Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Paragraph: 72
The Government must specify and define a clear role for the Office of the Secretary...
Recommendation
The Government must specify and define a clear role for the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the context of COVID-19 and similar UK-wide emergencies. We understand that the Department is committed to being Scotland’s voice in Whitehall and has already arranged a series of communications between respective Ministers and officials in the Scottish and UK administrations. In that case, we think there is potential for it to play a formal coordination role in ensuring that relevant ministers in the UK and Scottish Governments are meeting regularly and are invited to all intergovernmental discussions. This may help fill the ‘vacuum’ in ministerial level communication between the UK and Scottish Governments that has been described to us.
Paragraph Reference:
72
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The UK Government welcomes the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair, Professor Brian Bell, on 22 October 2020 to thank him for the thoughtful and comprehensive report. It is, of course, for the MAC to recommend changes to the SOL based on the evidence. The MAC will be carrying out more regular reviews of the SOL and the UK Government would encourage employers to continue to provide evidence about those roles which they consider to be in shortage in Scotland. However, the Home Secretary also confirmed that in light of the current and rapidly changing labour market, the UK Government would not be immediately accepting the recommendations. Whilst the UK Government is absolutely not rejecting the recommendations, we will be taking longer to scrutinise the recommendations to ensure our future immigration system approach aligns with the UK labour market. We will consider whether to implement some or all of the recommendations in a set of immigration rules changes in 2021. The UK Government supports the recommendation that the Scottish Government should do more to encourage those coming to the UK to live and work in Scotland. We would also encourage the Scottish Government to consider what more can be done to encourage more people already resident in the UK to consider living and working in Scotland. The 8 Second Special Report of Session 2019–21 Scottish Government has control of the necessary levers to encourage investment, to build an educated and skilled workforce, and, by those means, secure Scotland’s economic future.