As John Swinney prepares for his first PFG  statement on Wednesday, Evie Milligan and Lewis Gillingwater take a dive into the ministerial postbag to see what the various influencer organisations and pressure groups are asking for…

WHO WANTS WHAT FROM PFG24

An open letter signed by Unison, Unite, GMB, RMT, UCU, PCS, Aslef and NUS has called on the government to use the statement to reaffirm its commitment to rent controls as part of the upcoming Housing Bill, a Scottish Greens priority opposed by landlord organisations and housebuilding stakeholders which may now be rescinded following the collapse of the Bute House agreement.

Representative body Scottish Renewables have called for the government to accelerate planning reforms, prioritise skills reforms and maintain its ambition on heat decarbonisation by prioritising the Heat In Buildings Bill. They have also called for the Scottish Government to work with and encourage the UK Government on net zero policies including green job creation and public engagement.

CBI Scotland wants to see a commitment to avoiding further income tax divergence and for the government to reverse plans to introduce a business rates surtax for larger retailers. The employers’ body also calls for better aligned skills funding under a single consolidated skills strategy and action plan, and for the Climate Change Plan, Green Industrial Strategy and Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan to be published. The Scottish Retail Consortium meanwhile has called for a focus on reducing spending, including a potential reduction in public bodies and the civil servant workforce and a reconsideration of devolved initiatives including Minimum Unit Pricing increases, bans on disposable vapes, and Extended Producer Responsibility rules on packaging.

On the environment and climate change, Scottish Environment LINK have expressed concerns about potential cuts to the Nature Restoration Fund, calling on the government to set legally binding nature recovery targets via a Natural Environment Bill and to reverse reported cuts to ensure ongoing funding for nature protection and restoration. Stop Climate Chaos has argued for the government to commit to increasing funding to public transport and active travel schemes, to include measures to deliver a just transition and a presumption against new oil and gas licences, to offer funding to boost woodland and peatland creation, and to confirm a Heat in Buildings Bill by the end of 2024.

The Child Poverty Action Group has called for above-inflation increases for the Scottish Child Payment and a commitment to increase this to £40 per week by the end of the Parliament, alongside the delivery of universal free school meals for all primary pupils, more funding for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, and expanded childcare and employment support for parents and carers. The Scottish Childminding Association meanwhile has advocated for the government to increase the minimum wage for childminders to above £12 an hour to account for increases in the Real Living Wage.

The Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) has urged the Scottish Government to recognise the role social care plays in providing support to prevent people from going to hospital or enabling their discharge. It notes much of this care is provided by CCPS members who are struggling to maintain services in the face of the failure to invest in the sector. The briefing challenges the government to fund a 2025-26 pay deal for staff in the sector who deliver public services which continues the drive to deliver Fair Work in Social Care by guaranteeing a minimum pay award for all support workers of the 2025-26 Real Living Wage + 10%. The pay award should also allow timely distribution of guaranteed funds to providers from 1 April 2025, reflect the full breadth of workforce costs held by providers, embed a principle of no-detriment to staff salaries and recognise the role of back-office staff in delivering and monitoring of efficient public services within the sector.

Always a strong voice for their membership, SCVO has called for the government to continue to work towards achieving Fair Funding for the third sector by 2025, arguing for this year’s Programme for Government to align the Scottish Government’s Fairer Funding Principles with the SCVO’s definitions, to review and upgrade its grant funding scheme, to introduce multi-year funding for the voluntary sector across Scottish Government departments and funds, and to establish transparent delivery goals and timelines for Fair Funding commitments.

Various bodies including Alcohol Focus Scotland, BMA Scotland, Children in Scotland, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs and Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems have called on the government to reaffirm its plans to consult on alcohol marketing restrictions, suggesting a Programme for Government commitment would ensure legislation on alcohol marketing could be pursued in this parliament.

Scotland Food and Drink have echoed calls for multi-year funding and called for increasingly targeted investment, the reinstatement of the Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation Scheme, alongside work to better align public funding.

The Human Rights Consortium Scotland has set out seven asks of the government, including a commitment to introducing a Scottish Human Rights Bill by February 2025 and reforming Civil Legal Aid. They have also called for the reinstatement of the recently cancelled free bus travel for asylum seekers pilot.

Scotland’s International Development Alliance has called for commitments to eradicate poverty, tackle the climate emergency and improve public services, pushing for the government to deliver on prior commitments to a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill.

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS ALREADY CONSULTED ON

• Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – this consultation closes on 14 October 2024 and responses will help inform fisheries management measures. It is intended that orders under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 will be the legislative mechanisms used to implement those measures
• Salmon fishing: proposed river gradings for 2025 season – This consultation closes on 8 September 2024 and feedback could result in an amendment to the Conservation of Salmon (Annual Close Time and Catch and Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2014)
• Building Regulations: Determining the principles for a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard: Stage 1 consultation – This consultation closes on 23 October 2024 and feedback will help inform subordinate legislation
• Children’s hearings redesign – This consultation closes on 28 October 2024 and focuses on areas which may require changes to law
• Adults with Incapacity Amendment Act: consultation – This consultation closes on 17 October 2024 and seeks views on proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000
• Purpose built student accommodation: notice to leave tenancy: student survey – this consultation closes on 31 October 2024 and responses will help determine whether legislation is required to change the nature of notice periods in student accommodation
• Purpose built student accommodation: notice to leave tenancy: provider survey  – this consultation closes on 31 October 2024 and responses will help determine whether legislation is required to change the nature of notice periods in student accommodation
• Media reporting on child homicide victims: a consultation on the issues – this consultation closes on 1 October 2024 and consults on legislative and non-legislative options
• Fee proposals for registers introduced by the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act – this consultation closes on 16 September 2024 and responses will be considered by Scottish Ministers ahead of the Fees Order being laid before the Scottish Parliament.
• Post-School Education and Skills Reform: Consultation on legislation  – this consultation closes on 20 September 2024 and will help inform proposals for changes to what public bodies do in the post-school system
• Review of the Regional Strategic Bodies within the Glasgow and Lanarkshire college regions – this consultation closes on 20 September 2024 and responses will help inform whether the government should reform the RSBs for Glasgow and Lanarkshire college regions
• Crofting consultation 2024 – this consultation closes on 2 September 2024 and responses will help inform proposals on crofting reform

OTHER CURRENT CONSULATIONS

• Charging for single-use disposable beverage cups (closes 14 November 2024) (charge will be enacted through the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024)
• Achieving value and sustainability in prescribing medication: consultation  (closes 8 September 2024)
• The Scottish Road Worker Consultation 2024  (closes 3 October 2024)
• ‘Moving on’ from care into adulthood consultation  (closes 3 October 2024)
• Revising small area statistics geographies: data zones and intermediate zones  (closes 1 October 2024)
• Changing the International Territorial Level Geography for Scotland  (closes 1 October 2024)
• Scottish Law Commission report on review of contract law  (closes 27 September 2024)
• Call for Evidence for the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment (closes 30 August 2024)
• Adult Disability Payment Review: consultation  (closes 30 August 2024)