Engender blog
5 things you need to know about equality and today's Scotland Bill debate
With amendments to the Scotland Bill falling like leaves, it doesn't seem likely that any of the positive equality amendments being debated on Monday are likely to make it into the statute books.
The (too) rapid progress of the Bill through the House of Commons means that some of the detail is passing in a bit of a blur. By any forecast, the use of some of the powers that are being transferred will happen within what seem to be extraordinarily narrow parameters. As we see the constraints on the Scottish Parliament in action there are likely to be additional awkward questions about whether the new Scotland Act can really be said to have delivered on the spirit of some of the commitments outlined in the Smith Agreement.
We think there are five important things to note about women's equality and today's debate.
The Scotland Bill or How Not To Do Devolution
The sunny and warm weather may have arrived in Scotland this week, but there is a definite chill emanating from Westminster. After a wide-ranging and imaginative national discussion on Scotland's constitutional future, the hastiness of the Smith Commission process has accelerated to warp speed as the Scotland Bill whizzes through its required stages en route to the statute book.
A gallimaufry like the Scotland Bill, which includes so many disparate and technical elements, can only be enhanced by the kind of scrutiny that it is guaranteed not to receive. So what five things do you need to know about the Bill?
A Widening Gap - new report shows women bear the brunt of welfare reform
Since 2010, £26 billion worth of cuts have been made to benefits, tax credits, pay and pensions. 85% of this has fallen on women’s incomes.
To coincide with the Welfare Reform Committee’s Inquiry on Women and Welfare Reform, Engender, together with Close the Gap, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Scottish Refugee Council and Scottish Women’s Aid, have today launched a report examining the impact of welfare reform on women in Scotland.
Smith Commission agreement a mixed bag for women
The Smith Commission report was launched this morning with some fanfare and warm words for both the 'sagacious' stewardship of Lord Smith of Kelvin and the National Museum of Scotland, which hosted the affair.
The devolution of income tax was the part of the agreement most heavily trailed in the media, but we were particularly keen to see whether the five parties had met ours and others' calls for specific powers to redress inequalities.
We called for the Scottish Parliament to have the powers:
- To legislate and regulate around equality law, including the power to establish a Scotland-specific equalities regulator, akin to the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland.
- To legislate and regulate around employment, including around maternity, paternity and parental leave; flexible working; the national minimum wage; and the employment tribunal service.
- The social security, benefits and taxation system, including the power to legislate and regulate, in addition to administration and deliver.
- To establish employability programmes that link with Scotland’s economic development strategy to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
- To regulate broadcasting and advertising in Scotland.
- The administration of all reserved tribunals operating in Scotland, including the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal should be devolved.
Constitutions work wrap-up
The referendum and subsequent invigorating
deadlines set down by the Smith Commission have been keeping us policy types
busy these past few months.
Tomorrow we will be publishing our submission to the Smith Commission on further devolution and, although we will continue to engage with latter stages of the process, this will draw a close to our Scotland’s Futures advocacy and engagement work. Here, then, is a quick look at what the final stages of the project have entailed and how this links to future plans.
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Engender Briefing: Pension Credit Entitlement Changes
From 15 May 2019, new changes will be introduced which will require couples where one partner has reached state pension age and one has not (‘mixed age couples’) to claim universal credit (UC) instead of Pension Credit.
Engender Parliamentary Briefing: Condemnation of Misogyny, Racism, Harassment and Sexism
Engender welcomes this Scottish Parliament Debate on Condemnation of Misogyny, Racism, Harassment and Sexism and the opportunity to raise awareness of the ways in which women in Scotland’s inequality contributes to gender-based violence.
Gender Matters in Social Security: Individual Payments of Universal Credit
A paper calling on the Scottish Government to automatically split payments of Universal Credit between couples, once this power is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Gender Matters Manifesto: Twenty for 2016
This manifesto sets out measures that, with political will, can be taken over the next parliamentary term in pursuit of these goals.
Scottish NGO Briefing for UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
Joint briefing paper for the UN Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.
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