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Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee 24 February 2026 [Draft]

24 Feb 2026 · S6 · Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee

Item of business

Neurodivergence

Arthur, Tom SNP Renfrewshire South Watch on SPTV

:That is a really important point, which I engaged with directly through my previous portfolio as the Minister for Employment and Investment. The committee will fully appreciate that employment law is a reserved matter, but we have certainly sought to engage constructively with the UK Government on its employment rights legislation and its wider programme.There are various principles in our fair work policy to support the core theme of diverse and inclusive workplaces. We encourage all employers to have workplace practices that are not only consistent with having a fair and inclusive environment but which will give them access to a huge pool of talent, creativity and ingenuity that is too often excluded.I can give another example. Members will be familiar with various initiatives that are designed to promote inclusive workplace environments. Although it is not directly connected with what we are considering today, I will talk about an analogous area that is connected with another part of my portfolio and which I had a long-standing interest in prior to being in government. The carer positive scheme is all about encouraging employers to have workplace practices that recognise and support those who are combining work with unpaid caring responsibilities. Those practices can include often quite small reasonable adjustments that enable people to balance their workplace and caring responsibilities.12:15We know that employers that have such policies in place are able to access a significant pool of people in the workforce who want to work and to participate. It is very good for employers and, of course, it is good for any individuals who are unpaid carers and want to work. We also recognise that employment will not be right or suitable for every unpaid carer, just as not every disabled person will necessarily want to be in employment. However, we know that many do and are not able to access employment. That is why we have made a commitment to reduce the disability employment gap. Progress has been made on that and we continue to make progress towards the longer-term target.Within the suite of devolved levers that are available to us, although we do not have a statutory power, through our convenership, our influence and our engagement, we seek to promote best practice in the workplace from the perspective of ensuring that we have an inclusive society and that everyone who wants the opportunity to participate in the workforce is able to do so. We also recognise that, in Scotland, we face significant economic challenges that are related to our demography. Unemployment is at very low levels, we have an ageing population, and we are operating within a restrictive migration environment because of the UK Government’s policies. It is of the utmost importance that we are able to create every opportunity to fully utilise the workforce in Scotland and ensure that those who want to participate in the workplace are able to do so, free of discrimination and barriers.There are things that we would like to do but cannot do because of the devolution settlement. One example of that is more engagement and involvement with the access to work scheme. I state very clearly, and I hope that the committee will reiterate it, that employers should be taking every opportunity to ensure that they have diverse and inclusive recruitment practices—which many employers do—so that they can fully utilise all the talent that we are fortunate to have in our country. Many neurodivergent individuals are making a huge contribution to society at all levels, and I am sure that many of them are in this building.

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Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee 24 February 2026 [Draft]

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