Scotland's Democracy At Work?

The Scottish Parliament will hear details later today of the budget ministers are proposing for 2021/22.

Regular readers will recall that last year's big event was completely overshadowed by the embarrassing resignation of the finance minister Derek Mackay who is still an MSP and member of the SNP as well, as far as I know.  

Anyway, I hope this year's budget goes more smoothly and I also hope it will shed some light on where the £180 million is coming from to pay for the Scottish Government's cockamamy Covid bonus scheme.

Because it's clear the scheme is full of holes and that a large part of this money could have been better used by going to those who have been hit hard financially during the Coronavirus epidemic.

As things stand, Scottish Ministers agreed to spend all this money without putting their plan to the Scottish Parliament.

Perhaps most shameful of all, the Covid bonus scheme was announced by the first minister for the benefit of an online SNP conference - while MSPs, employers and trade unions were all kept in the dark. 

Now if this is Scotland's democracy at work, I'm a monkey's uncle.

  

Cockamamy Covid-19 Bonus Scheme (18/01/21)

Scottish Ministers have their knickers in a right twist over Westminster's decision to directly fund spending projects north of the border.

I would have more time for these complaints if Nicola Sturgeon herself hadn’t by-passed MSPs and the Scottish Parliament - with her cockamamy Covid bonus scheme costing the public purse £180 million.

   

£2 Per Day vs £200 Per Day (14/01/21)

The Herald reports that the Scottish Government's 'Citizens Assembly' cost more than £10,000 for each opinion with the individuals who took part receiving up to £200 per day. 

Now compare that figure with the £2 per day underpinning  Nicola Sturgeon's 'back of a fag packet' Christmas bonus to (some) key workers involved in the battle against Covid-19.

   

ScotGov - Who Gets What and Why? 3 (19/12/20)

 

Seems to me the Scottish Government's £500 bonus scheme has more holes than a Swiss Cheese Plant.

First of all it seems to extend to all kinds of senior officials who neither need nor deserve a £500 bonus, but it's also very confusing and complicated. 

What does pro rata mean?

2) On 30 November 2020 Scottish ministers announced (out of the blue and without any consultation) that all full-time NHS workers and social care staff would receive a £500 bonus payment - pro rated for part-timers (see quote below).  

"A pro rated payment of £500 will be made as soon as is practicable to all NHS and social care workers employed since 17 March 2020 - including staff who have had to shield, or who have since retired."

Now there are 259 days between 17 March and 30 November which works out at just under £2 per day.

Normally pro-rated means that part-time workers get a proportion of the full-time award - so if a person's hours are 50% of full-time hours, they would receive £250 less tax and National Insurance.

But do staff have to be employed all the way through from 17 March to 30 November 2020 to qualify?

What if they left employment on 1 April or only started their job  on 20 November - do they still get the full £500 or a pro-rated  smaller amount?

Next up - the ScotGov proposal seems to include staff who have been 'shielding' (ie not at work), but more of this in my next post.