From 7am on 6 May, Scotland will be heading to the polls for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections. There we will elect 129 MSPs to represent our interests and make decisions that will impact our everyday lives for the next five years.
And for the first time foreign nationals and refugees who have leave to remain and live in Scotland will have this right too. As a consequence, Scotland has the highest number of registered voters this year with 4,280,785 ready to cross their ballot – that’s 200,000 more people than the 2016 election.
Over the last six weeks, political parties have been setting out their vision for Scotland and the reasons why you should vote for them. For migrants there are some issues that will be especially important. Covid-19 has blown lives apart up and down the country.
But it’s had a disproportionate impact on the migrant community – migrants are more likely to live in poverty, be working in unjust conditions and be impacted by the Home Office’s hostile environment policies. So the decision our political representatives make over the next parliamentary session are critical to migrants’ lives.
Just Citizens’ community researcher Mira Waligora asked the five largest parties key questions related to the areas we are prioritising – political participation, housing, justice, employment, health and wellbeing and education. Across all of these issues migrants face some of the worst outcomes and often feel the sharpest impact of bad policy making.
The Scottish Greens, SNP, Scottish Liberal Democrats and Scottish Labour all replied by the date we set and their answers are in full below:
SNP response
Q. Over a quarter of migrants in Scotland don’t know that they have the right to vote, according to research by Just Citizens. The right to vote should be extended to all those living in Scotland regardless of their immigration status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We already passed historic legislation to extend voting rights to all foreign nationals with leave to remain, including all those granted refugee status. We also extended the right to stand for election to foreign nationals with indefinite leave to remain, and to those with pre-settled status.
Q.One in three migrants have struggled to access healthcare, according to our survey. More funding needs to be provided for the NHS to concentrate on preventative measures and mental health provisions. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We have pledged to increase NHS frontline spending by at least 20%, increase the direct investment into mental health services by at least 25% and ensure that, by the end of the parliament, 10% of our frontline NHS budget will be invested in mental health. Given we have also seen more people use online or digital mental health services, we will establish a new Digital Mental Health programme to enhance the services that are available.
We will also ensure every GP practice in the country has access to a dedicated mental wellbeing link worker, creating a network of 1,000 additional dedicated staff who can help grow community mental health resilience and help direct social prescribing, and roll out more mobile health services for direct delivery of care, which will include mental health services.
Q. “One in four migrants surveyed have experienced barriers in access to education”. JCP Scottish education funding should be inclusive and accessible for migrants regardless of status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We believe everyone has the right to education and support. However, we are hampered by immigration and asylum being reserved issues. That’s why we need independence to give us the powers to establish a humane and dignified migration system that supports people to integrate into Scotland and to work and study.
Q. Scotland says it is committed to ensuring everyone has a safe and warm home. But too many migrants struggle to access this. We need to ensure migrants have better access to good housing. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A.The right to housing is already a human right enshrined in international law. However, we know some people face particular difficulties including migrants. In March, the SNP Scottish Government published Scotland’s first long term housing strategy ‘Housing to 2040’, which has equality and human rights at its heart and sets out how the right to adequate housing can be fully met as we deliver homes that underpin health and wellbeing.
For example some of the specific actions included in this document includes actions to address the housing challenges faced by minority ethnic communities; introduce a new tenure-neutral Housing Standard with a clear minimum standard setting so that everybody has a warm, comfortable and safe place to live; and develop a new Rented Sector Strategy, which will take an equalities led-approach to addressing gaps in housing options for people with protected characteristics. This Strategy will be underpinned through a new Housing Bill early in the next Parliament which will strengthen tenants rights.
In addition, for those going through the asylum system and provided with accommodation by the UK government, we will continue to urge them to provide safe and adequate housing and to change the system of allocating that housing so that local authorities can be providers. We have consistently urged the UK Government to provide adequate levels of funding so that more local authorities can be dispersal areas. SNP MSPs and MPs, alongside the SNP Scottish Government, were at the forefront of challenging SERCO when they attempted to change the locks on houses people were staying in in Glasgow.
Q. The UK government’s stance on immigration is harmful. We need Scotland to use all available legal routes to oppose the implementation of UK immigration enforcement. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We agree that the UK government’s stance on immigration is harmful and its asylum system breeches human rights. We have repeatedly challenged the UK government on this – but they have ignored us. That is why we need the full powers of independence – to build a humane migration and asylum system in Scotland. The UK Government’s policy of No Recourse to Public Funds is also harmful which is why the SNP Government published an anti-destitution strategy to support people who are victim of this policy.
In the meantime, we will continue to call on the UK Government to introduce a fair and humane asylum and refugee system where people have the right to work and to contribute to society, and to lift the harmful restrictions caused by No Recourse to Public Funds, review family migration, looking at the definition of family members, costs, and children born here, and devolve migration policy to Scotland so we can build a fair system that meets Scotland’s needs.
Q. Migrants are often locked into low pay and many are working in harmful conditions. Asylum seekers currently do not have the right to work, locking them in poverty and preventing Scotland from benefiting from their expertise. Although this is reserved, Scotland can make use of specialist legal routes within the devolved administration to challenges this and create fairer work practices. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Yes, we believe asylum seekers should have the right to work and have been at the forefront of the campaign urging the UK government to make this happen.
In government, the SNP championed fair work practices. In 2019, we published the Fair Work Action Plan to drive forward fair work becoming the norm in workplaces across Scotland, and were the first government in the UK to become an accredited real Living Wage employer. We have maintained funding of £380,000 to Living Wage Scotland for 2020-21 to continue to promote the payment of the real Living Wage in businesses across the country.
Scottish Liberal Democrats response
Q. Over a quarter of migrants in Scotland don’t know that they have the right to vote, according to research by Just Citizens. The right to vote should be extended to all those living in Scotland regardless of their immigration status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Scottish Liberal Democrats are open, outward looking and internationalist. We believe it is critical that asylum seekers are given a warm welcome from day 1 and they are helped to live with dignity.
We will treat people who are refugees or asylum seekers with compassion, uphold their human rights and support them as far as we can to play a full part in the life of their communities. Taking part in our elections is an important part of being part of your community. We will campaign to raise more awareness of entitlements and support charities and others who are already working to achieve this.
Scottish Liberal Democrats voted last year to support asylum seekers gaining the right to vote in Scottish elections. While the Elections Franchise Bill did extend voting rights to all foreign nationals with leave to remain – including all those granted refugee status – this further amendment was regrettably voted down by the SNP and Conservatives.
Q. One in three migrants have struggled to access healthcare, according to our survey. More funding needs to be provided for the NHS to concentrate on preventative measures and mental health provisions. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Scottish Liberal Democrats have led the campaign for better mental health in Scotland. An extra £120 million has just been injected into mental health because the Scottish Liberal Democrats secured it through our budget negotiations. It builds on the other changes our party secured in this Parliament: the recent declaration of a mental health crisis, the appointment of a mental health minister for the first time, and the first batch of new staff for GP surgeries, A&E and other key settings.
Now we want an extra £400 million to double staff training, put many more professionals into schools and GP surgeries for easy access, create new walk-in crisis centres, and abolish rejected referrals so there is no wrong door.
The last year has been especially tough, but there was a mental health crisis before the pandemic struck People are struggling. When they turn for help, it is often not there. Problems that can start small, become crises as help is either not available, or arrives too late. The SNP Government has never met the 18-week treatment time targets for either children or adults since they were introduced in 2014. Our research has found children and adults waiting up to two years for the help they need, and for young people especially that must feel like a lifetime.
We believe we owe it to them to put recovery first. The situation is so serious that it demands the full weight of the Scottish Liberal Democrat proposals and a government that will put recovery first without distraction. The stark choice is between a nationalist majority that will prioritise independence or Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs who will put recovery first with a needle-sharp focus on Scotland’s mental health crisis. We all need to come together to recover from the worst health crisis of 100 years.
Q. “One in four migrants surveyed have experienced barriers in access to education”. JCP Scottish education funding should be inclusive and accessible for migrants regardless of status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Scottish Liberal Democrats will put recovery first, and at the heart of that is education. Through education, everyone can be helped to achieve their potential.
Education suffered even when it was the top priority of the SNP Government, We can only imagine how neglected it would get if they made it play second fiddle to a referendum.
We have proposals for every stage and every age: to get a good start in life, to excel at school and to help people retrain if they need to later in life. Our plan to raise standards will give every young person the opportunity to meet their potential, regardless of where they are from or where they stay.
For example, we will ask the inspectorate to assess how well we respond to the needs of children with English as a second language, and make them eligible for Pupil Equity Funding which was a fund Scottish Liberal Democrats worked hard to see introduced.
We will undertake outreach work in schools in disadvantaged areas and encourage Scottish universities to widen access and help more young people from poorer backgrounds through to completion of their courses.
Q. Scotland says it is committed to ensuring everyone has a safe and warm home. But too many migrants struggle to access this. We need to ensure migrants have better access to good housing. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A.Scottish Liberal Democrats will put recovery first. At the heart of that is ensuring everyone has a warm home to call their own. It’s a basic human right.
People aren’t in the same boat during this crisis. While some spend lockdowns in comfortable homes with private gardens, others are cramped in temporary accommodation with no access to outside space. For children and those shielding that’s particularly tough and will have a lasting impact.
We will treat people who are refugees or asylum seekers with compassion, uphold their human rights and support them as far as we can to play a full part in the life of their communities, including steps to stop them being evicted from their temporary housing. We have repeatedly highlighted the poor living conditions endured by asylum seekers.
The lack of affordable housing limits people’s ability to get on in life, achieve their potential and provide security for their family. Homelessness destroys people’s lives. Scottish Liberal Democrats will end homelessness and rough sleeping through new prevention legislation and by taking forward the Housing First and Rapid Rehousing principles. Building more homes for social rent would re-establish it as a long-term option for people. Our programme will aim for 40,000 homes for social rent in the next five years.
Our intentions are to end homelessness, child poverty and fuel poverty. It is critical that the next Scottish Government has a needle-sharp focus and isn’t distracted from these tasks. Scottish Liberal Democrats will put recovery first.
Q. The UK government’s stance on immigration is harmful. We need Scotland to use all available legal routes to oppose the implementation of UK immigration enforcement. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Liberal Democrats are fighting for a fair, effective immigration system that treats everyone with dignity and respect.
The Conservatives’ hostile environment has trampled on people’s rights. The Home Office is not fit for purpose and immigration powers must be taken away from it so visa and asylum decisions are made quickly and fairly.
We have a moral duty to help the world’s most vulnerable, but it is also the best way to combat people smuggling, human trafficking and prevent people from attempting dangerous Channel crossings. We should treat those who reach our borders with dignity, and treat their applications with common sense. Last month Liberal Democrats concluded our UK party conference by calling on the UK Government to make a fully funded commitment to resettle 10,000 refugees a year, in addition to 10,000 child refugees over the next ten years.
The UK is the only country in Europe that locks people up indefinitely for immigration purposes. Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to introduce a 28-day time limit on detention, with judicial approval required to detain someone for more than 72 hours. We would close seven of the UK’s nine detention centres and end the detention of vulnerable people, including survivors of torture, victims of trafficking and modern slavery, and people who are pregnant.
EU citizens in the UK have been living under a cloud of uncertainty for far too long. They are our families and friends, our colleagues and carers. They must have the right to stay. Liberal Democrats are fighting for EU citizens to be given the automatic right to stay in the UK, without the need to apply.
Scottish Liberal Democrats are internationalists, and believe in championing the values of human rights, democracy, and equality.
Q. Migrants are often locked into low pay and many are working in harmful conditions. Asylum seekers currently do not have the right to work, locking them in poverty and preventing Scotland from benefiting from their expertise. Although this is reserved, Scotland can make use of specialist legal routes within the devolved administration to challenges this and create fairer work practices. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Everyone deserves the opportunity to work hard, be paid a fair wage and build a good life for themselves, their family and their community. The UK is a nation of immigrants, and we should be proud that people want to come to our country and work in our NHS and our schools, and be part of our society.
When people come to the UK having fled war or persecution, we should welcome them with compassion and enable them to contribute to our society. Those who want to make Scotland their home should be presented an opportunity for community.
We support a right to work for asylum seekers, helping to avoid impoverishment, providing dignity and allowing them to contribute to the economy, and will campaign for this. Liberal Democrat colleagues have already been making this case forcefully in Westminster, with Christine Jardine leading the campaign.
More widely, if you work hard you should have a secure job with proper rights and fair pay. Paying the living wage should be the norm. The SNP Government gave Amazon £5 million over a decade, despite it paying workers more than £1 less an hour than the Living Wage and concerns over working conditions at their base in Dunfermline. There is nothing fair about dishing out millions to multinational companies that pay low wages.
We support paying the Living Wage for all public services and would use the powers of government to ensure it is rolled out further in the private sector too.
Scottish Greens response
Q. Over a quarter of migrants in Scotland don’t know that they have the right to vote, according to research by Just Citizens. The right to vote should be extended to all those living in Scotland regardless of their immigration status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. After winning voting rights for refugees, Scottish Greens already pushed to give all those living in Scotland the right to vote, but it was defeated by the other parties. Our manifesto commits to extending voting rights to asylum seekers.
Q. One in three migrants have struggled to access healthcare, according to our survey. More funding needs to be provided for the NHS to concentrate on preventative measures and mental health provisions. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. The NHS should be available free at the point of use to everyone, regardless of immigration status. The Scottish Green manifesto pledges to increase funding for general practice so that every practice has a specialist mental health worker and someone who can help with social security concerns.
Q. “One in four migrants surveyed have experienced barriers in access to education”. JCP Scottish education funding should be inclusive and accessible for migrants regardless of status. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We support measures to expand access to college and university and provide financial support, expanding college bursaries to 16 and 17 year olds.
Q. Scotland says it is committed to ensuring everyone has a safe and warm home. But too many migrants struggle to access this. We need to ensure migrants have better access to good housing. What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. The Scottish Greens stand with others to resist the cruel dawn raid evictions and have worked to support families with appeals. We pledge to introduce a public and third sector bid to the Home Office tendering process for asylum seeker housing and support services to end the involvement who profit from such contracts.
Q. The UK government’s stance on immigration is harmful. We need Scotland to use all available legal routes to oppose the implementation of UK immigration enforcement.What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. We will fight to close Dungavel Immigration Detention Centre and continue to fight for the devolution of immigration policies to the Scottish Parliament.
Q. Migrants are often locked into low pay and many are working in harmful conditions. Asylum seekers currently do not have the right to work, locking them in poverty and preventing Scotland from benefiting from their expertise. Although this is reserved, Scotland can make use of specialist legal routes within the devolved administration to challenges this and create fairer work practices.What will you party pledge to do on this issue?
A. Scottish Greens believe all migrants should have a right to work. Building a fair economy starts with a new deal for workers. We have detailed proposals to embed secure contracts and the living wage across Scotland, but this can only happen with strong trade union representation.
Scottish Labour response
Many of the issues you raise are reserved for Westminster and therefore won’t be addressed in this election. However, Scottish Labour agrees that we must explore the need to reform our immigration system so that it works for all nations and regions in the UK. We should also do all we can using devolved powers to support and recognise the contribution migrants make to our society and economy. It was Scottish Labour that first introduced a targeted programme of support for migration to Scotland.
Our manifesto has a range of commitments to improve access to healthcare with a particular focus on preventative actions. Mental health provision is a particular concern with long waiting lists, and we will develop a new mental health strategy to address these concerns. This will specifically recognise the disproportionate impact poor mental health services have on disadvantaged groups, including migrants.
We also propose to improve access to education at all levels with additional funded places and specific plans for a comeback after the pandemic.
On housing, our plans involve a large scale housebuilding programme and new protections for tenants in the private sector.
Our focus is on delivering a Parliament focused on a national recovery to create a fairer and stronger Scotland for everyone, including migrants. You can find the full details in our National Recovery Plan here.
Scottish Conservative response
We did not receive a response in time from the Scottish Conservatives, however their manifesto can be read here.
The election will be taking place on Thursday May 6th 2021, your polling station will be open from 7am – 10pm (your polling station information will have previously been mailed to you). You do not need to take any identification with you, however it is helpful to take your polling card (also mailed to you).
All information about voting is available on the electoral commission website. This is available in different formats and in different languages (including Polish, Arabic, Gaelic)
Image thanks to iStock/Daniel Heighton
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