 39.7% | 4024
Pay Band C | * | * | 902 | 62.8% | * | * | 478 | 33.3% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | * | * | 122 | 68.9% | * | * | 51 | 28.8% | 177
Other | * | * | 66 | 26.2% | * | * | 183 | 72.6% | 252

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart A9: Work pattern by disability status, Dec 2014

Chart A10: All staff by disability status, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A6: Staff numbers by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
| Marital/Civil Partnership Status
Married | Single | Other status | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 3280 | 44.6% | 1372 | 18.7% | 585 | 8.0% | 447 | 6.1% | 1665 | 22.7% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 3293 | 43.6% | 1302 | 17.3% | 612 | 8.1% | 422 | 5.6% | 1918 | 25.4% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 3369 | 42.6% | 1286 | 16.3% | 640 | 8.1% | 426 | 5.4% | 2189 | 27.7% | 7910
Full-time | 2551 | 38.5% | 1174 | 17.7% | 553 | 8.3% | 380 | 5.7% | 1974 | 29.8% | 6632
Part-time | 818 | 64.0% | 112 | 8.8% | 87 | 6.8% | 46 | 3.6% | 215 | 16.8% | 1278
Pay Band A | 611 | 30.2% | 452 | 22.4% | 177 | 8.8% | 152 | 7.5% | 628 | 31.1% | 2020
Pay Band B | 1822 | 45.3% | 650 | 16.2% | 351 | 8.7% | 191 | 4.7% | 1010 | 25.1% | 4024
Pay Band C | 772 | 53.7% | 141 | 9.8% | 95 | 6.6% | 64 | 4.5% | 365 | 25.4% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | 106 | 59.9% | 22 | 12.4% | 9 | 5.1% | 4 | 2.3% | 36 | 20.3% | 177
Other | 58 | 23.0% | 21 | 8.3% | 8 | 3.2% | 15 | 6.0% | 150 | 59.5% | 252

The following have been grouped into the 'Other status' category: civil partnership, divorced, domestic partner, legally separated, living together, separated, and widowed.

Chart A11: Work pattern by Martial/civil partnership status, Dec 2014

Chart A12: All staff by marital.civil partnership status, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A7: Staff numbers by religion/belief

| Counts and row percentages
| Religion or Belief
Christian | Other Religion or Belief | No Religion or Belief | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 648 | 8.8% | 54 | 0.7% | 639 | 8.7% | 91 | 1.2% | 5917 | 80.5% | 7349
Jan-14 | All employees | 1309 | 17.3% | 116 | 1.5% | 1523 | 20.2% | 191 | 2.5% | 4408 | 58.4% | 7547
Dec-14 | All employees | 1393 | 17.6% | 178 | 2.3% | 1706 | 21.6% | 231 | 2.9% | 4402 | 55.7% | 7910
Full-time | 1168 | 17.6% | 157 | 2.4% | 1479 | 22.3% | 204 | 3.1% | 3624 | 54.6% | 6632
Part-time | 225 | 17.6% | 21 | 1.6% | 227 | 17.8% | 27 | 2.1% | 778 | 60.9% | 1278
Pay Band A | 290 | 14.4% | 48 | 2.4% | 338 | 16.7% | 47 | 2.3% | 1297 | 64.2% | 2020
Pay Band B | 805 | 20.0% | 86 | 2.1% | 961 | 23.9% | 131 | 3.3% | 2041 | 50.7% | 4024
Pay Band C | 251 | 17.5% | 37 | 2.6% | 361 | 25.1% | 47 | 3.3% | 741 | 51.6% | 1437
Senior Civil Service | 26 | 14.7% | * | * | 27 | 15.3% | * | * | 113 | 63.8% | 177
Other | 21 | 8.3% | * | * | 19 | 7.5% | * | * | 210 | 83.3% | 252

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
'Other religion or belief' includes Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, Hindu, Pagan, and Other.

Chart A13: Work pattern by religion or belief, Dec 2014

Chart A14: All staff by religion or belief, change between Jan 2013 and Dec 2014

Table A8: Scottish Government – staff on maternity leave

Counts and percentages

Period

On maternity leave at
end of period
Number of staff who returned from
maternity leave during the period after:

Count
% of total staff
0-26 weeks
27-39 weeks
40-52 weeks
Total

Feb-12 to Jan-13
All employees
108
1.5%
21
65
85
171

Feb-13 to Jan-14
All employees
131
1.7%
20
47
83
150

Feb-14 to Dec-14
All employees
120
1.5%
14
58
81
153

Full-time
84
1.3%
*
*
51
98

Part-time
36
2.8%
*
*
30
55

Pay Band A
29
1.4%
6
16
16
38

Pay Band B
62
1.5%
*
*
48
88

Pay Band C
27
1.9%
*
*
16
25

Senior Civil Service
*
*
*
*
*
*

Other
*
*
*
*
*
*

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Annex B - Scottish Government, Agencies and Other Bodies - Leavers diversity data

The tables and charts in this annex show the diversity statistics for staff who left the Scottish Government during the period 1 February 2014 to 31 December 2014.

Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest figures are for an 11-month period.

Coverage

Along with the core Scottish Government, the statistics in this annex include the following public bodies: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Advocate General for Scotland, British Irish Council, Courts Tribunals, Court of Lord Lyon, Crofting Commission, Disclosure Scotland, Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, Education Scotland, HMI Constabulary, HMI Prisons, Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Parole Board, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Risk Management Authority, Scotland Office, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Scottish Housing Regulator, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland.

Reasons for leaving

For convenience, the reasons for leaving have been grouped into the following six categories:

Resignation

Retirement – retirement (age grounds) above minimum age, retirement (age grounds) minimum age, retirement (ill health)

Voluntary exit

End of fixed-term appointment

Dismissal – dismissal (disciplinary) without compensation, dismissal (inefficiency) probation/trial, dismissal (inefficiency) with compensation, dismissal (inefficiency) without compensation

Other – death in service, failed to take up employment, loan to another department, transfer to another department

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Tables and charts

The tables show the diversity data for leavers for the period 1 February 2014 to 31 December 2014 (an 11-month period), along with summary data for two earlier 12-month periods to give trend information. The latest data includes a breakdown by leaving reason.

The previous version of the publication reported on the data for the period 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013. These tables were updated (but not published at the time) with data for the period 1 February 2013 to 31 January 2014. The summary data for these two periods are included in the tables. It is intended that future publications of this report will use data as at 31 December each year and will revert to a 12-month period in future editions of this report.

Where appropriate, charts have been included to illustrate the information in the tables. The charts show the trend information for the three latest periods. Please note that in cases where data suppression has been necessary the chart will show a blank column.

The tables contain staff headcounts and row percentages – that is, the percentage of the total leavers in each category (for example, in each of the age groups 16-29, 30-39, and so on). The sum of the percentages in each row will be 100%.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Table B1: Leavers by age

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Age Group
16-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60+ | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 170 | 20.8% | 133 | 16.3% | 132 | 16.2% | 98 | 12.0% | 111 | 13.6% | 172 | 21.1% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 172 | 27.3% | 114 | 18.1% | 87 | 13.8% | 56 | 8.9% | 89 | 14.1% | 111 | 17.6% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 186 | 40.3% | 95 | 20.6% | 53 | 11.5% | 27 | 5.8% | 31 | 6.7% | 70 | 15.2% | 462
Resignation | 55 | 35.7% | 44 | 28.6% | 32 | 20.8% | 8 | 5.2% | 8 | 5.2% | 7 | 4.5% | 154
Retirement | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 37 | 88.1% | 42
Voluntary exit | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 115 | 60.2% | 35 | 18.3% | 10 | 5.2% | 11 | 5.8% | 9 | 4.7% | 11 | 5.8% | 191
Dismissal | 8 | 42.1% | * | * | 5 | 26.3% | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 19
Other | 8 | 17.0% | 12 | 25.5% | * | * | * | * | 7 | 14.9% | 12 | 25.5% | 47

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B1: Leavers by age group, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B2: Leavers by gender

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Gender
Female | Male | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 417 | 51.1% | 399 | 48.9% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 290 | 46.1% | 339 | 53.9% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 186 | 40.3% | 276 | 59.7% | 462
Resignation | 81 | 52.6% | 73 | 47.4% | 154
Retirement | 13 | 31.0% | 29 | 69.0% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | * | * | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 67 | 35.1% | 124 | 64.9% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | * | * | 19
Other | 17 | 36.2% | 30 | 63.8% | 47

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B2: Leavers by gender, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B3: Leavers by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Ethnic Group
Ethnic minority | White | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 14 | 1.7% | 480 | 58.8% | 9 | 1.1% | 313 | 38.4% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | * | * | 327 | 52.0% | * | * | 290 | 46.1% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | * | * | 172 | 37.2% | * | * | 284 | 61.5% | 462
Resignation | * | * | 77 | 50.0% | * | * | 75 | 48.7% | 154
Retirement | * | * | 35 | 83.3% | * | * | * | 11.9% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | 7 | 77.8% | * | * | * | 22.2% | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | * | * | 13 | 6.8% | * | * | 177 | 92.7% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | 8 | 42.1% | * | * | 10 | 52.6% | 19
Other | * | * | 32 | 68.1% | * | * | 15 | 31.9% | 47

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
'Ethnic minority' group includes African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; Other Ethnic Group.

Chart B3: Leavers by ethnic group, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B4: Leavers by sexual orientation

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Sexual Orientation
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and other | Heterosexual/ straight | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 5 | 0.6% | 87 | 10.7% | 8 | 1.0% | 716 | 87.7% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | * | * | 116 | 18.4% | * | * | 501 | 79.7% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | * | * | 93 | 20.1% | * | * | 363 | 78.6% | 462
Resignation | * | * | 48 | 31.2% | * | * | 103 | 66.9% | 154
Retirement | * | * | 11 | 26.2% | * | * | 30 | 71.4% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 8 | 88.9% | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | * | * | 13 | 6.8% | * | * | 178 | 93.2% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | 5 | 26.3% | * | * | 14 | 73.7% | 19
Other | * | * | 16 | 34.0% | * | * | 30 | 63.8% | 47

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B4: Leavers by sexual orientation, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B5: Leavers by disability status

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Disability status
Disabled | Not disabled | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 37 | 4.5% | 382 | 46.8% | 2 | 0.2% | 395 | 48.4% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 28 | 4.5% | 236 | 37.5% | 4 | 0.6% | 361 | 57.4% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 12 | 2.6% | 115 | 24.9% | 0 | 0.0% | 335 | 72.5% | 462
Resignation | * | * | 53 | 34.4% | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 154
Retirement | 5 | 11.9% | 26 | 61.9% | 0 | 0.0% | 11 | 26.2% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 0 | 0.0% | 6 | 3.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 185 | 96.9% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | 12 | 63.2% | 19
Other | * | * | 20 | 42.6% | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 47

Counts of less than 5 (except columns totals) have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B5: Leavers by disability status, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B6: Leavers by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Marital and Civil Partnership Status
Married | Single | Other status | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 321 | 39.3% | 129 | 15.8% | 53 | 6.5% | 68 | 8.3% | 245 | 30.0% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 198 | 31.5% | 96 | 15.3% | 34 | 5.4% | 46 | 7.3% | 255 | 40.5% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 100 | 21.6% | 55 | 11.9% | 12 | 2.6% | 34 | 7.4% | 261 | 56.5% | 462
Resignation | 37 | 24.0% | 19 | 12.3% | 5 | 3.2% | 15 | 9.7% | 78 | 50.6% | 154
Retirement | 27 | 64.3% | * | * | * | * | * | * | 6 | 14.3% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | 5 | 55.6% | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 10 | 5.2% | 17 | 8.9% | * | * | * | * | 148 | 77.5% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9 | 47.4% | 19
Other | 19 | 40.4% | 7 | 14.9% | * | * | * | * | 20 | 42.6% | 47

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
The following have been grouped into the 'Other status' category: civil partnership, divorced, domestic partner, legally separated, living together, separated, and widowed.

Chart B6: Leavers by marital/civil partnership status, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B7: Leavers by religion or belief

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Religion or Belief
Christian | Other religion or belief | No religion or belief | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 40 | 4.9% | * | * | 46 | 5.6% | * | * | 717 | 87.9% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 53 | 8.4% | * | * | 65 | 10.3% | * | * | 502 | 79.8% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 45 | 9.7% | * | * | 51 | 11.0% | * | * | 361 | 78.1% | 462
Resignation | 18 | 11.7% | * | * | 30 | 19.5% | * | * | 103 | 66.9% | 154
Retirement | 10 | 23.8% | * | * | * | * | * | * | 29 | 69.0% | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | 8 | 88.9% | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | * | * | * | * | 11 | 5.8% | * | * | 178 | 93.2% | 191
Dismissal | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 14 | 73.7% | 19
Other | 10 | 21.3% | * | * | 6 | 12.8% | * | * | 29 | 61.7% | 47

Counts of less than 5 (except column totals) have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B7: Leavers by religion or belief, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B8: Leavers by work pattern

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Work pattern
Full-time | Part-time | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 643 | 78.8% | 173 | 21.2% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 528 | 83.9% | 101 | 16.1% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 403 | 87.2% | 59 | 12.8% | 462
Resignation | 129 | 83.8% | 25 | 16.2% | 154
Retirement | 24 | 57.1% | 18 | 42.9% | 42
Voluntary exit | 9 | 100.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 182 | 95.3% | 9 | 4.7% | 191
Dismissal | 19 | 100.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 19
Other | 40 | 85.1% | 7 | 14.9% | 47

Chart B8: Leavers by work pattern, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Table B9: Leavers by pay band

| Counts and row percentages
Period | Reason | Pay Band
Band A | Band B | Band C | Senior Civil Service | Other | Total
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All leavers | 267 | 32.7% | 328 | 40.2% | 91 | 11.2% | 20 | 2.5% | 110 | 13.5% | 816
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All leavers | 214 | 34.0% | 245 | 39.0% | 65 | 10.3% | 16 | 2.5% | 89 | 14.1% | 629
Feb-14 to Dec-14 | All leavers | 144 | 31.2% | 173 | 37.5% | 33 | 7.2% | 9 | 2.0% | 102 | 22.1% | 461
Resignation | 50 | 32.5% | 72 | 46.8% | 12 | 7.8% | * | * | 17 | 11.0% | 154
Retirement | 15 | 35.7% | 11 | 26.2% | 10 | 23.8% | * | * | * | * | 42
Voluntary exit | * | * | 5 | 55.6% | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9
End of fixed-term appointment | 55 | 28.8% | 57 | 29.8% | * | * | * | * | 74 | 38.7% | 191
Dismissal | 13 | 68.4% | 5 | 26.3% | * | * | * | * | * | * | 19
Other | * | * | 23 | 50.0% | 5 | 10.9% | * | * | 6 | 13.0% | 46

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Chart B9: Leavers by pay band, Feb 2012 – Dec 2014

Annex C - Scottish Government, Agencies and Other Bodies - New and promoted staff diversity data

The tables in this Annex show the diversity statistics for Scottish Government employees who were recruited or promoted in the period 1 February 2014 to 31 December 2014.

Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest figures are for an 11-month period.

Coverage

Along with the core Scottish Government, the statistics in this annex include the following public bodies: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Advocate General for Scotland, British Irish Council, Courts Tribunals, Court of Lord Lyon, Crofting Commission, Disclosure Scotland, Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, Education Scotland, HMI Constabulary, HMI Prisons, Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Parole Board, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Risk Management Authority, Scotland Office, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Scottish Housing Regulator, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland.

New recruits

Employees in the following categories are reported:

Permanent staff; fixed-term appointments; inward loans; modern apprenticeships; and paid student placements. In the tables, the non-permanent categories are grouped and shown as 'others'.

Promotions

The promotions reported here relate predominantly to permanent staff. A small number of fixed-term appointments were promoted but the figures are too small to be shown separately without encountering data disclosure issues.

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Tables

The tables show the diversity data for staff who were recruited or promoted in the period 1 February 2014 to 31 December 2014 (an 11-month period), along with summary data for two earlier 12-month periods to give trend information. The latest recruitment data is broken down into 'permanent' and 'other' staff.

The previous version of the publication reported on the data for the period 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013. These tables were updated (but not published at the time) with data for the period 1 February 2013 to 31 January 2014. The summary data for these two periods are included in the tables. It is intended that future publications of this report will use data as at 31 December each year and will revert to a 12-month period in future editions of this report.

The tables contain staff headcounts and row percentages – that is, the percentage of the total number of new recruits or promotions in each category (for example, in each of the age groups 16-29, 30-39, and so on). The sum of the percentages in each row will be 100%.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Table C1: Recruitment & promotions by age group

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Age Group | Total
16-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60+
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 312 | 49.2% | 153 | 24.1% | 91 | 14.4% | 42 | 6.6% | 23 | 3.6% | 13 | 2.1% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 363 | 42.4% | 211 | 24.6% | 152 | 17.8% | 70 | 8.2% | 39 | 4.6% | 21 | 2.5% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 406 | 48.2% | 196 | 23.3% | 116 | 13.8% | 69 | 8.2% | 38 | 4.5% | 18 | 2.1% | 843
Permanent | 87 | 27.8% | 108 | 34.5% | 68 | 21.7% | 35 | 11.2% | 12 | 3.8% | 3 | 1.0% | 313
Other | 319 | 60.2% | 88 | 16.6% | 48 | 9.1% | 34 | 6.4% | 26 | 4.9% | 15 | 2.8% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 132 | 19.1% | 283 | 41.0% | 174 | 25.2% | 61 | 8.8% | 31 | 4.5% | 10 | 1.4% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 123 | 17.9% | 291 | 42.4% | 187 | 27.3% | 57 | 8.3% | * | * | * | * | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 99 | 17.6% | 207 | 36.9% | 162 | 28.9% | 62 | 11.1% | 23 | 4.1% | 8 | 1.4% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C2: Recruitment & promotions by gender

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Gender | Total
Female | Male
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 303 | 47.8% | 331 | 52.2% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 433 | 50.6% | 423 | 49.4% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 396 | 47.0% | 447 | 53.0% | 843
Permanent | 163 | 52.1% | 150 | 47.9% | 313
Other | 233 | 44.0% | 297 | 56.0% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 388 | 56.2% | 303 | 43.8% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 410 | 59.8% | 276 | 40.2% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 297 | 52.9% | 264 | 47.1% | 561

** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C3: Recruitment & promotions by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Ethnic Group | Total
Ethnic minority | White | Prefer not to say | Not known
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 12 | 1.9% | 214 | 33.8% | 3 | 0.5% | 405 | 63.9% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 12 | 1.4% | 348 | 40.7% | 3 | 0.4% | 493 | 57.6% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 5 | 0.6% | 271 | 32.1% | 2 | 0.2% | 566 | 67.1% | 843
Permanent | * | * | 177 | 56.5% | * | * | 132 | 42.2% | 313
Other | * | * | 94 | 17.7% | * | * | 434 | 81.9% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 11 | 1.6% | 536 | 77.6% | 9 | 1.3% | 135 | 19.5% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 18 | 2.6% | 549 | 80.0% | 10 | 1.5% | 109 | 15.9% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 17 | 3.0% | 457 | 81.5% | 7 | 1.2% | 80 | 14.3% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C4: Recruitment & promotions by disability status

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Disability Status | Total
Disabled | Not disabled | Prefer not to say | Not known
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 12 | 1.9% | 64 | 10.1% | 1 | 0.2% | 557 | 87.9% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 20 | 2.3% | 114 | 13.3% | 1 | 0.1% | 721 | 84.2% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 25 | 3.0% | 89 | 10.6% | 0 | 0.0% | 729 | 86.5% | 843
Permanent | 16 | 5.1% | 50 | 16.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 247 | 78.9% | 313
Other | 9 | 1.7% | 39 | 7.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 482 | 90.9% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 23 | 3.3% | 388 | 56.2% | 5 | 0.7% | 275 | 39.8% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 36 | 5.2% | 384 | 56.0% | 5 | 0.7% | 261 | 38.0% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 33 | 5.9% | 294 | 52.4% | 6 | 1.1% | 228 | 40.6% | 561

** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C5: Recruitment & promotions by sexual orientation

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Sexual Orientation | Total
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and other | Heterosexual/ straight | Prefer not to say | Not known
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | * | * | 48 | 7.6% | * | * | 584 | 92.1% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 12 | 1.4% | 335 | 39.1% | 14 | 1.6% | 495 | 57.8% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 8 | 0.9% | 259 | 30.7% | 21 | 2.5% | 555 | 65.8% | 843
Permanent | * | * | 180 | 57.5% | * | * | 118 | 37.7% | 313
Other | * | * | 79 | 14.9% | * | * | 437 | 82.5% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 8 | 1.2% | 222 | 32.1% | 14 | 2.0% | 447 | 64.7% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 23 | 3.4% | 522 | 76.1% | 23 | 3.4% | 118 | 17.2% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 13 | 2.3% | 342 | 61.0% | 16 | 2.9% | 190 | 33.9% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C6: Recruitment & promotions by religion/belief

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Religion or Belief | Total
Christian | Other religion or belief | No religion or belief | Prefer not to say | Not known
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 20 | 3.2% | * | * | 29 | 4.6% | * | * | 584 | 92.1% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 144 | 16.8% | 14 | 1.6% | 181 | 21.1% | 20 | 2.3% | 497 | 58.1% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 84 | 10.0% | 29 | 3.4% | 139 | 16.5% | 18 | 2.1% | 573 | 68.0% | 843
Permanent | 56 | 17.9% | 18 | 5.8% | 95 | 30.4% | 10 | 3.2% | 134 | 42.8% | 313
Other | 28 | 5.3% | 11 | 2.1% | 44 | 8.3% | 8 | 1.5% | 439 | 82.8% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 97 | 14.0% | 7 | 1.0% | 127 | 18.4% | 13 | 1.9% | 447 | 64.7% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 224 | 32.7% | 13 | 1.9% | 292 | 42.6% | 31 | 4.5% | 126 | 18.4% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 106 | 18.9% | 37 | 6.6% | 204 | 36.4% | 23 | 4.1% | 191 | 34.0% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C7: Recruitment & promotions by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Marital/Civil partnership status | Total
Married | Single | Other status | Prefer not to say | Not known
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 72 | 11.4% | 93 | 14.7% | 17 | 2.7% | 50 | 7.9% | 402 | 63.4% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 95 | 11.1% | 79 | 9.2% | 16 | 1.9% | 59 | 6.9% | 607 | 70.9% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 73 | 8.7% | 61 | 7.2% | 13 | 1.5% | 56 | 6.6% | 640 | 75.9% | 843
Permanent | 45 | 14.4% | 20 | 6.4% | * | * | * | * | 231 | 73.8% | 313
Other | 28 | 5.3% | 41 | 7.7% | * | * | * | * | 409 | 77.2% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 299 | 43.3% | 124 | 17.9% | 65 | 9.4% | 72 | 10.4% | 131 | 19.0% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 272 | 39.7% | 130 | 19.0% | 68 | 9.9% | 66 | 9.6% | 150 | 21.9% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 227 | 40.5% | 109 | 19.4% | 54 | 9.6% | 33 | 5.9% | 138 | 24.6% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
The following have been grouped into the 'Other status' category: civil partnership, divorced, domestic partner, legally separated, living together, separated, and widowed.
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C8: Recruitment & promotions by work pattern

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Work pattern | Total
Full-time | Part-time
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 584 | 92.1% | 50 | 7.9% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 804 | 93.9% | 52 | 6.1% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 786 | 93.2% | 57 | 6.8% | 843
Permanent | 286 | 91.4% | 27 | 8.6% | 313
Other | 500 | 94.3% | 30 | 5.7% | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 613 | 88.7% | 78 | 11.3% | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 608 | 88.6% | 78 | 11.4% | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 501 | 89.3% | 60 | 10.7% | 561

** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Table C9: Recruitment & promotions by pay band

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Pay band | Total
Band A | Band B | Band C | Senior Civil Service | Others
New recruits
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All recruits | 258 | 40.7% | 242 | 38.2% | 31 | 4.9% | 8 | 1.3% | 95 | 15.0% | 634
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All recruits | 279 | 32.6% | 351 | 41.0% | 87 | 10.2% | 10 | 1.2% | 129 | 15.1% | 856
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All recruits | 309 | 36.7% | 324 | 38.4% | 87 | 10.3% | * | * | * | * | 843
Permanent | 68 | 21.7% | 172 | 55.0% | 60 | 19.2% | * | * | * | * | 313
Other | 241 | 45.5% | 152 | 28.7% | 27 | 5.1% | * | * | * | * | 530
Promotions
Feb-12 to Jan-13 | All promotions | 115 | 16.6% | 428 | 61.9% | 134 | 19.4% | * | * | * | * | 691
Feb-13 to Jan-14 | All promotions | 112 | 16.3% | 410 | 59.8% | 137 | 20.0% | * | * | * | * | 686
Feb-14 to Dec-14** | All promotions | 67 | 11.9% | 375 | 66.8% | 114 | 20.3% | 5 | 0.9% | 0 | 0.0% | 561

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
** Note that due to the change in the reporting timetable the latest results refer to an 11-month period.

Annex D - Scottish Government, Agencies and Other Bodies - Senior Civil Service staff diversity data

The tables and charts in this Annex show the diversity statistics for Scottish Government employees in the Senior Civil Service (SCS) as at 31 December 2014.

Coverage

Along with the core Scottish Government, the statistics in this annex include the following public bodies: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Advocate General for Scotland, British Irish Council, Courts Tribunals, Court of Lord Lyon, Crofting Commission, Disclosure Scotland, Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, Education Scotland, HMI Constabulary, HMI Prisons, Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Parole Board, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Risk Management Authority, Scotland Office, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Scottish Housing Regulator, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland.

Employees in the following categories are included:

Permanent staff; staff on maternity, paternity or adoption leave; outward secondments; staff on career breaks; and fixed-term appointments.

Tables

The tables show the diversity data as at 31 December 2014, along with summary data for two earlier points in time to give trend information.

The previous version of the publication reported on the data at 31 January 2013. These tables were updated (but not published at the time) with data from 31 January 2014. The summary data for these two points in time are included in the tables. It is intended that future publications of this report will use data as at 31 December each year. As the staff numbers are a snapshot taken at a specific point in time, the effect of the change should be minimal.

The tables contain staff headcounts and row percentages – that is, the percentage of the total SCS staff in each category (for example, in each of the age groups 16-29, 30-39, and so on). The sum of the percentages in each row will be 100%.

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Table D1: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by age

| Counts and row percentages
| Age Group
16-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60+ | Total
Jan-13 | 0 | 0.0% | 7 | 3.9% | 77 | 43.0% | 44 | 24.6% | 36 | 20.1% | 15 | 8.4% | 179
Jan-14 | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 5.5% | 79 | 43.3% | 41 | 22.5% | 41 | 22.5% | 11 | 6.0% | 182
Dec-14 | 0 | 0.0% | 9 | 5.1% | 68 | 38.4% | 44 | 24.9% | 44 | 24.9% | 12 | 6.8% | 177

Table D2: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by gender

| Counts and row percentages
| Gender
Female | Male | Total
Jan-13 | 65 | 36.3% | 114 | 63.7% | 179
Jan-14 | 66 | 36.3% | 116 | 63.7% | 182
Dec-14 | 64 | 36.2% | 113 | 63.8% | 177

Table D3: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
| Ethnic Group
Ethnic minority | White | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | * | * | 153 | 85.5% | * | * | 20 | 11.2% | 179
Jan-14 | * | * | 149 | 81.9% | * | * | 27 | 14.8% | 182
Dec-14 | * | * | 147 | 83.1% | * | * | 24 | 13.6% | 177

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.
'Ethnic minority' group includes African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; Other Ethnic Group.

Table D4: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by sexual orientation

| Counts and row percentages
| Sexual Orientation
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and other | Heterosexual/ straight | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | * | * | 31 | 17.3% | * | * | 144 | 80.4% | 179
Jan-14 | * | * | 57 | 31.3% | * | * | 118 | 64.8% | 182
Dec-14 | * | * | 61 | 34.5% | * | * | 110 | 62.1% | 177

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Table D5: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by disability status

| Counts and row percentages
| Disability status
Disabled | Not disabled | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | 5 | 2.8% | 132 | 73.7% | 0 | 0.0% | 42 | 23.5% | 179
Jan-14 | * | * | 127 | 69.8% | * | * | 51 | 28.0% | 182
Dec-14 | * | * | 122 | 68.9% | * | * | 51 | 28.8% | 177

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Table D6: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
| Marital/Civil Partnership Status
Married | Single | Others | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | 106 | 59.2% | 23 | 12.8% | 11 | 6.1% | 6 | 3.4% | 33 | 18.4% | 179
Jan-14 | 110 | 60.4% | 22 | 12.1% | 8 | 4.4% | 4 | 2.2% | 38 | 20.9% | 182
Dec-14 | 106 | 59.9% | 22 | 12.4% | 9 | 5.1% | 4 | 2.3% | 36 | 20.3% | 177

Values of less than 5 have not been suppressed here because the only low numbers are in the 'prefer not to say' category.
The following have been grouped into the 'Other status' category: civil partnership, divorced, domestic partner, legally separated, living together, separated, and widowed.

Table D7: Senior Civil Service staff numbers by religion/belief

| Counts and row percentages
| Religion or Belief
Christian | Other Religion or Belief | No Religion or Belief | Prefer not to say | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | 14 | 7.8% | * | * | 16 | 8.9% | * | * | 144 | 80.4% | 179
Jan-14 | 27 | 14.8% | * | * | 27 | 14.8% | * | * | 120 | 65.9% | 182
Dec-14 | 26 | 14.7% | 5 | 2.8% | 27 | 15.3% | 6 | 3.4% | 113 | 63.8% | 177

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Annex E - Scottish Government, Agencies and Other Bodies - Staff appraisal markings

The tables in this Annex show the performance appraisal markings broken down by diversity characteristics for Scottish Government staff who were due an appraisal for the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014.

Coverage

Along with the core Scottish Government, the statistics in this annex include the following public bodies: Accountant in Bankruptcy, Advocate General for Scotland, British Irish Council, Courts Tribunals, Court of Lord Lyon, Crofting Commission, Disclosure Scotland, Education Scotland, HMI Constabulary, HMI Prisons, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Parole Board, Police Investigations & Review Commissioner, Risk Management Authority, Scotland Office, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, Scottish Housing Regulator, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland.

Appraisal markings

For the purposes of this report, the markings have been grouped into the following four categories:

Exceptional

Highly effective

Effective and below – markings of 'effective', 'partly effective', and 'not effective'

No marking – staff who were due an appraisal but have had no marking recorded on the HR system.

There were 16 members of staff who achieved a below effective performance marking in 2013-14. This number is too small to allow breakdowns by most protected characteristics. Below effective markings have therefore been grouped with 'effective' in this report.

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Table E1: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by gender

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Female | 160 | 4.6% | 1473 | 41.9% | 1504 | 42.8% | 378 | 10.8% | 3515
Male | 128 | 3.9% | 1343 | 40.5% | 1507 | 45.5% | 334 | 10.1% | 3312
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Table E2: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by age

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
16-29 | 23 | 3.6% | 217 | 33.7% | 350 | 54.3% | 54 | 8.4% | 644
30-39 | 86 | 4.6% | 800 | 42.6% | 803 | 42.8% | 189 | 10.1% | 1878
40-49 | 106 | 4.9% | 975 | 45.5% | 847 | 39.5% | 217 | 10.1% | 2145
50-54 | 40 | 3.9% | 417 | 40.2% | 472 | 45.5% | 108 | 10.4% | 1037
55-59 | 25 | 3.4% | 290 | 39.1% | 329 | 44.4% | 97 | 13.1% | 741
60+ | 8 | 2.1% | 117 | 30.6% | 210 | 55.0% | 47 | 12.3% | 382
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Table E3: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by disability

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Disabled | 10 | 3.3% | 103 | 34.2% | 169 | 56.1% | 19 | 6.3% | 301
Not disabled | 194 | 4.9% | 1747 | 44.2% | 1634 | 41.3% | 378 | 9.6% | 3953
Prefer not to say | 1 | 2.6% | 15 | 39.5% | 17 | 44.7% | 5 | 13.2% | 38
Not known | 83 | 3.3% | 951 | 37.5% | 1191 | 47.0% | 310 | 12.2% | 2535
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

No disclosure control has been applied to this table because the only small numbers are in the 'Prefer not to say' row.

Table E4: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Ethnic minority | * | * | 35 | 32.7% | 59 | 55.1% | * | * | 107
White | 252 | 4.7% | 2267 | 42.6% | 2297 | 43.2% | 504 | 9.5% | 5320
Prefer not to say | * | * | 45 | 43.3% | 45 | 43.3% | * | * | 104
Not known | 31 | 2.4% | 469 | 36.2% | 610 | 47.1% | 186 | 14.4% | 1296
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table E5: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Civil Partnership | * | * | 17 | 40.5% | * | * | * | * | 42
Divorced | 9 | 3.9% | 78 | 34.1% | 118 | 51.5% | 24 | 10.5% | 229
Domestic Partner | 5 | 5.3% | 45 | 47.9% | 35 | 37.2% | 9 | 9.6% | 94
Legally Separated | * | * | 6 | 50.0% | * | * | * | * | 12
Living Together | 8 | 6.4% | 49 | 39.2% | 58 | 46.4% | 10 | 8.0% | 125
Married | 144 | 4.6% | 1409 | 44.8% | 1289 | 41.0% | 302 | 9.6% | 3144
Not Known | 55 | 3.6% | 564 | 37.4% | 697 | 46.2% | 193 | 12.8% | 1509
Prefer not to say | 11 | 3.0% | 139 | 38.0% | 171 | 46.7% | 45 | 12.3% | 366
Separated | * | * | 20 | 28.6% | 39 | 55.7% | * | * | 70
Single | 48 | 4.0% | 472 | 39.8% | 557 | 46.9% | 110 | 9.3% | 1187
Widowed | * | * | 17 | 34.7% | 23 | 46.9% | * | * | 49
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table E6: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by sexual orientation

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and other | 6 | 4.7% | 53 | 41.7% | 59 | 46.5% | 9 | 7.1% | 127
Heterosexual/straight | 125 | 4.5% | 1149 | 41.1% | 1293 | 46.3% | 226 | 8.1% | 2793
Prefer not to say | 12 | 6.7% | 70 | 38.9% | 80 | 44.4% | 18 | 10.0% | 180
Not known | 145 | 3.9% | 1544 | 41.4% | 1579 | 42.4% | 459 | 12.3% | 3727
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Table E7: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by religion or belief

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Christian | 55 | 4.4% | 503 | 40.0% | 605 | 48.1% | 94 | 7.5% | 1257
Other religion or belief | * | * | 41 | 30.8% | 76 | 57.1% | * | * | 133
No religion or belief | 64 | 4.3% | 637 | 42.8% | 652 | 43.8% | 135 | 9.1% | 1488
Prefer not to say | * | * | 78 | 38.4% | 93 | 45.8% | * | * | 203
Not known | 149 | 4.0% | 1557 | 41.6% | 1585 | 42.3% | 455 | 12.1% | 3746
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table E8: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by work pattern

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Full-time | 244 | 4.3% | 2380 | 41.6% | 2509 | 43.8% | 590 | 10.3% | 5723
Part-time | 44 | 4.0% | 436 | 39.5% | 502 | 45.5% | 122 | 11.1% | 1104
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Table E9: Appraisal markings 2013-14 by pay band

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
Band A | * | * | 548 | 31.1% | 1005 | 57.0% | * | * | 1762
Band B | 137 | 3.8% | 1517 | 42.6% | 1591 | 44.7% | 316 | 8.9% | 3561
Band C | 102 | 8.2% | 671 | 53.9% | 320 | 25.7% | 151 | 12.1% | 1244
Other | * | * | 80 | 30.8% | 95 | 36.5% | * | * | 260
All | 288 | 4.2% | 2816 | 41.2% | 3011 | 44.1% | 712 | 10.4% | 6827

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table E10: Appraisal markings summary 2011-12 to 2013-14

| Counts and row percentages
| Exceptional | Highly Effective | Effective and below | No Marking | Total
2011-12 | 354 | 5.20% | 2930 | 42.70% | 3049 | 44.40% | 533 | 7.80% | 6866
2012-13 | 349 | 5.30% | 2917 | 44.10% | 2981 | 45.00% | 375 | 5.70% | 6622
2013-14 | 288 | 4.20% | 2816 | 41.20% | 3011 | 44.10% | 712 | 10.40% | 6827

Annex F - Scottish Public Appointments Diversity Statistics

The tables in this Annex show the diversity characteristics of the people who applied for and were appointed to posts on the various public bodies in Scotland for the period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014.

Coverage

The statistics cover the following public bodies, for which regulated ministerial appointments were made in 2014:

Chair (or equivalent) – Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, Children's Hearings Scotland, Creative Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway NHS, Dundee and Angus College, Grampian NHS Board, Historic Environment Scotland, National Confidential Forum, Regional Colleges and Regional Boards, School Closure Review Panel, Scottish Law Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage.

Member (or equivalent) – Accounts Commission for Scotland, Architecture and Design Scotland, Bord na Gaidhlig, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Care Inspectorate, Crofting Commission, David MacBrayne Ltd, Dumfries and Galloway NHS, Fife NHS Board, Grampian NHS Board, Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Board, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Historic Environment Scotland, Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland, Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS National Services Scotland, National Confidential Forum, National Library of Scotland, National Museums Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Parole Board for Scotland, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards, Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, Scottish Law Commission, Skills Development Scotland, Sportscotland, Western Isles NHS Board.

Tables

The tables show the diversity information for each of the protected characteristics at each stage of the recruitment process. The recruitment stages are:

Applied

Reached shortlist

Invited to interview

Appointable

Appointed

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied or category grouping has been carried out in any table, an explanatory note is provided.

Data source

The tables in this workbook were compiled from data held on the Scottish Government HR system. Information on the protected characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, marital/civil partnership status, and religion or belief) is provided by the employee on a voluntary basis. For some protected characteristics (for example, age and gender) the information held is complete or very nearly complete, while the information held for other characteristics is less well populated.

Scottish Public Appointments – Diversity Statistics for 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014

Table F1: Gender

| Counts and column percentages
| Applied | Reached Shortlist | Invited to Interview | Appointable | Appointed
Female | 654 | 38.2% | 649 | 38.2% | 175 | 41.1% | 69 | 40.8% | 55 | 45.8%
Male | 1053 | 61.6% | 1046 | 61.6% | 250 | 58.7% | 100 | 59.2% | 65 | 54.2%
Prefer not to say | 3 | 0.2% | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0%
All | 1710 | 100.0% | 1698 | 100.0% | 426 | 100.0% | 169 | 100.0% | 120 | 100.0%

No suppression of counts less than 5 in this table because 'prefer not to say' is not protected characteristic.

Table F2: Age group

| Counts and column percentages
| Applied | Reached Shortlist | Invited to Interview | Appointable | Appointed
34 and Under | 75 | 4.4% | 74 | 4.4% | 17 | 4.0% | 6 | 3.6% | * | *
35-39 | 68 | 4.0% | 67 | 3.9% | 14 | 3.3% | * | * | * | *
40-44 | 131 | 7.7% | 127 | 7.5% | 22 | 5.2% | 10 | 5.9% | 7 | 5.8%
45-49 | 235 | 13.7% | 231 | 13.6% | 50 | 11.7% | 19 | 11.2% | 16 | 13.3%
50-54 | 205 | 12.0% | 205 | 12.1% | 53 | 12.4% | 24 | 14.2% | 18 | 15.0%
55-59 | 327 | 19.1% | 327 | 19.3% | 93 | 21.8% | 38 | 22.5% | 27 | 22.5%
60-64 | 326 | 19.1% | 326 | 19.2% | 82 | 19.2% | 38 | 22.5% | 23 | 19.2%
65-69 | 149 | 8.7% | 149 | 8.8% | 55 | 12.9% | 19 | 11.2% | 14 | 11.7%
70+ | 54 | 3.2% | 54 | 3.2% | 6 | 1.4% | * | * | * | *
Prefer not to Say | 140 | 8.2% | 138 | 8.1% | 34 | 8.0% | 10 | 5.9% | 7 | 5.8%
All | 1710 | 100.0% | 1698 | 100.0% | 426 | 100.0% | 169 | 100.0% | 120 | 100.0%

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Table F3: Ethnic group

| Counts and column percentages
| Applied | Reached Shortlist | Invited to Interview | Appointable | Appointed
Ethnic Minority | 81 | 4.7% | 79 | 4.7% | 14 | 3.3% | 5 | 3.0% | * | *
White | 1590 | 93.0% | 1581 | 93.1% | 402 | 94.4% | 159 | 94.1% | 113 | 94.2%
Prefer not to say | 39 | 2.3% | 38 | 2.2% | 10 | 2.3% | 5 | 3.0% | * | *
All | 1710 | 100.0% | 1698 | 100.0% | 426 | 100.0% | 169 | 100.0% | 120 | 100.0%

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.
'Ethnic minority' group includes African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; Other Ethnic Group.

Table F4: Disability status

| Counts and column percentages
| Applied | Reached Shortlist | Invited to Interview | Appointable | Appointed
Disabled | 178 | 10.4% | 176 | 10.4% | 41 | 9.6% | 12 | 7.1% | 9 | 7.5%
Not disabled | 1491 | 87.2% | 1482 | 87.3% | 377 | 88.5% | 156 | 92.3% | 110 | 91.7%
Prefer not to say | 38 | 2.2% | 37 | 2.2% | 8 | 1.9% | 1 | 0.6% | 1 | 0.8%
Not stated | 3 | 0.2% | 3 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0%
All | 1710 | 100.0% | 1698 | 100.0% | 426 | 100.0% | 169 | 100.0% | 120 | 100.0%

No suppression of counts less than 5 in this table because ‘prefer not to say’ is not protected characteristic.

Table F5: Religion or belief

| Counts and column percentages
| Applied | Reached Shortlist | Invited to Interview | Appointable | Appointed
Christian | 853 | 49.9% | 846 | 49.8% | 215 | 50.5% | 91 | 53.8% | 61 | 50.8%
Other religion or belief | 60 | 3.5% | 58 | 3.4% | 8 | 1.9% | 5 | 3.0% | * | *
No religion or belief | 669 | 39.1% | 666 | 39.2% | 179 | 42.0% | 62 | 36.7% | 47 | 39.2%
Prefer not to say | 128 | 7.5% | 128 | 7.5% | 24 | 5.6% | 11 | 6.5% | * | *
All | 1710 | 100.0% | 1698 | 100.0% | 426 | 100.0% | 169 | 100.0% | 120 | 100.0%

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Table F6: Sexual orientation

Counts and column percentages

Applied
Reached Shortlist
Invited to Interview
Appointable
Appointed

Heterosexual/straight
1549
90.6%
1540
90.7%
387
90.8%
152
89.9%
111
92.5%

Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and
other sexual orientations
68
4.0%
67
3.9%
14
3.3%
*
*
*
*

Prefer not to say
93
5.4%
91
5.4%
25
5.9%
*
*
*
*

All
1710
100.0%
1698
100.0%
426
100.0%
169
100.0%
120
100.0%

Values of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to decrease the risk of disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing.

Annex G - Historic Scotland staff diversity data

This Annex show the diversity statistics for Historic Scotland employees as at 31 December 2014.

Tables

The tables show the diversity data as at 31 December 2014, along with summary data for two earlier points in time to give trend information. The December 2014 data includes a breakdown by work pattern (full-time or part-time) and by pay band.

The previous version of the publication reported on the data at 31 January 2013. This information is shown in the tables below along with the information as at 31 December for 2013 and subsequent years. It is intended that future publications of this report will use data as at 31 December each year. As the staff numbers are a snapshot taken at a specific point in time, the effect of the change should be minimal.

The tables contain staff headcounts and row percentages – that is, the percentage of the total Historic Scotland staff in each category (for example, in each of the age groups 16-29, 30-39, and so on). The sum of the percentages in each row will be 100%.

Disclosure control

To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual members of staff, data suppression has been applied to counts of less than 5 (and the corresponding percentage value). In some cases, secondary data suppression has been necessary to prevent the calculation of suppressed values by differencing. Suppressed values are shown as an asterisk (*). Where possible, data suppression has been avoided by grouping categories in some manner. Where the only small counts in a table refer to the 'prefer not to say' category, no data suppression is done. Where data suppression has been applied in any table an explanatory note is provided.

Table G1: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by age

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Age Group
16-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60+ | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 187 | 15.8% | 265 | 22.4% | 294 | 24.8% | 151 | 12.7% | 139 | 11.7% | 149 | 12.6% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 155 | 13.5% | 244 | 21.3% | 303 | 26.4% | 146 | 12.7% | 127 | 11.1% | 173 | 15.1% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 193 | 16.9% | 233 | 20.4% | 302 | 26.4% | 149 | 13.0% | 124 | 10.9% | 141 | 12.3% | 1142
Full-time | 146 | 17.1% | 196 | 22.9% | 244 | 28.5% | 118 | 13.8% | 86 | 10.0% | 66 | 7.7% | 856
Part-time | 47 | 16.4% | 37 | 12.9% | 58 | 20.3% | 31 | 10.8% | 38 | 13.3% | 75 | 26.2% | 286
Pay Band A | 100 | 25.1% | 57 | 14.3% | 77 | 19.3% | 48 | 12.1% | 40 | 10.1% | 76 | 19.1% | 398
Pay Band B | 47 | 15.3% | 67 | 21.8% | 73 | 23.8% | 45 | 14.7% | 45 | 14.7% | 30 | 9.8% | 307
Pay Band C | 12 | 7.1% | 48 | 28.4% | 58 | 34.3% | 20 | 11.8% | 15 | 8.9% | 16 | 9.5% | 169
Pay Band D | 6 | 4.8% | 43 | 34.7% | 46 | 37.1% | 14 | 11.3% | 7 | 5.6% | 8 | 6.5% | 124
Pay Band E | 0 | 0.0% | 14 | 21.9% | 33 | 51.6% | * | * | * | * | * | * | 64
Pay Band F and above | 0 | 0.0% | * | * | * | * | 13 | 31.7% | 11 | 26.8% | * | * | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | 28 | 71.8% | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table G2: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by gender

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Gender
Female | Male | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 494 | 41.7% | 691 | 58.3% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 469 | 40.9% | 679 | 59.1% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 466 | 40.8% | 676 | 59.2% | 1142
Full-time | 287 | 33.5% | 569 | 66.5% | 856
Part-time | 179 | 62.6% | 107 | 37.4% | 286
Pay Band A | 172 | 43.2% | 226 | 56.8% | 398
Pay Band B | 109 | 35.5% | 198 | 64.5% | 307
Pay Band C | 80 | 47.3% | 89 | 52.7% | 169
Pay Band D | 48 | 38.7% | 76 | 61.3% | 124
Pay Band E | 28 | 43.8% | 36 | 56.3% | 64
Pay Band F and above | 17 | 41.5% | 24 | 58.5% | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | 12 | 30.8% | 27 | 69.2% | 39

Table G3: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by ethnic group

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Ethnic Group
Ethnic minority | White | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 16 | 1.4% | 847 | 71.5% | 322 | 27.2% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 15 | 1.3% | 818 | 71.3% | 315 | 27.4% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 13 | 1.1% | 803 | 70.3% | 326 | 28.5% | 1142
Full-time | * | * | 627 | 73.2% | * | * | 856
Part-time | * | * | 176 | 61.5% | * | * | 286
Pay Band A | 6 | 1.5% | 236 | 59.3% | 156 | 39.2% | 398
Pay Band B | * | * | 235 | 76.5% | * | * | 307
Pay Band C | * | * | 133 | 78.7% | * | * | 169
Pay Band D | * | * | 96 | 77.4% | * | * | 124
Pay Band E | * | * | 51 | 79.7% | * | * | 64
Pay Band F and above | * | * | 40 | 97.6% | * | * | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | 0 | 0.0% | 12 | 30.8% | 27 | 69.2% | 39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table G4: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by sexual orientation

Counts and row percentages

Sexual Orientation

Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual
and other sexual orientations
Heterosexual/ straight
Not known
Total

Jan-13
All employees
18
1.5%
604
51.0%
563
47.5%
1185

Dec-13
All employees
15
1.3%
590
51.4%
543
47.3%
1148

Dec-14
All employees
16
1.4%
582
51.0%
544
47.6%
1142

Full-time
*
*
452
52.8%
*
*
856

Part-time
*
*
130
45.5%
*
*
286

Pay Band A
*
*
177
44.5%
*
*
398

Pay Band B
*
*
165
53.7%
*
*
307

Pay Band C
*
*
103
60.9%
*
*
169

Pay Band D
*
*
66
53.2%
*
*
124

Pay Band E
*
*
41
64.1%
*
*
64

Pay Band F and above
*
*
24
58.5%
*
*
41

Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices
*
*
6
15.4%
*
*
39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table G5: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by disability status

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Disability status
Disabled | Not disabled | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 14 | 1.2% | 837 | 70.6% | 334 | 28.2% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 13 | 1.1% | 798 | 69.5% | 337 | 29.4% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 15 | 1.3% | 794 | 69.5% | 333 | 29.2% | 1142
Full-time | 9 | 1.1% | 622 | 72.7% | 225 | 26.3% | 856
Part-time | 6 | 2.1% | 172 | 60.1% | 108 | 37.8% | 286
Pay Band A | 7 | 1.8% | 254 | 63.8% | 137 | 34.4% | 398
Pay Band B | * | * | 215 | 70.0% | * | * | 307
Pay Band C | * | * | 132 | 78.1% | * | * | 169
Pay Band D | * | * | 94 | 75.8% | * | * | 124
Pay Band E | * | * | 56 | 87.5% | * | * | 64
Pay Band F and above | * | * | 25 | 61.0% | * | * | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | * | * | 18 | 46.2% | * | * | 39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table G6: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by marital/civil partnership status

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Marital/Civil Partnership Status
Married | Single | Others | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 487 | 41.1% | 381 | 32.2% | 77 | 6.5% | 240 | 20.3% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 461 | 40.2% | 378 | 32.9% | 71 | 6.2% | 238 | 20.7% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 425 | 37.2% | 395 | 34.6% | 67 | 5.9% | 255 | 22.3% | 1142
Full-time | 312 | 36.4% | 316 | 36.9% | 46 | 5.4% | 182 | 21.3% | 856
Part-time | 113 | 39.5% | 79 | 27.6% | 21 | 7.3% | 73 | 25.5% | 286
Pay Band A | 106 | 26.6% | 138 | 34.7% | 30 | 7.5% | 124 | 31.2% | 398
Pay Band B | 125 | 40.7% | 111 | 36.2% | 16 | 5.2% | 55 | 17.9% | 307
Pay Band C | 71 | 42.0% | 68 | 40.2% | 6 | 3.6% | 24 | 14.2% | 169
Pay Band D | 57 | 46.0% | 40 | 32.3% | 9 | 7.3% | 18 | 14.5% | 124
Pay Band E | 35 | 54.7% | 17 | 26.6% | * | * | * | * | 64
Pay Band F and above | 26 | 63.4% | 9 | 22.0% | * | * | * | * | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | 5 | 12.8% | 12 | 30.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 22 | 56.4% | 39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).
The categories civil partnership, divorced, separated and widowed have been grouped and shown as 'Others'.

Table G7: Historic Scotland – staff numbers by religion/belief

| Counts and row percentages
|  | Religion or Belief
Christian | Other Religion or Belief | No Religion or Belief | Not known | Total
Jan-13 | All employees | 299 | 25.2% | 30 | 2.5% | 288 | 24.3% | 568 | 47.9% | 1185
Dec-13 | All employees | 295 | 25.7% | 23 | 2.0% | 284 | 24.7% | 546 | 47.6% | 1148
Dec-14 | All employees | 277 | 24.3% | 22 | 1.9% | 295 | 25.8% | 548 | 48.0% | 1142
Full-time | 213 | 24.9% | 15 | 1.8% | 227 | 26.5% | 401 | 46.8% | 856
Part-time | 64 | 22.4% | 7 | 2.4% | 68 | 23.8% | 147 | 51.4% | 286
Pay Band A | 94 | 23.6% | 10 | 2.5% | 82 | 20.6% | 212 | 53.3% | 398
Pay Band B | 74 | 24.1% | 7 | 2.3% | 89 | 29.0% | 137 | 44.6% | 307
Pay Band C | 52 | 30.8% | * | * | 50 | 29.6% | * | * | 169
Pay Band D | 29 | 23.4% | * | * | 35 | 28.2% | * | * | 124
Pay Band E | 20 | 31.3% | * | * | 19 | 29.7% | * | * | 64
Pay Band F and above | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | 15 | 36.6% | * | * | 41
Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices | * | * | 0 | 0.0% | 5 | 12.8% | * | * | 39

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Table G8: Historic Scotland – Staff on maternity leave

Counts and percentages

Period

On maternity leave at end of period
Number of staff who returned from maternity
leave during the period after an absence of:

Count
% of total staff
0-26 weeks
27-39 weeks
40-52 weeks
Total

Jan-12 to Dec-12
All employees
9
0.8%
0
6
6
12

Jan-13 to Dec-13
All employees
16
1.4%
*
*
5
12

Jan-14 to Dec-14
All employees
6
0.5%
0
5
11
16

Full-time
*
*
0
*
*
8

Part-time
*
*
0
*
*
8

Pay Band A
*
*
*
*
*
*

Pay Band B
*
*
*
*
*
*

Pay Band C
*
*
*
*
*
*

Pay Band D
*
*
*
*
*
5

Pay Band E
*
*
*
*
*
*

Pay Band F and above
*
*
*
*
*
*

Others, e.g TUPE & Apprentices
*
*
*
*
*
*

Counts of less than 5 have been suppressed and shown as * to prevent the possible disclosure of information about individuals.
Secondary data suppression has also been necessary to prevent the calculation of the suppressed values by differencing (also shown as *).

Supplementary Information

LEGISLATION AND POLICIES OF RELEVANCE TO EQUALITY

This documents highlights some of the recent Acts of the Scottish Parliament, Bills and policies that are (or will be) of particular benefit to equality groups. The list below is not meant to be exhaustive. It includes policies of both the Scottish Government and its Agencies.

ACTS OF THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act includes provisions that:

from August 2014, increase the amount and flexibility of free early learning and childcare from 475 to a minimum of 600 hours per year for 3 and 4 year olds, and 15% of Scotland's most vulnerable 2 year olds (extending to 27% from August 2015)

provide free school lunches to all children in primary 1-3, starting from January 2015

give all 16-year olds in care the right to stay in care until the age of 21 (from 2015); extend the support available to young people leaving care up to the age of 26; and support the parenting role of kinship carers

enshrine elements of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach in law: ensuring there is a single planning approach for children who need additional support from services; providing a single point of contact for every child; and fostering a holistic understanding of well-being

create new duties in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and strengthen the Children's Commissioner role

strengthen existing legislation that affects children, including a number of amendments to the process for school closure proposals under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

An equality impact assessment concluded that the Bill's provisions could have many potential benefits and positive impacts on individuals and groups that share a protected characteristic. For example:

the promotion of children's well-being, and how actions and activities may improve their well-being, should better engage all parents

young children, including 2 year olds who are looked after or subject to a kinship care order, will receive additional hours of early learning and childcare

increased flexibility in how early learning and childcare are provided will bring particular benefits for women as the primary carers, specifically regarding cost and accessibility of childcare, which can act as a barrier to return to work

the promotion of knowledge of rights for children and young people

putting Scotland's Adoption Register on a statutory footing will help diversify the range of children adopted

promotion of equality for young people leaving care through extending the age to which they may be eligible to receive local authority support

the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach will be a positive tool in achieving equality of treatment, opportunity and, crucially, of outcomes.

Disabled Persons' Parking Badges (Scotland) Act 2014

The intention of the Act is to introduce fairer and more equitable arrangements for those disabled people who depend on their Blue Badge to allow them to park close to their destination. Blue Badge holders are exempt from normal parking restrictions and this legislation will strengthen the enforcement powers of local authorities to tackle widespread abuse of the scheme, and thereby free up car parking spaces for disabled people who meet the eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge. This will encourage independent travel and access to community services, help disabled people retain their independence, and reduce social isolation.

Housing (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act will, among other things, end the right to buy in Scotland, give local authorities new discretionary powers to tackle disrepair in the private rented sector, and introduce a first-tier tribunal to deal with disputes in the private rented sector. The provisions are expected to have a number of positive impacts on people who share protected characteristics:

Age: because victimisation against mobile home residents can focus on older people, the introduction of a fit and proper person test for site owners and more tools for local authorities to tackle unscrupulous site owners, will have a positive impact on older residents. Social housing proposals will provide additional protection from unjustifiable discrimination for 16 and 17 year olds.

Disabled people: the Private Rented Sector Tribunal is likely to be particularly beneficial to those who may find it difficult to engage with court procedures. Tribunal procedures are generally designed around the needs of users, and specialist staff will be able to assist those who need help. Ending the Right to Buy will help to preserve the stock of social housing, which is expected to benefit the 43% of adults in the social rented sector who have a disability or long term illness and may find it more difficult to access finance.

Sex: young, single men are the most likely group to be homeless and could benefit if landlords use the proposed social housing policy changes to make better use of empty adapted properties for short term housing. The Private Rented Sector Tribunal will provide a more accessible forum for both men and women, and therefore help to advance equality of opportunity.

Race: third party reporting rights to the Private Rented Housing Panel and powers to allow Ministers to designate areas as enhanced enforcement areas give local authorities new discretionary powers to help them tackle poor conditions in the private rented sector, which particularly affect migrant workers and those for whom language difficulties present a barrier to challenging their landlord.

Religion or belief, gender reassignment, sexual orientation: the Act's social housing provisions will allow landlords to take swifter action to address anti-social behaviour, which should benefit those experiencing harassment or victimisation.

Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act provides equality of opportunity for same-sex couples, who can now marry in the same way as opposite-sex couples, and for transgender people by making provision for them to obtain a full Gender Recognition Certificate and stay married. The Act and associated legislation also promote and protect religious freedom, in that religious and belief bodies are free to decide for themselves whether or not to solemnise same-sex marriage and register civil partnerships.

Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013

A wide programme of reform to ensure the Post-16 education system better supports jobs and growth, improves life chances, and is sustainable for the long-term. The Act introduced provisions covering:

improving the governance of all higher education institutions

widening access

tuition fees cap for UK students and certain others not entitled to be charged at the level set by the Scottish Government

college regionalisation

review of fundable further and higher education

data sharing

The Act's provisions are intended to have a positive impact on those who would normally have been rejected by a higher education institution in Scotland but who would now find it easier to be accepted as a result of the widening access agreements. The Scottish Government increased the number of funded places available in the three academic years from 2013 to 2016, with dedicated places available to support widening access. Therefore we would not expect to see any displacement of students at this stage as a result of the provisions. Analysis of the impact on particular equality groups is not yet possible as student data for the relevant period is not yet available. The information sharing provisions within the Act and supporting regulations ensure that Skills Development Scotland is informed when a person aged 16-25 is receiving services from persons named in the regulations, but do not enforce the sharing of information about protected characteristics. This has supported the delivery of Opportunities for All, ensuring that any young person (16-20) can be monitored and tracked through their learning journey so appropriate support can be provided if they disengage.

Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act and three new EU Directives complement the requirements laid out in the Equality Act 2010 to further advance equality through procurement strategy and process. The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act requires:

a contracting authority to consider how, by the way in which it conducts the procurement process, it might improve economic, social and environmental well-being (which includes reducing inequality)

those contracting authorities that expect significant expenditure in the next financial year (above £5 million) to prepare a new procurement strategy (or review the existing one) and produce annual procurement reports. Procurement policy officials intend to cross reference equality reporting duties in the guidance relating to the procurement strategy and annual report.

Scottish Ministers are given powers to issue guidance that contracting authorities must have regard to when selecting suppliers to participate in a procurement process. This will include suppliers' approach to workforce matters.

Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act puts in place arrangements for integrating health and social care, and requires Health Boards and local authorities to work together effectively to deliver quality, sustainable care services. It also requires Health Boards, local authorities and Integration Authorities to plan and deliver services in line with the integration planning and delivery principles, which promote the rights of all service users and put people's needs and choice at the centre. An Equalities Reference Group was established to inform the equality impact assessment process and, in response to stakeholder feedback, the initial focus on improving outcomes for older people was redefined to include all adults. The emphasis changed to those with multiple long term conditions and complex support needs rather than only older people, which implies an 'age criteria'. The Scottish Government expects Integration Authorities to undertake an appropriate level of impact assessment to ensure that the development of integrated services supports the whole population. Staff training and development will be integral to ensuring positive impacts across the equality characteristics, and the Act requires engagement with service users, carers and their families to ensure that services are designed and delivered with the person's needs at the centre. The national health and well-being outcomes, which include a focus on reducing health inequalities, were developed in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including disabled people's organisations, older people's forums, service providers and service commissioners, and the Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013

The Act defined eligibility to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, including enabling 16 and 17 year olds to register and providing for a separate Register of Young Voters to ensure their details are held securely. Evidence on the equality impact of the Act was collected through the public consultation on the referendum (January to May 2012); a technical consultation with key stakeholders (December 2012 to January 2013); and engagement with internal and external stakeholders over the course of the Act's development. Reducing the voting age encouraged participation by young people in Scotland's democratic processes and gave them a voice on matters that affect them. Around 90% of all 16 and 17 year olds registered to vote in the Scottish independence referendum. Subject to the agreement of a Section 30 Order transferring competence to the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government will bring forward legislation to lower the voting age to 16 for all Scottish Parliament and local government elections in Scotland.

Social Care (Self-Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013

The Scottish Government is committed to developing self-directed support as a way of giving individuals and their families flexibility, choice and control over the support services they receive. Our approach to social care and support is based on the core principles of collaboration, involvement and informed choice, together with the independent living principles of dignity and participation. The Act, which came in to force in April 2014, gives people a range of options for how their social care is delivered and places duties on local authorities to offer people informed choices as to how they will receive their support. Funding from the Scottish Government self-directed support implementation programme has enabled specialised organisations to ensure that disabled people, young people, older people and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are able to direct their own support.

Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014

The Act creates a new integrated structure for devolved tribunals in Scotland under the judicial leadership of the Lord President, which will help to improve practice and procedures across the system. Consistent processes and standards, where appropriate, should improve communication with users, and provide opportunities for good practice to be shared with other jurisdictions to ensure the same high standards are provided to all. Having, insofar as appropriate, improved consistency across the system, a clear organisational and management structure will enhance the opportunity to collect more robust information and data on diversity and equality.

Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014

The reforms to the justice system contained in the Act improve the support and information available to victims and witnesses in Scotland. Measures in the Act include improved support for the most vulnerable witnesses, with a new presumption that certain individuals – alleged victims of sexual offences, domestic abuse, human trafficking and stalking – are vulnerable and automatically entitled to use special measures, such as a screen or TV link, when giving evidence. As incidents with a female victim and male perpetrator represent 80% of all incidents of domestic abuse,[59] and women are around four times more likely than men to be victims in cases of serious sexual assault,[60] the measures will help these individuals in particular to give their best evidence whilst minimising further distress in doing so.

Welfare Funds (Scotland) Act 2015

The Act, which will come into force in April 2016, places the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) into law, and puts a duty on each local authority (LA) to maintain a welfare fund. It also gives the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) new powers to scrutinise LA decisions, providing an independent review function for individuals who apply for help from the fund.

Prior to being set out in law, the SWF had been operating on an interim basis since April 2013, helping people on low incomes secure essential household goods and providing living costs in a crisis. There is a correlation between low income and disability, gender and race. Community Care Grants help people to stay in or set up home in the community, and Crisis Grants meet an immediate financial need as well as connect people with vital services to prevent further harm. The Scottish Government has added £9.2 million to the funds available for grants in the two financial years 2012-14, totalling £33 million, and has fully funded the SWF for 2015-16. Between April 2013 and September 2014, around 120,000 unique households received a grant. SWF prioritisation criteria for applications include the vulnerability of the applicant, for example due to pregnancy, recent childbirth or adoption, being a main care giver or lone parent, fleeing domestic abuse, disability or terminal illness. The Scottish Government has set up a comprehensive monitoring framework, which allows for the tracking of applications and success rates. Equality data (on age, gender, pregnancy and maternity) suggest that guidance is being applied in most areas, with the effect that many grants are being awarded to people who share protected characteristics.

BILLS

British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill

The Bill proposed by Mark Griffin MSP aims to promote the use and understanding of British Sign Language (BSL). It requires BSL plans to be prepared and published by the Scottish Ministers (the National Plan) and by listed public authorities (Authority Plans). BSL plans will be reviewed, reported on and updated at regular intervals. The intention is that, by placing this obligation on the Scottish Government and listed authorities, the profile of the language will be heightened and its use in the delivery of services increased. The Scottish Government has signalled its support for the Bill. We acknowledge the importance of recognising and promoting BSL as a language, and improving the access which Deaf BSL users have to public services and public information. Requiring the Scottish Government and key public authorities to develop BSL plans will help promote the use of BSL in Scotland, improve linguistic access for Deaf BSL users, and enable Deaf people to enjoy greater participation in daily and public life in Scotland.

Although Deaf people are protected within the disability provisions of our domestic equality legislation and international human rights treaties, most profoundly Deaf people who use BSL do not regard themselves as disabled but as a linguistic and cultural minority. Furthermore, it is clear that Deaf people in Scotland still face discrimination and exclusion, and Scottish Ministers support the view that a different approach to support BSL as a language and to promote linguistic access for Deaf people will help address these issues. Ministers are working with the member in charge of the Bill to explore ways of simplifying and streamlining some of the provisions, which we think will make it stronger and more effective. These will be lodged as Government amendments at Stage 2 of the Bill.

Carers (Scotland) Bill

The Bill, introduced to Parliament on 9 March 2014, aims to better support Scotland's estimated 745,000 adult carers and 44,000 young carers on a more consistent basis so that they can continue to care, if they so wish, in good health and have a life alongside caring, and so that young carers can have a childhood similar to their non-carer peers.

The Bill widens access to support by removing the current requirement that a carer must be able to demonstrate that they care for someone on a regular and substantial basis. It also introduces the adult carer support plan and the young carer statement. The adult carer support plan will replace carers' assessments and will set out the adult carer's identified personal outcomes and needs, and any support to be provided. The young carer statement will be introduced for carers of 18 and under to recognise their unique needs. The Bill places a duty on local authorities to provide support to carers based on whether the carer's assessed needs meet local eligibility criteria, and a duty to publish these criteria, developed through public consultation. In addition, local authorities will have a power to support carers whose needs do not meet eligibility criteria.

The Bill places an obligation on local authorities to involve carers, young carers and carers' organisations in the planning, shaping, delivery and review of service, and carers are to be involved in care planning for the person they care for and in support for themselves. The Bill will introduce a service to provide information and advice in a number of key areas, which will be both accessible and proportionate to the local population. As part of this service, local authorities will be required to prepare and publish a short breaks statement, providing information to adult and young carers about the range of short breaks that are available in Scotland.

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill

The Scottish Government believes that Scotland's people are its greatest asset, and one of our key aims is to create the conditions for community empowerment. The Bill reflects the policy principles of subsidiarity, community empowerment and improving outcomes, and provides a strategic framework that will:

empower community bodies through the ownership of land and buildings, and strengthen their voices in the decisions that matter to them

support an increase in the pace and scale of Public Service Reform by cementing the focus on achieving outcomes and improving the process of community planning.

The Bill aims to support approaches that can contribute to improving outcomes in all aspects of people's lives. Since the Bill's provisions are largely enabling, the equality impacts will depend on the specific proposals brought forward. The available information shows that many individual community bodies seek to include people from all groups within their communities, support those who may be disadvantaged and promote good relationships between, for example, different age groups, different ethnicities and between people with disabilities and without. When making decisions under the provisions of the Bill, local authorities, public bodies and the Scottish Ministers will need to have the public sector equality duty in mind. In response to suggestions from stakeholders, equality has also been included as an issue which public authorities are explicitly required to consider when making decisions on asset transfer requests or participation requests.

Education (Scotland) Bill

The Education (Scotland) Bill introduced to parliament in March 2015 will further progress the Scottish Government's commitment to recognising, respecting and promoting children's and parental rights. For example, the Bill will extend children's rights within existing additional support for learning legislation; enhance the process for complaints made to Ministers under section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 by introducing statutory timescales which must be met by those involved in that process; and ensure that all teachers within independent schools and grant aided special schools are registered through the General Teaching Council for Scotland (and therefore adhere to GTCS's Professional Values that are at the core to being a teacher, including social justice). The Bill will require local authorities to introduce measures to reduce the attainment gap and report on progress.

Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill

The Bill is designed to improve how Scotland deals with the trafficking of human beings and the exploitation of individuals. It will create a legislative framework which ensures that police, prosecutors and other agencies have the powers to make Scotland a hostile environment for human traffickers and those who exploit others, and helps to identify and support the needs of victims. Some of the proposals are intended to ensure that the particular circumstances of individuals may be taken into account. For example, the slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour offence requires that the court, in assessing whether a person has been the victim of the offence, has regard to any characteristics that make the alleged victim more vulnerable than other people, and this could include protected characteristics.

POLICIES

A range of policies is being taken forward across the Scottish Government which assist those with protected characteristics to improved outcomes or life experience. This is not an exhaustive list but highlights some of those policies from across the different portfolios. Policies below have been grouped into different sections: Communities; Culture and External Affairs; Early Years; Education, Skills and Employment; Health; Housing; Justice; Rural Affairs and the Environment; Sport and Physical Activity; Transport; and Other.

COMMUNITIES

'Equally Safe' violence against women and girls

Women and girls are at risk of certain forms of violence and abuse throughout their lives, including domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, precisely because they are female. Equally Safe: Scotland's strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls aims to tackle the discrimination, harassment and victimisation experienced by women and girls, with the long-term goal of preventing and eradicating this violence and abuse altogether. Some factors can increase vulnerability to abuse and keep women trapped; for example age, financial dependence, poverty, disability, homelessness, insecure immigration status and ethnicity. Addressing these additional risks will be a key requirement in our future work, and equality analysis and assessment will be an integral part of the process around the development of our action plans.

'New Scots' refugee integration strategy

New Scots: Integrating Refugees in Scotland's Communities is the Scottish Government's three year strategy for refugee integration in Scotland, developed and being implemented in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Scottish Refugee Council. The strategy provides a clear framework for all those working towards supporting refugees to build a new life from the day they arrive in Scotland, to realise their full potential with the support of mainstream services, and to become active members of our communities with strong social relationships. A Year 1: Implementation Progress Report was published on 27 March 2015 detailing progress from year one and steps which will be taken in year two. Lead organisations have reviewed national policy on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) to ensure that for all those accessing ESOL, including refugees and asylum seekers, provision is relevant, appropriate and meets their specific needs, and local organisations have been monitoring access to local ESOL provision.

CULTURE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Homecoming Scotland 2014

Homecoming Scotland 2014 helped to extend the benefits and opportunities offered by the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup by presenting a year-long, co-ordinated programme of events designed to generate pride in the people of Scotland and welcome visitors around the world in a celebration of some of Scotland's greatest assets. During 2014, over 2 million people attended 1,049 events across Scotland. One of Homecoming Scotland's objectives was to 'engage, inspire and mobilise communities across Scotland'. The equality impact assessment process identified particular opportunities to engage ethnic minority, religion/belief and LGBT communities, and also indicated that enhancing access and information would help engage disabled people in the year. Tailored updates were sent to showcase Homecoming attractions and invite participation from different communities, and regular meetings were held with bodies representing minority ethnic and LGBT communities. A series of actions was delivered to boost equalities:

Race: The Scottish Government provided £40,000 for the Multi-Cultural Homecoming Celebration, organised in partnership with BEMIS. Forty-three projects, involving over 6,500 people across 18 different ethnic and cultural communities, received a share of grant funding totalling £25,000.

Sexual orientation/gender reassignment: The Scottish Government provided approximately £40,000 for a programme to boost the engagement of the LGBT community. Organised in partnership with LGBT Youth, Equality Network, Scottish Transgender Alliance, and LEAP Sports, activity included: LGBT History month, which was themed around Homecoming 2014; research into the needs and aspirations of LGBT visitors to Scotland (subsequently used to inform a new section on VS.com to welcome LGBT visitors); support for Pride House (a centre for LGBT visitors during the Commonwealth Games); and an International Conference for the Transgender and Intersex Community, which was held in Edinburgh in October 2014.

Disabled people: The Scottish Government provided £43,000 to support VisitScotland in working with the tourism industry to improve accessibility in the tourism sector, including through the development of on-line skills training.

Religion or belief: The Scottish Government liaised with the Church of Scotland and Action of Churches Together in Scotland to ensure that faith communities were engaged in Homecoming. Interfaith Scotland was invited to participate in the Multi-Cultural Homecoming celebration.

International Development Fund

The Scottish Government's International Development Policy articulates the vision of Scotland's place in the world as a good global citizen, committed to playing its role in addressing the challenges faced by our world. We support projects in seven countries around the world (Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the three poorest states in India). Our work is clearly focused on the objective of poverty alleviation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and must adhere to the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. A number of our projects contain outcomes which contribute to the elimination of discrimination:

empowering women and girls by facilitating access to financial services, and training in financial literacy and business development skills

increasing the integration of disabled people in communities by providing vocational training and business support

empowering young people to protect them from harmful cultural practices

equipping primary schools with up to date IT equipment to improve numeracy and literacy skills.

Luminate – Scotland's creative ageing festival

Luminate promotes the inclusion of older people in the arts, as artists, participants and audience members and, through the promotion of intergenerational activity, helps to address stigma around ageing. It takes place across Scotland in October and spotlights arts activities by and for older people, as well as events for audiences across the generations, to celebrate creativity, share stories and explore what ageing means to all of us. Many events are held in the daytime, which the Festival organisers note is the most convenient time for many older people, and the outreach programme hosts activities in care homes and day centres as well as traditional arts spaces. Its existence is having some impact on the productions and programming by mainstream arts organisations, as well as community groups. Luminate works with Glasgay on arts with an ageing LGBTI community and also engages with older BME communities in Scotland. It has an increasing geographic spread – many rural areas have increasing older populations.

Time to Shine – Scotland's National Youth Arts Strategy

Time to Shine was launched in November 2013 with the vision is to "support all of Scotland's children and young people to flourish and achieve in and through the arts and creativity". Young people's views were fundamental to the shaping of the strategy, and a national young people's advisory group (Youth Arts Voice Scotland) has been set up to ensure that young people play a key role in shaping delivery of the strategy. There is a strong focus on removing barriers to participation and enabling all young people to engage in the arts, regardless of background or geography. For example, the strategy recognises and aims to address BME underrepresentation in the arts, and barriers faced by young people who have disabilities or are from deprived backgrounds. In April 2014, £3.1 million of the Scottish Government's total £5 million support for Time Shine was allocated to establishing a network of nine regional Youth Arts Hubs in Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, Argyll & Bute, Ayrshire, Edinburgh and Fife.

Young Scots Fund

The Scottish Government has been supporting the delivery of Young Innovators Challenge, which is a competition for Scotland's young people in training, further and higher education (Modern Apprentices, college or university) to submit ideas for innovative projects or businesses. The 2015 Challenge has a focus on social innovation and is backed by £247,500 from the Scottish Government (including £200,000 from the Young Scots Fund). It is designed to be inclusive, and entries and winners will be analysed regarding equality data gathered.

EARLY YEARS

Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland

Poverty is unevenly distributed throughout Scottish society, and some equality groups are particularly at risk. As women are more likely to work in part-time or low-paid jobs, be lone parents, or have caring responsibilities that limit their capacity for paid work, more women live in poverty. The risk of poverty is also higher for children in families affected by disability and in some ethnic minority communities. The revised Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland, published in March 2014, sets out actions designed to reduce levels of child poverty and improve outcomes for children growing up in poverty. It focuses on "the three Ps" – maximising household resources (Pockets), improving children's wellbeing and life chances (Prospects) and providing sustainable places (Places). It also includes, for the first time, a full outcomes framework, setting out key areas of activity in relation to these outcomes. The 2014 Annual Report includes a full measurement framework of 35 indicators.

Early Years Collaborative

The Early Years Collaborative is a national improvement programme intended to accelerate the pace of change to improve outcomes for children in the early years. The Scottish Government provides the overarching framework for improvement, but the stretch aims have been developed with Community Planning Partnerships and National Partners from the third sector. CPPs are responsible for identifying local level priorities and action, and a number of CPPs have undertaken small tests of change (there are over 400 across Scotland) that are beginning to lead to improved outcomes. For example, some tests of change include:

working with fathers who have committed domestic abuse, to modify their behaviour and have more positive family contact

engaging parents with English as an additional language so they are better able to be involved in their children's learning and development

maximising income for pregnant women.

Work in CPPs is progressing well towards achieving the stretch aim for Workstream 1 (reducing stillbirths and infant mortality) and we have statistics showing us our 'starting position' for Workstream 2 (27-30 month reviews). Estimated coverage for the 27-30 month review in 2013-14 was 73% of the eligible population, with 53% identified as having no concerns in the nine developmental areas. We are also continuing our investment in the Parenting Strategy and the Play Strategy, and will be monitoring the impact of both of these areas of work.

Expansion of statutory early learning and childcare

In a staged approach to expanding and improving early learning and childcare to 2 year olds, we prioritise those who are most vulnerable or disadvantaged, for example those who are looked after or under a kinship care order, those who are likely to be more disadvantaged as a result of parents having no sustainable employment and living in poverty, or those in low income families. We also make sure that expansion, most recently through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and statutory guidance, applies and is promoted to those children with additional support needs or a disability. In addition to the number of 2 year olds registered for early learning and childcare, annual national statistics indicate the number and percentages of young children registered for early learning and childcare whose home language is not English, or who have additional support needs or a co-ordinated support plan. Uptake of early learning and childcare by 2 year olds, including those in the groups identified, will continue to be monitored through the annual national schools statistical collection. The aim of the policy is also to support parents to work or study, which will have particular benefits for women.

EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT

Additional Support for Learning

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to support the provision of additional support to children and young people who experience barriers to learning arising from learning environment, health or disability, family circumstances, or social and emotional factors. Following consultation with stakeholders, in October 2014 the Scottish Government published Planning improvements for disabled pupils' access to education: Guidance for education authorities, independent and grant-aided schools. In its response to the Education Scotland report Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland, the Scottish Government supported the five recommendations and is working with relevant organisations, including Dyslexia Scotland, to discuss implementation and monitoring. In 2015 we plan to review the Code of Practice for Additional Support for Learning (publication expected in 2016) and publish guidance on children unable to attend school due to ill health.

Since the publication of the Doran Review in 2012, the Scottish Government has been taking forward a range of measures to improve the provision of learning support services for children and young people with complex additional support needs, a large proportion of whom are disabled. This work includes a National Strategic Commissioning Project, which aims to provide better outcomes for children and young people with complex additional support needs and will put the child at the centre of service provision. To encourage and facilitate participation and input from children, young people, families and carers, focus groups are organised mainly through existing support groups and services, including special schools. Views have also been gathered from:

funded service providers e.g. CALL Scotland (Communication and Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities), Scottish Sensory Centre and the seven grant-aided special schools

strategic stakeholders e.g. National Parent Forum for Scotland, Scottish Social Services Council

bodies currently involved in commissioning services i.e. local authorities and NHS Boards.

Scottish Ministers have duties to report to Parliament from 2011 to 2016 on the implementation of additional support for learning. The reports contain a wide range of statistical and qualitative information. The fourth report, published in April 2015, focuses on looked after children and young people.

Anti-bullying policy and prejudice-based bullying

The National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland's Children and Young People sets out the Scottish Government's position on anti-bullying, and in 2015-16 a stakeholder working group will review the Approach to ensure it remains current, reflects policy developments, is in line with the legal framework outlined in the Equality Act 2010, and captures findings from recent research, including the respectme research Bullying in Scotland 2014. The Scottish Government wholly funds respectme, a national anti-bullying service to support all those working with children and young people. This service includes reviewing, formulating, implementing and evaluating local anti-bullying policies and providing training (including on prejudice-based bullying), information, and support with guidelines, procedures and monitoring. In providing the anti-bullying service respectme, the government seeks to support local authorities to ensure that prejudice-based bullying in schools is adequately covered in local policies. The service will continue to provide a holistic and inclusive approach to anti-bullying, which includes prejudice-based bullying and takes consideration of the protected characteristics. In 2015 Education Scotland plans to work in partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to conduct research and pilots in schools to establish, through the use of improvement methodology, what anti-bullying strategies work to tackle prejudice-based bullying effectively in schools.

In 2013 the Scottish Government published Guidance on Developing Policies to Promote the Safe and Responsible Use of Mobile Technology in Schools, which provides advice for local authorities and schools on how to develop appropriate policies on the use of mobile technology whilst protecting staff, children and young people from the harassment and abuse that can arise from its misuse. The Scottish Government funded a respectme national conference in May 2014 to improve the knowledge, skills and confidence of adults on how gender inequality is impacting on children and young people today. Through partnership working, this aims to promote awareness of gender-based bullying and challenge accepted behaviour, attitudes and relationships so as to reduce sexual violence amongst young people, and reduce its impact on children and young people in school.

Curriculum for Excellence

Curriculum for Excellence aims to provide the right environment to enable all young people to develop as informed and responsible citizens with a knowledge of Scotland and its place in the world, and an understanding of different beliefs and cultures. Citizenship education is at the heart of the curriculum and addresses issues such as human rights, sustainable development, peace and conflict resolution, social equality and appreciation of diversity. Recognising and realising children's rights in school and youth work contexts, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, is promoted nationally by Education Scotland, who have developed resources which aim to promote rights-based values, attitudes, skills and practices among those adults who have a duty of care for children and young people, including teachers.

Developing Board Experience

The Public Bodies Unit commissioned the Institute of Directors to take forward work to allow prospective women board members to gain insight into the realities of board membership, with a view to encouraging future applications and thus increasing gender diversity. By December 2014, just over a year after its start, 14 women had participated in the project, of which 12 were with public or third sector boards. Feedback has been very positive, with a significant degree of learning gained and all of those responding to an evaluation exercise indicating that they would recommend the experience. The project will be extended for a further year and consideration given to identified challenges, such as encouraging wider participation by the private sector. Public Bodies Unit will also explore opportunities to build on the project alongside the work being undertaken by the Scottish Leaders Forum.

Digital Future: Infrastructure Action Plan

Scotland's Digital Future sets out our vision for Scotland to be a world-class digital nation with next generation broadband available to all by 2020, and with the highest rate of uptake among the UK nations by 2015. Over the last year we have made encouraging progress, notably through laying over 1,800 kilometres of cabling and building over 400 fibre-enabled cabinets; providing support and advice on connectivity through Community Broadband Scotland to approximately 760 premises in remote and rural areas; and supporting housing associations in Glasgow and Edinburgh to prototype affordable broadband services to digitally excluded tenants.

Digital Participation

The Digital Participation Strategy, A National Framework for Local Action (April 2014) aims to reduce inequality across civic society by encouraging the most digitally excluded to embrace the opportunities offered by the internet for online public services, paying bills, accessing information, applying for jobs and communicating with family and friends. Not everybody is equipped to do this without support: relatively low levels of digital participation are seen amongst the elderly, the unemployed, those on low incomes, those with poor educational attainment and people living in social housing. A core part of the Strategy is the development of basic digital literacy skills to help people from vulnerable groups to gain confidence when using the internet. Assisted Digital Services will support people who are not able to access public services online in person. Third parties delivering this service will be required to meet specified standards of competence and security.

Energy Skills Scotland

In May 2013 we launched Energy Skills Scotland (ESS) with a budget of £6.5 million for 2012-14 to simplify access to the range of energy skills resources and support across the public sector. Through Skills Development Scotland, ESS continues to work to boost collaboration between employers, academia and education to meet the future industry skills demands. In encouraging new talent, ESS is specifically supporting more women and young people to consider a career in the energy sector.

Fair Work Convention

The First Minister confirmed in the Programme for Government that we would establish a Fair Work Convention. The Convention will prioritise the promotion of the living wage, but have a wider role, championing a partnership approach between government, businesses, the trade unions, the third sector and local government. It will therefore contribute to our work to tackle the gender pay gap and occupational segregation. Such an approach recognises that sustainable growth has a social dimension; that fairness supports and underpins long-term prosperity. The Convention will provide independent advice to the Scottish Government on matters relating to innovative and productive workplaces, industrial relations, fair work and the Living Wage in Scotland to support the Scottish Government's objective to reduce inequality, promote diversity and equality and increase sustainable economic growth.

Free School Meals

We are taking a long-term approach to tackling poverty and income inequality, in an effort to remove the barriers that stand in the way of individuals realising their full potential. The introduction of free school meals for all Primary 1-3 children from January 2015 represents a saving for families of around £330 per child per year and is expected to benefit around 135,000 children across Scotland. It will play an important role in improving attainment in schools, through offering healthy and nutritious lunches that will help children achieve their best in class. Following agreement with COSLA, the Scottish Government is providing revenue funding of £70.5 million over two years, supported with additional capital funding for local government of £24.8 million to ensure demand is met.

Free University Education

We are continuing to deliver free higher education in Scotland.

Insight benchmarking tool for schools and local authorities

In 2014 the Scottish Government launched an online benchmarking tool for schools and local authorities to use to compare, analyse and improve the learning outcomes of pupils in the senior phase. Insight (previously known as the Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool) will help local authorities and secondary schools to analyse strengths and areas for improvement in raising attainment for all, whilst closing the attainment gap between pupils from different social backgrounds. Insight benchmarking measures include: increasing post-school participation; improving attainment in literacy and numeracy; improving attainment for all; and tackling disadvantage through "closing the gap" in attainment within different parts of the pupil population.

The Living Wage

Evidence suggests that those most likely to receive low pay are women, young people, older workers, people without qualifications, some minority ethnic communities, lone parents and disabled people. Since 2011-12, everyone who is covered by the Scottish Government public sector pay policy or works for the NHS is paid at least the Living Wage. The Scottish Government has provided funding for the Poverty Alliance to administer the Living Wage Accreditation Initiative in Scotland, in an effort to increase the number of organisations paying the Living Wage. The Poverty Alliance delivers information sessions to employers across the country, develops promotional materials, and provides general advice and support on the Living Wage.

Maintenance support to the poorest students

An Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) supports eligible young people aged 16-19 from low income families across Scotland, to overcome financial barriers to remain in education and encourage young people to attain a higher level of education. EMA is an entitlement of £30 per week to qualifying applicants who meet the established criteria.

Making Advice Work

Established for 2013-15, the Making Advice Work (MAW) Programme is funded by the Scottish Government (£5.1 million) and Money Advice Scotland (£2.35 million). It is administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) and has funded 72 projects to date. The focus is on improving access to advice by supporting organisations that help people in Scotland facing debt and other problems stemming from UK Government welfare reforms and the ongoing impact of the economic downturn. One of the Programme's three streams aims to tackle barriers in accessing advice or to test new ways of resolving problems related to debt, financial management and social welfare law for disabled people and people experiencing domestic abuse. In January 2014, the Scottish Government provided further funding of £280,000 to support additional projects under this stream.

Managing School Exclusions

Annual statistics indicate that boys, disabled pupils, pupils from some minority ethnic groups, learners who are looked after, have additional support needs, and/or are from areas of deprivation are amongst those more likely to be excluded. Providing further support to schools to take a proactive approach to preventing and managing exclusions should positively impact these groups. In September 2014 the Scottish Government set up a national expert working group to refresh its guidance, Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2 (IEI2), which focuses on prevention, early intervention and response to individual need, incorporating staged interventions to prevent problems escalating. The refreshed guidance will be issued for consultation later in 2015. The Scottish Government funds PINS (Pupil Inclusion Network Scotland) to provide support to those working with Scotland's most vulnerable and marginalised children and young people who are at risk of becoming disengaged or excluded from education. In 2012, 45% of members represented voluntary sector organisations, including Shakti Women's Aid and Show Racism the Red Card.

Modern Apprenticeships

Under-representation in our Modern Apprenticeship Programme is a key priority for the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to address, in partnership with industry and delivery partners. However, the issues cannot be solved easily by simply changing provision; we must look at how we can challenge career perceptions and choices from an early stage to ensure individuals make informed choices. This forms part of our National Programme for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce (DSYW) and our Programme for Government.

Parental Engagement policy

Evidence shows that children and young people who have at least one parent or carer engaged in their education have better outcomes. We are taking a range of actions at a national level to promote and support parental engagement in learning in schools and early learning and childcare settings, including the engagement of those whose children may be disadvantaged due to protected characteristics. These actions include the continued involvement of the National Parent Forum of Scotland to ensure that the views of a range of parents are represented at a national and local level, and joint work with and support to a range of organisations that support the wider parent body, including those from ethnic minority groups.

Partnership for Change commitment – 50:50 by 2020

The Government is committed to making boards more representative of the communities and customers they serve. This will enable wider access to talent and it will improve board governance, decision making and performance. In the Scottish Government's Programme for Government published in November 2014, we have committed to launching the Partnership for Change, bringing together an alliance of organisations across the public, private and third sectors, who are committed to increasing the diversity of boards and the talent pipeline to work towards gender balance – 50:50 by 2020.

Raising Attainment

The attainment gap between children and young people who are most and least advantaged exists for many complex reasons and a variety of factors, including gender and disability, can contribute. The Raising Attainment For All Programme is working with over 180 schools across Scotland to drive forward sustainable and consistent improvement, and the £1.5 million Access to Education Fund aims to reduce the barriers to learning experienced by pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Children's University helps develop children's aspirations, with a clear link to widening access to higher education and a strong focus on improving attainment in disadvantaged communities, and in 2014-16 the Scottish Government is providing £90,000 to help it expand into more areas across Scotland.

In March 2015, we launched the first of a series of Children and Young People's Regional Summits where over 100 children and young people from primary and secondary schools across Scotland came together to discuss their views on educational attainment, participation, children's rights and social justice. We are working in close partnership with third sector organisations to ensure these events are fully inclusive of all children including those with additional support needs, Gypsy/Travellers and looked after children.

Relationships, sexual health and parenthood education

Following stakeholder engagement, in December 2014 the Scottish Government published revised guidance for teachers on the conduct of teaching relationships, sexual health and parenthood education (RSHP), to acknowledge that, as a result of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014, both opposite-sex and same-sex couples can marry. The intention is that RSHP education should be inclusive of, and responsive to, all, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Scotland's Schools for the Future Programme

Scotland's Schools for the Future Programme is intended to help education authorities replace or refurbish those schools that are in the worst condition, and is part of the Scottish Government's aim of ensuring that all children are educated in high quality, modern school buildings. Following the budget statement in October 2014, the Programme has been extended from £1.25 to £1.8 billion (£1.13 billion from government; £670 million from local authorities). To receive funding, local authorities must demonstrate that, among other things, their projects are 'inclusive' in terms of buildings that are fully accessible to disabled people and education provision that is accessible for pupils with additional support needs. When complete in 2020, it is expected that 110 schools will have been rebuilt or refurbished, lifting around 60,000 pupils out of school accommodation deemed as being in poor or bad condition.

Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy

In its June 2014 report, the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce made a number of recommendations relating to equalities issues in education and employment, with a focus on gender, race, disability and care leavers. Developing the Young Workforce - Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy, set up in response to the Commission, is underpinned by a seven-year national programme with a headline aim of reducing current levels of youth unemployment by 40% by 2021. The strategy's 11 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include a range of equality ambitions in gender, ethnicity, and the needs of young people leaving care, such as:

increasing the minority gender share in the largest and most imbalanced college superclasses by 2021

increasing the number of Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts from minority ethnic communities to equal the population share by 2021

increasing the employment rate for young disabled people to the population average by 2021.

The report makes a number of specific recommendations on how employers' contributions to the equality recommendations can be harnessed and these provided a strong starting point to our engagement with business. The plan also sets out a number of measures aimed at tackling inequalities and encouraging systemic change, for example:

Together with action to maximise the support offered to young disabled students and care leavers in learning, the Scottish Funding Council is working with Skills Development Scotland and other key stakeholders to develop a plan to address gender imbalance across further and higher education, with a view to inform outcome agreements for 2016-17

Secondary school inspection of active gender targeting in relation to college based learning and foundation apprenticeships, to begin in 2016-17.

The Scottish Government allocated an additional £12 million for 2014-15 and £16.6 million in 2015-16 to enable partners to build capacity and test out new approaches. Skills Development Scotland will begin to improve representation and identify best practice through pilot projects such as:

Targeted projects looking to get more care leavers into Modern Apprenticeships with Who Cares Scotland, Action for Children Scotland, Barnardos and Quarriers

Work to encourage more young women into construction MAs with industry representatives, supported by Equate

Partnership project in West Lothian to encourage women into STEM subjects

Work with Barnardos, Remploy and training providers to support disabled people to take up and sustain MA and Employability Fund opportunities

Projects with BEMIS and Rathbone to increase the participation of those from minority ethnic groups.

The Scottish Government used the Commission's equality impact assessment for the strategy and implementation plan. Further EQIAs will be produced and will be reviewed throughout the life of the programme, alongside our commitment to publish an annual report on progress.

Scottish Business Pledge

The overarching Scottish Business Pledge invites companies to support company and inclusive growth by committing to innovation, internationalisation, paying the living wage, playing an active role in their local communities and supporting Invest in Youth.

Widening Access to University Education

The Programme for Government (PfG) sets out a clear ambition that a child born today should have not just a better chance but an equal chance of attending university, such that, in time, 20% of university entrants would come from the most deprived 20% of society. The PfG sets out three key actions: introduction of a target for participation in higher education; setting up a Commission on Widening Access to advise on meaningful targets, milestones and activities to accelerate progress; and providing £2 million in 2015-16 to double the funding available for local widening access initiatives through the Scottish Funding Council's (SFC) Impact for Access Fund (one of a suite of initiatives to widen access funded by the SFC).

Women's Employment

Since the Women's Employment Summit in 2012, there has been a strong cross-government focus on action to increase economic opportunities for women. The Strategic Group on Women and Work, chaired by Annabelle Ewing, Minister for Youth and Women's Employment, was set up to monitor and advise on the Scottish Government's progress across devolved policy to enable more women to participate and meet their potential in the labour market. Action includes Programme for Government commitments to work towards an increase of free childcare, and the '50:50 by 2020' commitment, which aims to encourage all the private, public and third sector organisations in Scotland to increase diversity of boards. The Women in Enterprise Action Framework is being implemented to support more women to start their own businesses, and equality commitments in Developing the Young Workforce – Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy aim to tackle gender segregation in learning.

HEALTH

2020 Vision

We remain committed to the 2020 Vision for health and social care, ensuring our healthcare system is able to adapt to the changing needs of the people of Scotland. The Vision is designed to empower service users; drive service improvement and enhance understanding of equality issues. It will provide the opportunity to improve the quality of care and level of protection for all service users. The Cabinet Secretary has committed to develop a 10-15 year plan for health and social care that describes how future services will look. Broad agreement on the plan and key themes will be prepared by autumn 2015, following participation and engagement with a wide range of public and professional stakeholders.

2020 Workforce Vision – Everyone Matters

Everyone Matters: 2020 Workforce Vision Implementation Framework and Plan 2014-15 was published in December 2013, and the 2015-16 Implementation Plan on 3 November 2014. The Vision applies to all staff delivering healthcare. Through this work we are focusing on the workforce-related matters that need to change by 2020 in order to deliver against the wider 2020 Vision and Quality Ambitions. The intended impact is that all staff should be valued, treated well and supported to give their best, which in turn improves patient care and overall outcomes. The five priorities for action are: healthy organisational culture; sustainable workforce; capable workforce; integrated workforce; and effective leadership and management.

Carers Strategy

Each part of the Carers and Young Carers Strategy for Scotland, Caring Together and Getting it Right for Young Carers (2010-2015), contains stand-alone chapters on equality and cultural competence, establishing at the outset the importance of identifying and supporting carers and young carers within equality groups. The Scottish Government works in partnership with National Carers Organisations, which support carers across the equality groups.

Guidance to NHS Boards on Carers Information Strategy (CIS) funding includes, as one of the priorities, income maximisation and financial inclusion for carers and young carers. For 2008-15, CIS funding amounts to nearly £29 million. This has been allocated locally for a range of local initiatives, for example the South Lanarkshire Carers Network, which employs Welfare Rights Officers who have a focus on financial inclusion for carers. This type of support provision is particularly relevant to women and older people, who are more likely to have longer-term and more intensive caring roles. An audit tool was developed by the Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People's Project (MECOPP), with funding from the Scottish Government Carers Branch. Its aim is to build the capacity of Health Boards and other stakeholders to deliver a more culturally competent service, which identifies and responds to the specific needs of ethnic minority carers, including young carers. It has the additional benefit of assisting the statutory sector to meet its legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010. Carers Branch has also supported a project in Scotland to identify and support carers from Gypsy/Traveller communities.

Through the Short Breaks Fund, the Scottish Government is investing more than £14 million (administered through the voluntary sector) in short breaks between 2010 and 2015 for carers and young carers. A large portion of this, over £8 million, is specifically for disabled children up to the age of 20 and their parent carers.

In fulfilment of a manifesto commitment, on 12 June 2014 the Scottish Government launched the Carer Positive Kitemark to encourage employers to be more carer friendly. The kitemark recognises employers who have a working environment where carers are valued and supported, while at the same time helping to address concerns about occupational segregation. We have funded NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), who have produced the Equal Partners in Care (EPiC) core principles. This aims to increase workforce knowledge and skills, and will help to ensure that carers and young carers across all communities play an equal and active role in care planning and decisions.

Creating a Tobacco-Free Generation: A Tobacco Control Strategy for Scotland

The Strategy aims to reduce smoking to less than 5% by 2034, thereby creating a healthier, fairer Scotland. Tobacco use is far more prevalent in deprived areas (using the Scottish Index for Multiple Deprivation, 39% in SIMD1 compared to 11% in SIMD5) and is associated with a range of health inequalities.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

The Family Nurse Partnership Programme is offered universally to all eligible women (aged 19 and under at conception, first-time mothers, living within the geographical reach of the programme) where the local team(s) have capacity. The Programme has expanded and is now delivered in nine Health Board areas. It works on behaviour change and is aimed at reducing health inequalities in each of the following areas:

pregnancy and birth outcomes

child health and development

economic self-sufficiency of the family

Young women from the most deprived areas (SIMD quintiles) are up to 12 times more likely to keep their babies than those in the least deprived. We use this as a measure of whether or not we are reaching the sections of the population most in need.

Focus on Dementia Programme

People with dementia face widespread discrimination for a number of reasons, including significant misunderstanding and stigma. Because most people with dementia are over the age of 65 they can also face issues of age discrimination, and people with dementia may not have the capacity to challenge abuses of their human rights or to report what has occurred. This means that many people with dementia and their carers face a poorer quality of life than the general population. A partnership improvement programme between Scottish Government, QuEST, Joint Improvement Team and Alzheimer Scotland is carrying out work to improve the experience, safety and co-ordination of care for people with dementia in acute care and in the community, from timely diagnosis through to post-diagnostic support for people at all stages of their disease. Themes of humanity and equality underpin this work.

Learning Disability

The Keys to Life, Scotland's second learning disability strategy, was launched in June 2013. Some people with learning disabilities still do not enjoy the fair and equal treatment that signifies acceptance in society. People with learning disabilities express a desire for paid employment, however they remain under-represented in Scotland's workforce and employers fail to provide the support necessary for sustainable employment. For Scotland to prosper it needs employment opportunities that are fair and equal, and statutory organisations have the opportunity to lead by example through employing more people with learning disabilities. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disabilities is running Project Search in a number of locations in Scotland. Project Search is a supported employment programme to help young disabled people find and keep a job. In addition, Falkirk Council is currently being funded by the Scottish Government Employability Policy and Learning Disability teams to develop a local model of supported employment with local employers.

Stark health inequalities for people with learning disabilities can lead to early or avoidable deaths. That is why The Keys to Life focuses on health issues. The health service must recognise the particular health needs of people with learning disabilities, and respond appropriately and positively. An attitudinal and cultural shift is also required to bring about healthier and happier lives. The Scottish Government has seconded a Learning Disabilities Professional Advisor to support the implementation of the health recommendations. The Professional Advisor has been working with Public Health leads in NHS Boards and the Learning Disabilities Observatory to establish a way of capturing data on the services people with learning disabilities access, in order to understand their health needs, improve services, address health inequalities, and reduce avoidable deaths for people with learning disabilities.

People with learning disabilities tell us that friendship is important to their health, wellbeing and quality of life, and The Keys to Life aims to enable people with learning disabilities to live independently in their own community. Only when people with learning disabilities are seen as equals will they participate in their communities without fear of hate crime. Funded by the Scottish Government, a programme of friendship events was launched by Equal Futures and partners in January 2014. The events throughout Scotland are planned to encourage people with learning disabilities to meet new friends and form relationships.

Independent Living Fund Scotland

Independent Living Fund Scotland (ILF Scotland) is being co-produced with disabled people, organisations representing them and with statutory sector partners. This will contribute towards the Government's commitment to independent living and to giving disabled people of all ages the freedom, choice, dignity and control to live independent lives at home, at work and in their community. The UK ILF will close on 30 June 2015 and work is progressing for the ILF payments made to all existing Scottish users to continue, by transferring them to ILF Scotland on 1 July 2015. ILF payments offer disabled people the flexibility they may not otherwise have to live in their own home, take up employment or education, and to socialize like other citizens.

Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parent Strategy

The Scottish Government is developing a new Teenage Pregnancy and Young Parenting Strategy (expected later in 2015), which will seek to continue good progress in reducing teenage pregnancies while also supporting young parents.

HOUSING

Affordable Housing Supply Programme

The provision of affordable homes is a vital part of our drive to secure economic growth, promote social justice, strengthen communities and tackle inequality. The Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) is a continuous programme, and the current target is to deliver over 6,000 affordable homes, of which at least 4,000 will be for social rent, each year over the lifetime of this Parliament. This target is backed up with investment of £1.7 billion, primarily focussed on those on lower incomes, with evidence suggesting that this often includes those with protected characteristics. Local authorities are required by law to prepare a local housing strategy, supported by an assessment of housing need and demand. The statutory duty requires need to be considered in respect of the protected characteristics.

Bedroom Tax Compensation

The 'removal of the spare room subsidy' is currently resulting in Housing Benefit reductions for over 70,000 households in Scotland (86% had one spare bedroom (14% Reduction), 14% had two or more (25% reduction)). In August 2014, the Scottish Government Family Resources Survey estimated that 80% of the households affected contain a disabled adult and 10,900 households contain one or more children. In addition to the £20 million it allocated in 2013-14, the Scottish Government is providing local authorities with £70 million over the period 2014-16 for full mitigation of the bedroom tax through Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). A report by Prof. Steve Fothergill for the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee found that Scottish Government mitigation activity significantly alleviated the impact of welfare reform on the worst affected wards in Scotland, and reduced the differences between the worst and least affected wards.

Council Tax Reduction Scheme

As part of the UK Government's welfare reform programme, Council Tax Benefit was abolished in April 2013 and responsibility for future support transferred to Scottish Ministers, along with a 10% cut in funding. The Council Tax Reduction Scheme set out in secondary legislation a national schedule of reliefs, to be administered by local authorities as reductions to individuals' Council Tax liabilities, in order to ensure that no individual is disadvantaged by the abolition of CTB. An equality impact assessment identified positive impacts concerning age, disability and gender, based on comparisons to potential policy alternatives. We are currently finalising a revised EQIA following full year statistical publications and data collected since the scheme became operational.

Fuel Poverty Strategy

Older and disabled households are represented in significant numbers amongst the fuel poor. The Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum's remit is to work with the Scottish Government to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, no-one is living in fuel poverty by November 2016. The Forum's interim report in May 2012 led to the introduction of Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) in April 2013. Equality organisations are represented on the Forum and are consulted on the development of new programmes; they were involved in assessing the annual bids from local authorities to ensure that the HEEPS programmes target appropriate client groups. The Fuel Poverty Forum's final report (published March 2014) recommended that the Scottish Government develop stronger connections between fuel poverty measures and health and other social benefits. In response, the Scottish Government has facilitated links between Home Energy Scotland (HES) and the Link Worker Programme. It is intended that this will lead to a referral mechanism being put in place, which will allow HES to reach out to vulnerable people who may not otherwise have contacted HES, providing them with easy access to help that addresses both their practical and physical needs. Again the equality groups on the forum were involved in developing the workplan and in the delivery of the actions. This workplan is programmed to be part of a health inequalities impact assessment by the Health member of the Forum to ensure that the actions have no unintended consequences.

Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland

The UK Government's Affordable Warmth Scheme places an obligation on energy companies (ECO) to provide heating measures in people's homes. To mitigate the impact of ECO changes on vulnerable groups, from April 2014 we directed eligible clients to our HEEPS: Energy Assistance Scheme (EAS) first, and Affordable Warmth referrals ceased on 1 April 2015. Over the past five years EAS has provided over 46,000 vulnerable households with heating and/or insulation measures. Our HEEPS programmes particularly help reduce expenditure on energy for older people, disabled people and households with children under 5 that are living in fuel poverty. Following consultation with stakeholders, we have announced a contract worth up to £224 million over seven years for the delivery of a national fuel poverty scheme from 2015, which will build on the success of the EAS.

Sustainable Housing Strategy

Scotland's Sustainable Housing Strategy has the HEEPS: Energy Assistance Scheme at its heart, and brings together policies on climate change, energy efficiency, fuel poverty, planning and the built environment. An equality impact assessment concludes that all social tenants, including those with protected characteristics, are likely to benefit from the new Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH).

Help to Adapt

The Help to Adapt pilot was launched in early April 2015. The scheme is designed to make it easier and safer for older people to use the equity in their homes to pay for adaptations such as ramps, door widening, door-entry phones, relocated switches or plugs, stair lifts, through-floor lifts, handrails, and adapted kitchens, showers, toilets and/or bathrooms. Homeowners aged 60 or over will be able to apply for a loan of up to £30,000 to pay for adaptations, with no monthly interest charges or compound interest. The loan is repaid when the homeowner sells the house or the homeowner dies, with the amount repaid being linked to the value of the house. As well as conducting an equality impact assessment, we consulted with Age Scotland's Housing Panels, organisations such as Capability, Housing Options Scotland, members of the Adapting for Change Advisory Group and the National Islamic Bank. Membership of the Help to Adapt project board included the Chief Executive of Housing Options Scotland (an organisation that provides a housing options advice service for older people, disabled people and veterans). The scheme is expected to be of particular benefit to people with protected characteristics:

Age: the scheme is specifically targeted at helping older people live at home and maintain their independence

Disabled people: the scheme will help older disabled people to live at home and maintain their independence (over 60% of people aged 60+ have a long standing illness, health problem or disability)

Religion/belief: having a Sharia-compliant product will help advance equality of opportunity for Muslims.

Help to Buy

Help to Buy (Scotland) helps people on any income to buy a new-build home up to the value of £250,000 from participating house-builders, which will help homeowners, boost the construction industry in Scotland, increase overall housing supply and support wider economic growth. The scheme has potentially positive impacts on some groups with protected characteristics, who tend to be over-represented in lower income households, and specifically characteristics related to age, disability and sex. Scheme monitoring information is collected and is being collated to allow us to examine particular impacts on self-identifying members of these groups.

JUSTICE

Cashback for Communities

Cashback for Communities is a unique Scottish Government programme that invests funds recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in community projects, facilities and activities largely, but not exclusively, for young people at risk of turning to crime and anti-social behaviour. Work to enhance employability, education or health can improve life chances and thereby increase equality.

Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences

Around one in seven adults in Scotland report having been a victim of domestic abuse, be it in the form of physical violence, threat, coercion or control. Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on victims and children. Of the 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse reported to the police in 2012-13, 80% had a female victim and a male perpetrator. There were 8,604 sexual crimes reported to Police Scotland in 2013-14, an increase of 12% on the previous year. This included 1,808 alleged incidents of rape (+24%) and 3,405 sexual assaults (+13%).

The Justice system and law enforcement agencies have made significant progress in tackling domestic abuse and sexual offences in recent years. The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2010 reformed the previous law and created a range of new statutory offences. Victims of domestic abuse and sexual offences are now more confident in reporting their experiences. Following commitments in the 2014-15 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will consult on introducing a new specific criminal offence of committing domestic abuse. Although incidents of domestic abuse can be prosecuted under existing laws, a new specific offence could better reflect the true nature of abuse, including ongoing controlling and coercive behaviour by partners or former partners. The Government will also consult on creating a new specific offence covering the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. The Government will bring together leading academics to establish and communicate a clear understanding of the extent and nature of domestic abuse in Scotland and to share evidence of what works to prevent and reduce harm. The Scottish Government is also working with Police Scotland and other relevant bodies to draw on the lessons from the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse pilots, recently launched in Aberdeen and Ayrshire, and to assist Police Scotland in considering whether this approach – making available information about the previous abusive behaviour of a partner – should be extended more widely to help prevent the risk of harm.

National Confidential Forum

The establishment of the National Confidential Forum (NCF) forms part of the wider Scottish Government SurvivorScotland Strategy. The NCF will give adults who were placed in institutional care as children the opportunity to recount their experiences, including those of abuse and neglect, in a confidential and non-judgemental setting. The NCF will proactively work to ensure all groups in society are able to participate and that the demographic profile of children placed in institutional care, over the whole period from which the NCF will hear experiences, is reflected in that participation.

Age: the NCF will provide older people with an opportunity to share experiences which may previously have been very difficult to disclose and which, if they were disclosed, may not have received an appropriate response. To counteract stigmatising and stereotyping of children in care and young care leavers, the NCF will contribute to the public discourse and record of institutional care in Scotland, helping to provide a balanced and informed view of that care and how it has developed over the last century. This will in turn help children and young people in care today and in the future feel that the full range of their experiences is known and understood.

Disabled people will be supported to participate in ways which are informed by their particular needs.

Gender: The NCF is grounded in a policy which appreciates the gender dimensions of being placed in care as a child and the implications of this for sharing those experiences, in particular the disclosure of abuse. The NCF will ensure that those gender dimensions are taken into account both in proactively enabling access to women and men and in offering an appropriate and sensitive context for both women and men to share their experiences.

Race: The NCF will offer an opportunity to explore the race dimensions of institutional child care provision over a period when the ethnic diversity of Scotland has changed significantly.

Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland's Communities

The Scottish Government has committed £9 million in 2013-15 to support 44 community-based projects in their efforts to tackle sectarianism. The interim report from the independent Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland, published in December 2013, highlighted the role of human rights, equality and good relations in tackling sectarianism, specifically the potential for using the good relations work developed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission as a way of developing this agenda. A Scottish Government response was published on 28 February 2014 and a final report from the Advisory Group is expected in 2015.

To complement our project work, and to build a robust evidence base for our work on tackling sectarianism, we have published a summary of the empirical evidence on sectarianism; we are analysing information on religiously aggravated offences under Section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 on an annual basis; we have extended the data collected in key national surveys, such as the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey and the Scottish Household Survey; and we will evaluate Section 1 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 to determine the impact this is having on tackling football-related hateful, threatening or offensive behaviour likely to cause disorder. In addition we have commissioned research on the impact of marches and parades on local communities.

Women Offenders (including the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund)

Research affirms that women who offend commonly have needs and circumstances that are distinct from those of male offenders, and there is a need to provide policies and processes within the justice system to address gender specific issues. The Commission on Women Offenders (CWO) was established in June 2011 with a remit to consider the evidence on how to improve outcomes for women in the criminal justice system; to make recommendations for practical measures to reduce their reoffending and reverse the increase in the female prisoner population. Since publication of the CWO Report in April 2012, the Scottish Government has worked with partners to implement its recommendations. As well as the existing range of community sentences, diversion from prosecution and other community based services, development grant funding of £3 million has been allocated for the period 2013-15 to support 16 projects delivering new or enhanced services for women offenders in communities across Scotland. The women's centres and services are designed to reflect the CWO's aspiration for person-centred provision of services to reduce reoffending.

The Reducing Reoffending Change Fund (RRCF) is supporting mentoring services to around 700 women offenders a year across Scotland through the Shine Public Social Partnership. The Shine service is delivered nationally by a partnership of third sector organisations led by Sacro, and received £2.7 million from the RRCF in 2013-15. Funding has also been issued to support work with women offenders by the award-winning mentoring programme delivered by Tayside Council on Alcohol, and an innovative programme from Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire, which matches voluntary mentors with offenders. The RRCF has been extended to 2015-17 to continue to support these offender mentoring programmes.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is developing a strategy for the management of women in custody, which will set out how it proposes to work with women to address their complex needs and prepare them for a productive life in the community. In January 2015 the Scottish Government decided that, instead of pursuing proposals for a new national prison for women, it will seek to establish a more radical and progressive approach to how women offenders are dealt with in the Scottish criminal justice system. Scottish Government officials and the SPS will undertake a period of extensive engagement with key partners to devise a new configuration of custodial facilities for women across Scotland, based on smaller regional and community custodial facilities across the country. Ongoing work to support the development of community justice services for women and the appropriate use of alternatives to remand and custody will continue in co-ordination with this approach.

RURAL AFFAIRS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate Challenge Fund

The Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) monitors project awards according to a number of indicators, including its reach in areas of deprivation. Slightly higher numbers of awards were made in more advantaged areas; however higher value awards were made in the most disadvantaged areas. A refresh of the Fund in November 2012 aimed at reaching a wider variety of community groups and established a Junior Climate Challenge Fund (JCCF), under which 13 awards, totalling nearly £920,000, have been made to community groups led by young people up to age 21. However, a number of previously funded CCF projects also focused to varying degrees on young people and, when these are included, the total value of awards with young people's involvement rises to £2.6 million. Keep Scotland Beautiful, which manages the Climate Challenge Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, has sought support from CEMVO on engagement with ethnic minority groups. This work includes the development of an ethnic minority network to identify shared issues and areas of potential support. Young Scot provides similar support in relation to the JCCF. Due to unprecedented demand for funding support, the funds available to both CCF and JCCF are now fully allocated and both are closed to new applications.

Climate Justice

Climate justice puts human rights at the centre of decisions on development, sharing equitably the risks of climate change and the benefits of the low carbon economy. We are committed to promoting climate justice, both at home and abroad, through Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights. Our innovative £6 million Climate Justice Fund helps to redress the imbalance of impacts created by climate change. The Fund particularly invited projects that empowered women and the vulnerable in accessing their rights to water resources, and now has 11 projects operating in four Sub-Saharan African Countries (Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia). We have provided £200,000 to support the 2020 Group, Glasgow Caledonian University, Keep Scotland Beautiful and SolarAid climate justice initiative: Scotland Lights Up Malawi.

Our Place in Time

The 2014 Strategy Our Place in Time seeks to ensure that Scotland's historic environment is understood, protected and valued for the benefit of all. Prepared collaboratively, the Strategy provides a common vision to drive forward mainstreaming of the historic environment in all relevant areas of policy, for example skills and youth employment. One of the Strategy working groups is specifically considering the theme of 'participation', which will be of importance for widening access to heritage for all.

Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP)

The SRDP 2014-20 will deliver Pillar 2 of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which funds economic, environmental and social measures for the benefit of rural Scotland. Co-funded by the European Commission and the Scottish Government, the key purpose of the SRDP 2014-20 is to help achieve sustainable economic growth in Scotland's rural areas. Equality issues were considered as part of both the design and consultation process. SRDP measures cover a range of issues to benefit rural Scotland and have the potential to address equality issues, such as support for broadband, and sharing knowledge and best practice. The application process for specific sectoral schemes will be made simpler to improve access for all, with support offered to applications which deliver the best local and national outcomes. For example, start-up grants for young farmers (up to the age of 40) and a scheme for farmers of small holdings. However, the equality impact assessment also identified ways in which the SRDP could better meet the needs of equality groups. These include improving the evidence base on the beneficiaries of grants with protected characteristics, as part of a review of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme; better targeting of LEADER on social inclusion outcomes; and further consideration of the age profile of farmers in acknowledgment of the accessibility issues associated with using technology.

Scottish Rural Development Programme – LEADER

Part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP), LEADER aims to build social and economic capital by employing a grassroots, partnership approach to identify local needs and puts forward innovative, local solutions to aid rural development across Scotland. LEADER Groups are a partnership of representatives with local enterprise companies, rural businesses, public agencies and community groups working together to achieved shared local aims. In the last SRDP (2007-2013) LEADER funded over 2,100 projects, with over £67 million for community-led projects. The new programme expects to deliver about £83 million and we are very keen that all groups in our rural communities are able to participate in the shaping of local proposals. This includes proactive engagement with hard to reach groups. Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development is a key LEADER priority, and we are asking for this to be monitored locally. All 21 Local Development Strategies across Scotland must have an equality policy to ensure inclusion of all groups in rural development decision making.

SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Active Schools / National Active Girls Programme

The £50 million investment into the Active Schools Network through sportscotland over the next four years (2015-19) will help build on the significant progress which has already been made in school sport. In recognition of lower levels of participation amongst some groups, Active Schools has a focus on girls through the Active Girls programmes, and on pupils with additional support needs.

Commonwealth Games

The Scottish Government's overall vision for the Games was to host a successful, safe and secure Games that would deliver a lasting legacy for the whole of Scotland. An equality impact assessment highlighted a number of positive impacts resulting from the work of the Scottish Government Commonwealth Games Delivery Team, including additional changing facilities and accessible toilets and lifts. The EQIA also helped identify further opportunities for continued communication with equality groups. The Scottish Government worked with the Organising Committee (OC) and the BIG Lottery fund to develop a £500,000 Volunteer Support Fund, to support volunteering among socially and economically disadvantaged young people and lone parents, rurally isolated people, and people from minority ethnic groups. Recognising the prevalence across the Commonwealth of issues relating to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the Scottish Government contributed almost £25,000 to the establishment of a Pride house in Glasgow during the Games. The Glasgow 2014 Accessible Transport Strategy covered not only disabled people but also elderly people and passengers with buggies and small children. Along with the Accessible Transport Strategy the Games ticketing strategy ensured that the Games were the most affordable of recent times.

The Scottish Government had direct input into the OC's procurement policy to ensure that it was consistent with Scottish Government standards for the consideration of equality and diversity matters, and to ensure that supported businesses were included in the awarding of Games contracts. As a result, Games contracts to the value of approximately £1 million were awarded to supported businesses.

Commonwealth Games Legacy

The Scottish Government's overarching vision is set out in A More Active Scotland: Building a Legacy from the Commonwealth Games, which articulates a commitment to continuous equality assessment in its delivery. Working with partners across Scotland, the Scottish Government has put in place more than 50 national Legacy 2014 programmes, all of which have a commitment to equality at their core. £2 million of funding will be provided in 2015-16 specifically for Legacy purposes, helping to ensure that we capitalise on the inspiration that the Games provided.

Giving Children and Young People a Sporting Chance Strategy

An equality impact assessment published alongside Scotland's sport strategy for children and young people in June 2014 outlines how the EQIA process affected decisions. For example, it led to the inclusion of a specific recommendation that "All equality characteristics should be adopted and incorporated into relevant continuing professional development for those working with children and young people in sport". The strategy also re-states the importance of ensuring that sport is for all, underpinned by a key principle that there should be a focus on reaching those children and young people who are disengaged, and using sport to make a difference to their lives.

Let's Get Scotland Walking

The Scottish Government's National Walking Strategy, Let's Get Scotland Walking has been informed by equality analysis. A total of £3.2 million will be invested into physical activity programmes in 2015-16, and will include support for key organisations to provide better places and opportunities to get active, including walking. For example, Paths for All training covers how adjustments can be made to make paths more accessible to a wider group of users.

National Para Sports Centre

The Scottish Government will invest £6 million through sportscotland towards a dedicated para-sports facility at the sportscotland National Sports Centre Inverclyde in Largs. The £9 million development, which will extensively refurbish the centre, will ensure disabled athletes can train at a world-class, fully integrated and multi-sport facility. The significant investment recognises the importance of equality of opportunity in participation for disabled people in sport and the facility will also benefit children and young people of all ages from across Scotland who want to participate in a range of para-sports. The redevelopment is set to be completed in 2016.

Street Soccer Scotland

Street Soccer Scotland delivers a range of football-related programmes and personal development services to socially disadvantaged adults and young people from all backgrounds, with the overarching aim of helping individuals make positive changes to their lives. The programmes, which since summer 2013 have received Commonwealth Games Legacy funding, are tailored to suit the needs of people who have experienced a range of issues, including homelessness, mental health problems, addictions, unemployment and leaving care.

Women in Sport

The Scottish Government established a short-term working group for Women in Sport in November 2013, with a remit to look at the key issues affecting women's full participation in all aspects of sport in Scotland and to make recommendations for future action. The Group's recommendations are being taken forward by sportscotland via the Equality Advisory Panel for Sport, which held its first meeting in January 2015. The Scottish Women's Convention and Engender were invited to identify potential members for the group and sportscotland anticipates that these members will help them in relation to issues of equality and inclusion for women.

TRANSPORT

Accessible public transport for disabled people

We are committed to improving access to all modes of public transport so that disabled people can enjoy the same rights, choices and opportunities to travel as everyone else. The Scottish Government liaises closely with the Mobility and Access Committee (MACS) for Scotland, which works to identify problems and make recommendations on how to deal with them. MACS aims to promote the travel needs of disabled people with transport planners, transport operators and infrastructure providers. Transport Scotland held an accessibility workshop on 24 March 2015, which brought together disabled people's organisations, MACS, regional transport partnerships, transport service providers and Scottish Government policy interests to identify accessibility issues and discuss solutions that build on existing good work in individual areas.

Blue Badge Scheme eligibility criteria

In April 2013, Blue Badge eligibility criteria were extended to take account of the UK Government's welfare reforms and the introduction of Personal Independence Payments (PIP). We closely monitored the UK Government's introduction of PIP and introduced further mitigation in June 2014 to support those who previously passported to a Blue Badge under the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (HRMC DLA), but do not receive PIP at a rate to passport. We have also mitigated against delays to the PIP assessment process by ensuring that applicants who have not received a decision at the time their HRMC DLA ends will continue to passport to the Blue Badge scheme.

Community Transport Policy 2015

Community Transport (CT) services in Scotland are mainly provided by voluntary organisations for people who are unable to use conventional services due to mobility difficulties or lack of suitable public transport where they live. They include community minibuses, community car services, wheels to work (mopeds and bicycles) and demand-responsive services such as dial-a-bus and dial-a-ride. In addition, the Bus Service Operator's Grant (BSOG) scheme helps keep fares down and enables services to run that might otherwise be cancelled. CT services play a major part in reducing isolation and increasing social inclusion. They help people to be independent, to have a more active lifestyle and to rely less on social and health services. Scottish-Government commissioned research to better understand the benefits of community transport for individuals and groups who share protected characteristics is expected to be completed early in 2015.

Ferries Accessibility Fund

Launched in August 2013, this £500,000 fund is available for ferry and harbour operators in Scotland to implement improvements that go beyond statutory requirements. A management group drawn from Transport Scotland and the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) is currently evaluating the first round of applications, with a second round to be launched in Spring 2015.

National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People

The NCTS provides free bus travel across Scotland on any registered bus service to people living in Scotland who are aged 60 or over, or who meet certain disability criteria. In addition, residents of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles who meet the criteria are entitled to two free return ferry journeys to the mainland each year. The scheme improves access to services, facilities and social networks for older and disabled people, and promotes more active lifestyles. A survey conducted in 2013-14 revealed that, as well as an average financial benefit of approximately £244 for every cardholder, the scheme increased users' confidence and independence, and improved their mental and physical wellbeing. Minor modifications in 2011 ensured seriously injured veterans could access concessionary travel, and in 2013 changes to the regulations enabled those people who receive Personal Independence Payments to maintain access to concessionary travel. Stakeholder engagement is maintained through regular contact with key stakeholder and advocacy groups, and policy and operational changes are subject to consultation and equality impact assessment.

Queensferry/Forth Replacement Crossing Team

The Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) Scheme set up an Access Panel of individuals from organisations including the Mobility and Access Committee Scotland, People Friendly Design, Scottish Disability Equality Forum and Disabilities Fife, along with the Access Champions for the project. The group meets regularly to manage the design and detailed provision of road infrastructure within the project in accordance with the design guide published by the Roads for All Forum.

Trunk Roads

Recent evidence has shown that every £1 spent in road maintenance brings £1.50 in wider economic benefits and, since 2007, over £6 billion has been invested to maintain and improve Scotland's trunk road network. Given the effect uneven footways have on the ability of disabled people (e.g. visual impairment or mobility) to use the road network, this also leads to improved accessibility and social inclusion. Transport Scotland seeks to avoid creating physical and psychological barriers to travel, and ensures that the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the trunk road infrastructure creates environments which can be used by everyone. In July 2013, Transport Scotland updated its trunk road accessibility action plan Roads for All: Good practice guide for Roads, and has extended the remit of the original working group to form the Roads for All Forum to provide ongoing involvement in implementation of the plan.

OTHER

Early Intervention Fund

Through the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund and Strategic Funding Partnerships, the Scottish Government has provided £45 million over 2013-16 to support work on prevention, early intervention and improved outcomes for children, young people and families in Scotland. In consultation with third sector organisations, including those representing specific equality groups, a short-term working group is looking at ways of improving funding in this area. Equality considerations have been mainstreamed into the development of this work, for example through two specific consultation events. We expect to publish an EQIA later in 2015.

Regeneration Strategy

Regeneration of Scotland's most disadvantaged areas and the strengthening of our local communities is a key priority, and the Strategy's equality impact assessment demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that equality of opportunity underpins our approach, including through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and the People and Communities Fund (PCF). The RCGF focuses on projects that will deliver large scale transformational change in areas which suffer from high levels of deprivation and disadvantage. The projects should have a strong community focus, clearly demonstrating the involvement of local communities and enhancing social cohesion, community well-being or safety. The People and Communities Fund (PCF) supports community-led regeneration, including through community anchor organisations such as housing associations and community development trusts, to deliver local regeneration activity and tackle inequality in our most disadvantaged communities. 156 projects have already been supported, representing a funding commitment of £18.3 million over 2012-15.

The First Minister committed to increasing the investment in direct community funding by an additional £10 million in 2015-16 through the new Empowering Communities Fund. Of this, £5.6 million will be used to increase the People and Communities Fund to £15 million, to give people the power to make changes in their own communities. The additional funding will support almost 200 projects, including community groups that are promoting change in disadvantaged communities through training, employment, healthy eating and volunteering opportunities. The remaining £4.4 million will be allocated to support a range of other Empowering Communities Fund initiatives.

Footnotes

1. http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/bulletin-figures-and-tables

2. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/10/8378

3. Please note that the percentages have been rounded

4. http://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/scotland/at_home/scottish_attitudes_towards_lesbian_gay_bisexual_and_transgender_people/2798.asp

5. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Equality/Equalities/DataGrid/SexualOrientation

6. Please note that the following graphic illustrations of Acts, Bills and policies do not represent a comprehensive list of Acts, Bills and policies. A more comprehensive list and details of recent legislation and policies of relevance to equality can be found at page 150

7. Based on three-year aggregate data, 2010/11 to 2012/13 inclusive

8. Although the data tables cover many of the equality strands, the pooled data should not be considered as the primary source of data for the variables it contains. This will be reviewed as the pooled dataset is further tested and developed. Where there is an alternative, preferred source for a topic, this is indicated above the relevant core question table on the webpages for the pooled sample data, e.g. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/About/Surveys/PooledSample2012/Table7

9. Including Senior Civil Service salaries which were not included in the figures presented in the 2013 report.

10. When compared to the comparable figure of 7.2% for 2013, e.g. including Senior Civil Service salaries which were not included in the figure of 5.7% published in the 2013 report.

11. Includes: sexual assault including against children, and lewd and libidinous practices.

12. Includes: crimes relating to prostitution; soliciting services of person engaged in prostitution; brothel keeping; immoral traffic, and procuration.

13. Includes: other sexually coercive conduct; other sexual offences involving 13-15 year old children; taking, distribution, possession etc. of indecent photos of children etc. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/11/6350/4#ta2

14. i.e. at least 12 months after they were alleged to have been committed

15. Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2012/13: Partner Abuse, page 5, http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00455441.pdf

16. Tackling Female Genital Mutilation in Scotland, page 16,
http://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/news_and_events/latest_news/2545_scottish_national_action_plan_needed_on_fgm

17. Equal Opportunities Committee: Where Gypsy/Travellers Live –
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/61579.aspx

18. Gypsies/Travellers in Scotland: Summary of the Evidence Base, Summer 2013 –
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Equality/Equalities/GypsyTravellerScotland

19. Analysis of Equality Results from the 2011 Census – http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/10/8378/downloads

20. Analysis of Equality Results from the 2011 Census – Part 2 – http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/03/8716

21. The 2010 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey: Attitudes to Discrimination and Positive Action –
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/08/11112523/0

22. Gypsy/Traveller Analysis based on the Scottish Housing Charter 2013/14 and Scotland's 2011 Census –
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/supply-demand/chma/hnda/gypsytravelleranalysis

23. Source – Labour Force Survey Dec-Feb 2015, April 2015

24. Scottish Government (2013). Women's Employment Summit Evidence Paper – 2013 update.

25. Scottish Government (2014). Local Area Labour Markets in Scotland – Statistics from the Annual Population Survey 2013. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

26. Eurostat: European Labour Force Survey, 2013.

27. Annual Population Survey, January-December 2013, ONS

28. Source: ASHE 1999 and 2006-2014, ONS

29. Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2013-September 2014, ONS

30. The minutes of the Council's meeting are available here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/Meetings/12-11-2014

31. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubAttainment

32. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubExclusions

33. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubAttendanceAbsence

34. Trend data in this section should be treated with caution. The disability/additional support need data has changed over the years, with more pupils recorded with additional support needs. This wider recording means that it is hard to differentiate between changes caused by a wider range of pupils being recorded as having an additional support need and any real changes/improvements.

35. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/06/9242

36. Data on attendance is collected once every two years and only for one year. So we do not/ will not hold attendance data for 2011/12, 2013/14 etc. etc.

37. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/10/8011

38. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/05/5493/0

39. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00454588.pdf

40. http://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/addressing-dyslexia-toolkit

41. www.autismtoolbox.co.uk/

42. http://www.autismstrategyscotland.org.uk/

43. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/Pubs-Pre-SchoolEducation

44. See table 8 http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/06/9242/5#table8

45. Due to changes in ethnic minority definitions, it is difficult to make comparisons with previous years, and in any case the numbers of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds means that year on year fluctuations in numbers can have a huge impact on statistical rates. Therefore caution must be exercised in drawing conclusions related to progress for ethnic groups.

46. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Schools/Raisingeducationalattainment

47. http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Smart-money-on-attainment-15d2.aspx

48. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/11/12120420/0

49. http://www.respectme.org.uk/

50. www.educationscotland.gov.uk/supportinglearners/positivelearningenvironments/inclusionandequality/

51. http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/d/genericresource_tcm4512285.asp

52. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/11/4092/1

53. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2012/10/5408

54. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/12/8526/1

55. http://issuu.com/respectme/docs/bullying_in_scotland_2014_-_summary/0

56. http://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/documents/scot_teachers_report_2014_final_lo_res.pdf

57. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/commission-publishes-research-prejudice-based-bullying-schools-scotland

58. http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Smart-money-on-attainment-15d2.aspx

59. (where this information is provided) Source: Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 2012-13
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/10/2411

60. Source: Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2012/13 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/3479