Social Justice and Fairness Commission March 2021
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A Route Map to a Fair Independent Scotland Report of the Social Justice and Fairness Commission March 2021 FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................. 3 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 5 OUR PROCESS ................................................................................................................................. 8 2. THE ROUTE MAP TO A FAIRER SCOTLAND ............................................................................ 10 3. DEMOCRATIC RENEWAL – CHANGING HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS ....................................... 11 4. VALUES ROOTED IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUALITY ............................................................ 16 4.1 HUMAN RIGHTS .................................................................................................................... 16 4.2 UNIVERSAL PUBLIC SERVICES .................................................................................................... 16 4.3 EQUALITY ............................................................................................................................ 18 5. POLICIES THAT PRIORITISE WELLBEING ................................................................................ 23 5.1 A CARING SOCIETY ................................................................................................................ 23 5.1.1 INVESTING IN CHILDHOOD ............................................................................................................... 23 5.1.2 TACKLING SCOTLAND’S PROBLEMS WITH DRUGS AND ADDICTION .......................................................... 25 5.1.3 REFORM OF SOCIAL CARE ................................................................................................................ 32 5.2 INCLUSIVE CITIZENSHIP: MIGRATION, ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION ..................................................... 43 5.2.1 THE UNITED KINGDOM’S HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................... 44 5.2.2 MIGRATION CAN HELP SCOTLAND PROSPER ....................................................................................... 45 5.2.3 MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITH DEVOLVED POWERS ............................................................................... 47 5.2.4 THE OPPORTUNITIES OF INDEPENDENCE ............................................................................................ 48 5.3 WELLBEING ECONOMY ............................................................................................................ 51 5.3.1 A JUST TRANSITION: CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY ................................................................. 52 5.3.2 FAIR TAXATION ............................................................................................................................. 54 5.3.3 LAND VALUE TAX .......................................................................................................................... 58 5.3.4 COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING ...................................................................................................... 61 5.4 SECURE INCOME .................................................................................................................... 62 5.4.1 SOCIAL SECURITY .......................................................................................................................... 65 5.4.2 FAIR WORK .................................................................................................................................. 83 5.5 BUILDING HOMES AND COMMUNITIES ....................................................................................... 95 5.5.1 HOUSING ..................................................................................................................................... 95 5.5.2 PLANNING ................................................................................................................................. 104 5.5.3 LAND ........................................................................................................................................ 108 6. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................... 114 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ 116 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 117 A: MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSION ................................................................................................... 117 B: RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................................. 118 C: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS FOR ALL – WHY RADICAL REWRITING OF IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM AND CITIZENSHIP LAWS ARE REQUIRED: SUBMISSION FROM STUART MCDONALD MP ......................................................... 122 2 Foreword by Convener Shona Robison MSP and Depute Convener Neil Gray The Social Justice & Fairness Commission was established by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon MSP in September 2019. It comprises both SNP members and independent contributors and we have had the privilege of leading its work. We would like to thank all of those who have served on the Commission and informed and supported its deliberations, giving time, energy, knowledge and expertise on a voluntary basis. We would also like to thank our Secretariat team and SNP headquarters for their assistance. Much of the Commission’s work has been taken forward in difficult times. In spite of the extraordinary circumstances, we have strived as much as possible to maintain our progress during the pandemic. Inevitably it has had significant impacts on opportunities to engage and consult as we would have wished, but, like everyone else, we have had to find new ways through. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the organisations and individuals who have given valuable time and insights to inform our work during a period of great uncertainty. Our report is not a costed manifesto for parliamentary terms or, indeed, for just one political party. It is a blueprint, a route map to a more socially just Scotland – one that focuses on how we should make decisions, with illustrative proposals for policy choices that can help us build a wellbeing society. We consider the opportunities in the short term and what is achievable with the powers of devolution. Our focus, however, is on how much more we can achieve with independence. The proposals we set out are only options. Whether all or any of them are taken forward are political decisions and choices for future governments in Scotland to make. The time and pace of any such change will be determined by future Scottish governments according to the circumstances of the day. Clearly, the balance of priorities and resources are key to decision making, now and after independence. It is not always possible to do everything at the same time, so while there is appetite for swift progress, we have attempted to offer some insight into what we believe our earliest priorities should be. We have also set out a number of general ambitions we would like Scotland to pursue, but which will probably take a little longer to achieve. Some of the proposals, such as Land Value Taxation, offer opportunity to raise revenues. Others are suggestions for legislative change that will have cost implications, but which offer scope to deliver much bigger benefits for society. It was beyond the remit and scope of the Commission to delve into every single policy area. Instead we have focused on those that have been particularly prominent and pressing during the pandemic, those that offer the greatest scope for tackling poverty and creating a fairer Scotland, and other areas of expertise for Commission members. This has been an enormously valuable process, but the Commission has merely scratched the surface – the potential that exists to develop policy that delivers our shared ambitions is 3 enormous. We have made a start, but now there is a need to delve deeply, to develop detail for practical implementation, and to build consensus. In so doing we will be even more ready to hit the ground running upon independence. To that end we would strongly recommend the establishment of a permanent Commission or body to build on and develop our work. 4 1. Introduction The aim of the Social Justice and Fairness Commission is to deliver a route map to the prize of a fair Scotland that values and cares for everyone who lives here, from baby box to ripe old age – a society in which everyone can fully participate, with opportunities to flourish. It is a prize that we believe can only truly be delivered with independence. Independence can empower the people of Scotland. In order to build a better society, with compassion and wellbeing at its heart, we need our Scottish Parliament to gain new powers and to use them differently. And we need our public institutions to reprioritise equality and social justice in their provision of publicly funded services too. Independence provides us with the opportunity to reset the relationship between government – at every level – and the people it is there to serve. That reset can offer a renewed social contract that delivers for the people of Scotland, based