Correspondence on Fair Work First grants awarded: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

"As per the Scottish Government’s publication ‘Fair Work First: grants awarded - July 2023 to March 2024’ (Fair Work First: grants awarded - July 2023 to March 2024 - gov.scot):

1. Which 26 public sector bodies were granted an exception to paying the Real Living Wage; for which grant; and what was the sum of the grant?

2. Which organisation was given a whole exemption to paying the Real Living Wage; what was the purpose of the grant; and what was the sum of the grant?

3. Which public body awarded a grant to the organisation which was awarded a whole exception for paying the Real Living Wage?

4. If the Scottish Government holds similar information for the awarding of public contracts by public bodies? If so, to supply them? If not, why not, and if it intends to collect this information?

5. If a copy of the information request issued to public sector bodies could be supplied?

I would be grateful if this information could be provided in a word or excel format."

Response

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in the format you asked for. The information in relation to questions 1 and 5 is attached separately in annexes A and B respectively.

For awareness, since the publication of the figures on 30 September, some further information on the application of Fair Work First conditionality in grant spend and exceptions has become available. As such, the webpage will be updated with the latest figures, and these amendments will be highlighted. It is the latest information which is reflected in the response to your request. It was found that an exception was agreed for two public sector organisations who were compliant with the real Living Wage condition and therefore did not need an exception. This is why in the response to question 1 the number of public sector organisations with an exception has reduced from 26 to 24.

The answers to your remaining questions are set out below.

2. Which organisation was given a whole exemption to paying the Real Living Wage; what was the purpose of the grant; and what was the sum of the grant?

Dynamic Earth had an approved exception to the real Living Wage condition for the whole of the workforce. The purpose of the grant was Enhancing Professional Learning in STEM. The sum of the grant was £9,940.

3. Which public body awarded a grant to the organisation which was awarded a whole exception for paying the Real Living Wage?

Education Scotland awarded the above noted grant.

4. If the Scottish Government holds similar information for the awarding of public contracts by public bodies? If so, to supply them? If not, why not, and if it intends to collect this information?

The Scottish Government does not hold this information for the award of public contracts by public bodies and does not intend to collect it. While public bodies are responsible for their own procurement activity, we have taken a proportionate response to reporting under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and it already requires a public body with a procurement spend of more than £5 million in any year to prepare a procurement strategy setting out its general policy on the payment of a living wage to persons involved in producing, providing or constructing the subject matter of regulated procurements, and to report against compliance with this strategy in an annual procurement report. The most recent annual procurement reports are available from: Public sector annual procurement reports 2023/2024 list - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

We use these reports to form the basis of the Procurement Activity: Annual Report. The most recent of Procurement Activity Report (2021-2022) states that across 95 public bodies, a combined total of 2,016 suppliers committed to paying the real Living Wage in delivering regulated contracts.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400440413 - Information Released - Annex A
FOI 202400440413 - Information Released - Annex B

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Back to top