One of Scotland’s fastest-growing food brands has announced that reducing its carbon emissions by almost 110% helped the company to survive Brexit, Covid and especially the ongoing energy crisis.
We hae meat, which supplies major supermarket chains with high-quality sausages and burgers from its Ayrshire farm and factory, installed a biomass plant on site and solar panels. The investments helped to save £750,000 from its annual energy costs.
Alex Paton, fourth-generation farmer and co-founder of the business with his wife Carlyn, said: “Without doubt, we could have closed our doors in the last two years if we hadn’t made our operations much more sustainable.
“The increase in energy prices, on the back of Brexit and Covid, would have been impossible for us to absorb. We’ve seen other businesses in our sector struggling where we’ve been able to use the cost savings as a basis for growth.”
The company first created a carbon management plan in 2015 with support from environmental consultants Tomson Consultancy, reducing its emissions by nearly 90% within the first year alone. It has since gone on to install LEDs and a wastewater treatment system.
Further savings have come from switching its delivery fleet to hybrid plug-in vans charged by the company’s own CHP electric generation, saving 66% on fuel costs, and using excess heat from on-site heat generation to replace tumble dryers.
These have all resulted in the business now being carbon neutral.
The family business includes four traditional farms and even the cattle gain from a greener approach as waste cardboard is shredded for bedding.
Alex added: “Brexit has affected competition for labour and maybe an inflationary effect on materials, and clearly Covid was disruptive for virtually every business sector.
“The increase in energy prices could have been catastrophic. We started on our net zero journey eight years ago because it was the right thing to do but now we’re really seeing the business benefits too.”
We hae meat’s achievements have resulted in it being recognised for sustainability with the Co-Op in Scotland Awards and most recently winning at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence awards in 2022 for Sustainability Achievements.
FRASER OF ALLANDER INSTITUTE PUBLISHES INITIAL FINDINGS
Disabled adults are significantly less likely to be in work compared to adults without disabilities (write ALLISON CATALANO and CHIRSTY McFADYEN).
In Scotland, 81% of working aged adults without disabilities had jobs in 2021, compared to just under 50% of adults with disabilities. This discrepancy of 31 percentage points – called the “disability employment gap” – is larger in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK (Chart 1).
Scotland has a goal of reducing the disability employment gap by half between 2016 and 2038. The 2021 numbers, encouragingly, show an improvement of 6 percentage points. A higher proportion of disabled people moved into work in Scotland between 2014 and 2021 compared to the UK as a whole, as well.
Chart 1: Gap in employment between people with and without disabilities in Scotland and in the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
In 2023, the DWP published a report on the employment of disabled people in the UK. This report looked at the reason why employment among people with disabilities has increased, while employment for the rest of the population has stayed roughly the same.
The DWP report highlighted four reasons behind the growth in the number of disabled people in employment:
Disability prevalence has increased in the UK, and the most common types of disabilities have changed.
The non-disabled employment rate has increased, implying that more jobs are available to both groups.
The disability employment gap has been narrowing overall.
There are more individuals in the working-age population.
The level of detail provided in the DWP report for the UK is difficult to replicate for Scotland with publicly available data: smaller sample sizes north of the border mean that more restrictions are placed on the data available to ensure that appropriate care has been taken with interpreting the robustness of results.
The Fraser of Allander Institute, in collaboration with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are undertaking work to understand whether the same factors are driving changes in Scotland, and if not, what is different here and why.
This work is ongoing and future articles will get into more of the detail. This article sets the scene about the scale of the issue in Scotland vs the UK based on what know from data currently available.
What’s the state of disability employment in Scotland?
Scotland has a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people compared to the UK. It also has a lower rate of employment among disabled people, and a larger gap in employment between people with and without disabilities. Employment rates are noticeably different for different types of disabilities in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, and disabled peoples are less likely to have educational qualifications in Scotland.
How is disability defined?
The current definition used in UK (and Scottish) surveys comes from the Government Statistical Service and the 2010 Equality Act. This change affected data collection from mid-2013 onwards, meaning that it’s not possible to compare current data to data before 2013. Our analysis specifically looks at the data since 2014 as a result.
This definition covers people who report “current physical or mental health conditions of illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more; and that these conditions or illnesses reduce their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.” Previously, the definition was based on the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) (DDA), which applied to “all people with a long term health problem or disability that limits their day-to-day activities.” The slight difference in these terms means that some people may qualify as DDA disabled but not as Equality Act disabled.
Scotland has consistently had a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people.
In 2014, around 18% of the Scottish working-age population were classified as Equality Act disabled.
Since 2014, the number of disabled working-age adults has grown by around 222,000 people, making up over 24% of the working-age population as of 2021. By comparison, the total size of the working-age population only grew by around 31,000 people over the same time period. had a higher proportion of disabled adults in 2014 than the UK average, and this gap has widened over time. The 2021 data shows a further significant divergence, but this may be due to particular issues related to the pandemic and may not persist (Chart 2).
Chart 2: The size of the Scottish population with and without disabilities, and the proportion of the population with disabilities from 2014-21.
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has a higher disability gap and a lower rate of employment among disabled people.
Employment rates for working-aged people without disabilities in Scotland is roughly the same as in the rest of the UK. Employment rates for disabled people is much lower, however.
Since 2014, disabled people have moved into work faster in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. The employment gap fell by around 6.5 percentage points between 2014 and 2021 in Scotland, compared to a fall of around 4.5 percentage points for the entire UK (Chart 3).
Chart 3: Proportion of adults between 16-64 that are in work by disability status, Scotland and the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has different employment rates for people with different types of disabilities.
Unsurprisingly, Scotland has lower employment rates than the UK as a whole for the vast majority of types of disability.
The largest differences in employment rates are for people with diabetes, chest or breathing problems, and difficulty with seeing, hearing, or speech. Scotland fares better in the employment of people with stomach, liver, kidney and digestion problems, for instance, and slightly better for people with autism.[1]
Chart 4: Proportion of the working-age population with disabilities by working status and type of disability, 2022
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021. * Estimates are based on a small sample size and may not be precise.
Disabled people have lower qualification levels in Scotland.
Disabled people are more likely to have no qualifications than those without disabilities, both in Scotland and the UK. Scottish adults are also more likely to have no qualifications compared to the rest of the UK, although the gap in qualifications for disabled people is larger for Scotland than for the rest of the country (Chart 4).
The proportion of people with no qualifications has been falling in recent years. This may be due to older people, on average, being less likely to have formal qualifications, and as they move to retirement age, the number of working age people without qualifications goes down.
For disabled people, it may also be true that the increase in the number of disabled people have changed the make-up of the disabled population, especially for people who are becoming disabled later in life (for example, due to mental health issues that present post-education).
Chart 5: Proportion of working-age adults with no qualifications by disability status, Scotland & rUK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Where are there gaps in our knowledge?
As discussed at the start, publicly available data on disability types is severely limited. For example, survey data in Scotland has detailed disaggregation on different types of disability, but only publicly provides information on whether or not someone qualifies as disabled under the 2010 Equality Act definition. The Scottish Government has been making strides to improve this data, however – a 2022 publication analyses disability employment by type of disability, but only examines one year.
One particular issue that we have found is for people who have a learning disability where the data is extremely poor. We will be publishing a new article later this week that sets out some of the particular issues for people with a learning disability.
Our next phase of research will look into more of the detail around employment levels for people in Scotland living with different disabilities based on access to non-public secure data held by the ONS. There may still be limits on the data we are able to use (for example, where robustness thresholds set by the ONS are not met), but we hope we will be able to add to the evidence base here in Scotland and provide better insights for policy makers and stakeholders on where support needs to be focussed.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has unveiled the 20 organisations who will be a part of a groundbreaking HR for Creatives project.
SCVO has partnered with Creative Scotland and Project Manager Kathryn Willens on the action research project to explore the support needed for micro and small creative organisations.
The project incorporates research into participant organisations’ learning journeys in order to share findings so that the wider arts, screen and creative industries can learn from this project.
This will allow the project partners to learn from organisations that access support and to identify where there are key and shared opportunities, challenges, strengths and weaknesses for the sector.
SCVO’s HR Service will now work with them to support them on their HR journey, including an audit of their HR policies and procedures, one-to-one advice and guidance, as well as access to webinars and a peer network.
The partners hope this will Improve people management for arts, screen and creative industries organisations, starting with legal compliance and moving beyond this to help organisations create a space and place to work where their people – staff and freelance practitioners – thrive and where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity.
SCVO, Scotland’s national membership body for the voluntary sector, received over 80 applications from micro to small sized arts, screen and creative industries organisations from across Scotland. All applications were of a high standard, with only 20 places available.
The organisations represent a wide range of artistic practice including animation, digital art, theatre, film, poetry, music and dance. (1)
The number of applications highlights the demand for HR support in the sector especially from micro to small employers, with SCVO planning to offer some support to the organisations that didn’t make it to the shortlist through access to webinars and resources.
SCVO is delighted to be working with Creative Scotland, Kathryn, and research partner Tialt on the HR for Creatives action learning programme, funded by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
The programme will kick off in September 2023 and continue for 12 months.
Caroline Christie, SCVO’s Head of HR, said: “We are thrilled with the response to the HR for Creatives programme. This level of interest highlights arts, screen and creative industries organisations commitment to HR and to Fair Work as well as a need for this kind of support.
“HR for Creatives aims to offer support and learning to improve people management for arts, screen and creative industries organisations, support that will enable organisations to create work cultures where their staff and freelancers can thrive and where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity.
“SCVO’s HR Service and the HR for Creatives project team are very excited to start working with the 20 shortlisted organisations and with the research partners, Tialt.”
Ashley Smith-Hammond, Creative Industries Officer at Creative Scotland, said: “As Creative Scotland develops its work in response to the Fair Work agenda, we’re committed to empowering organisations in the arts, screen and creative industries to best support their workforce.
“We’re pleased to partner with SCVO on this vital programme, which responds to challenges that small and micro creative businesses have in accessing appropriate, specialist support around people management.
“In this challenging economic context, it’s an investment in more competent, confident creative businesses and better experience for those in the creative workforce.”
EDINBURGH CLIMATE MARCH AGAINST FOSSIL FUELS – 11AM SAT 16 SEPTEMBER
The End Fossil Fuels March in Edinburgh is one of over 400 worldwide events taking place this weekend ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York next week.
++ MARCH DETAILS ++
March meeting point at The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL.
Time: 11am, Saturday 16 September
The march will leave The Mound around 11.30am. It will head up Hanover Street, turn right on to George Street, turn right onto South St David St, across Waverley Bridge, left onto Market Street down past the UK Government building at Sibbald Walk, turn left onto Canongate and head down to the Scottish Parliament where it will end.
March will conclude with speeches outside the Scottish Parliament.
Marchers are calling for a fair and fast phase out of fossil fuels and for both the UK and Scottish Governments to create detailed just transition plans.
The UK Government wants to ‘max out’ existing oil and gas fields and is pledging exploration licences for hundreds of new projects, while the Scottish Government is considering approving a new gas fired power plant at Peterhead.
COLLECTIVE on CALTON HILL REVEAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PROGRAMME
We are so excited to welcome you to our Collective Gala this Sunday 17 September, celebrating five years since opening the newly restored City Observatory as a centre for contemporary art.
Please see the full schedule for the day (above) to help you plan your visit.
We have a special programme of activities running throughout the day, with free drop-in creative play sessions by Frieda Ford, makers’ stalls, introductions to our exhibitions, bookable tours of the site including Cooke telescope and Observatory House, and culminating in a newly commissioned performance by Zoë Gibson.
Please note, Lisa Williams’ Black History walking tour has been postponed to October for Black History Month.
Holyrood to reconsider UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Bill
The Scottish Parliament has agreed to consider amendments to the legislation that will incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.
The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill requires Scotland’s public authorities to protect children’s rights in their decision-making. It also allows for children, young people and their representatives to use the courts to enforce their rights.
The Bill was passed unanimously in 2021 but certain provisions within it were later ruled outwith the Scottish Parliament’s legislative competence at the Supreme Court.
Proposed changes will mean that public authorities will be required to comply with the UNCRC requirements only when delivering devolved functions conferred by or under Acts of the Scottish Parliament or under common law powers.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Our priority is to provide the greatest protection that we can to children’s rights.
“The amendments that will now be considered will ensure that the Bill protects children’s rights in the most effective way within our devolved powers.
“This is an important milestone in ensuring that we are a country that fully respects, protects and fulfils children’s rights. However, without the political commitment of the UK Government to legislate for children’s rights we are limited in what we can achieve.
“The simplest way to secure the greatest protection for children’s rights would be for our counterparts in Westminster to incorporate the UNCRC into UK law.”
‘Stretched to the Limit: Scotland’s Third Sector and the cost of living crisis‘ brings together findings from a survey of the ALLIANCE’s organisational membership in the spring, a detailed case study from one of our members, and a workshop at our annual conference. Taken together, these paint a picture of a sector which is under intense stress.
Amongst the findings of our survey were that 84% of member organisations responding had experienced increased demand for services, yet 61% reported reduction in funding via grants, 76% were facing higher bills, and 48% were unable to give their employees pay uplifts.
Despite these challenges the third sector continues to be a lifeline for many people across Scotland, responding flexibly to the changing needs of the people it supports.
With 88% of organisations saying that they would benefit from longer-term funding arrangements, and funding arising as the focus for discussion at our conference workshop, fair funding tops our list of recommendations, which include:
Ensuring the Fair Work agenda goes beyond funding the Real Living Wage, and instead to pay that is comparable to equivalent statutory sector roles
Tailored support for organisations operating in rural Scotland
Targeted support for energy bills, and in the longer term lower energy tariff arrangements for the third sector
Adopting a human rights based approach to procurement and grant funding
Investing in services that reduce demand for acute interventions from the public and third sectors
The HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ALLIANCE SCOTLAND is the national third sector intermediary for a range of health and social care organisations. We have a growing membership of over 3,000 national and local third sector organisations, associates in the statutory and private sectors, disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers.
This weekend is the Edinburgh Kiltwalk and we are delighted to say that Held In Our Hearts have 55 Kilt Walkers oner the weekend over all three events.
One local team of funeral directors are walking for bereavement charity Held In Our Hearts in the Wee Wander and we can’t thank them enough.
Funeral directors Barclays are going all out to make sure that Held In Our Hearts can continue to make sure that not family go through the trauma of being alone after the death of their precious baby. The charity offer support to bereaved families and have worked closely with Barclays over the years.
This year, Valerie, Andrew, Georgia, Elaine, and Marion will undertake 4 miles and walk from Silverknowes to Murrayfield .
As Valerie shared: “ We are so delighted to have the fantastic opportunity to be able to support in this way”
Results of this year’s Big Butterfly Count revealed
Wetter summer was good for butterflies, with average number of butterflies spotted highest for four years
However, new 13-year trend figures show a worrying long-term decline
Habitat loss biggest driver of decline; people urged to take action by creating a Wild Space
Results of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2023 have been released today, revealing a better picture for butterflies than had been feared.
Overall, participants of the Big Butterfly Count enjoyed seeing more butterflies this year than in the previous four summers. In total, over 1.5 million butterflies and day-flying moths were recorded from 14 July – 6 August. After an all-time low in 2022 of just nine individual butterflies spotted per Count, this year saw an increase to 12 butterflies recorded on average per Count.
However, this good news is in contrast with what the long-term trends are revealing. Released for the first time this year, these show that since the Big Butterfly Count started 13 years ago, many species have significantly decreased.
It is a further warning sign that nature everywhere is in crisis – butterflies, as well as forming a vital part of the food chain, are considered significant indicators of the health of the environment.
Following last summer’s heatwave and drought, scientists at Butterfly Conservation called on the public to help them understand the effect the extreme weather had on the UK’s butterflies. People responded in their thousands, with almost 95,000 citizen scientists taking part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, conducting 136,719 15-minute Counts in gardens, parks, school grounds and the countryside.
Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation, said: “It’s wonderful that so many people have been out enjoying spotting butterflies. We had huge support for the Big Butterfly Count this year, and thanks to the many people who went out during those sunny intervals, we now know that the effects of last year’s drought were not as bad for butterflies as we had feared.
“The mixed weather this year has helped as there has been an abundance of green food plants available for caterpillars, and plenty of nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies. However, while the number of butterflies recorded this summer has been the highest since 2019, the longer-term trends show worrying declines for some of the UK’s most common butterfly species.”
The most-seen species this year was the Red Admiral, with 248,077 recorded – an increase of 338% on last year’s Count and the first time the species, which is increasing in the UK as a result of climate change, has taken the top-spot.
Gatekeeper was next, with 222,896 sightings. This represents a 12% increase on last year and is a small, but welcome, boost for a species that has decreased by 28% since the Count began.
The Whites took the third and fourth spot, with 216,666 sightings of Large Whites and 190,506 of Small Whites, an 11% and 15% increase on 2022 respectively. Holly Blue had another good summer, with numbers up 66% on 2022, in keeping with its longer-term Big Butterfly Count trend of a 41% increase.
Species that saw a decline from last year include Ringlet, Common Blue and Speckled Wood, all of which also show long-term declines.
Although its numbers hardly changed compared to summer 2022, Green-veined White has the most severe Big Butterfly Count trend in the longer term, a decrease of 61%.
Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, explained: “One of the biggest threats butterflies in the UK face is habitat loss. While the weather certainly has an impact on numbers from year to year, butterflies, moths and many other species can generally cope with variable weather. What they can’t cope with is habitat destruction.
“Butterflies need a place to live. If they can feed, breed and shelter, they can thrive. By creating a Wild Space in your outdoor area you can help to reverse the massive losses of wildlife-friendly habitat and start to turn around the fortunes of our declining butterflies.”
Anyone, anywhere, can create a Wild Space. Whether it’s leaving a patch of long grass in your garden or planting a small selection of nectar rich plants on a balcony, the opportunities are vast and everyone can make a difference.
Dr Richard Fox concluded: “Nearly 137,000 Big Butterfly Counts were recorded this summer and if every single person who helped with the Count creates a Wild Space, we can build a UK-wide network of spaces for butterflies to feed, breed and shelter. By creating a Wild Space everyone can make a difference and help butterflies and moths thrive.”
Butterfly Conservation has free resources and guidance on creating a Wild Space available, including accessible, tailored, simple advice for anyone to have a go.
Species results in the UK – Big Butterfly Count 2023
Next year’s Big Butterfly Count will take place from Friday 12th July – Sunday 4th August 2024.
BBC 2023: UK
Abundance
Average per count
% change from 2022
13 year trend (bold significant)
1
Red Admiral
248,077
1.96
338
77.7
2
Gatekeeper
222,896
1.77
12
-28.01
3
Large White
216,666
1.72
11
26.86
4
Small White
202,029
1.60
15
2.46
5
Meadow Brown
162,396
1.29
6
-16.52
6
Peacock
149,179
1.18
172
-7.24
7
Comma
49,173
0.39
26
5.22
8
Small Tortoiseshell
45,364
0.36
11
-29.82
9
Holly Blue
34,655
0.27
68
41.37
10
Common Blue
30,009
0.24
-13
-43.8
11
Speckled Wood
29,708
0.24
-11
-37.88
12
Green-veined White
24,093
0.19
0
-60.87
13
Ringlet
23,048
0.18
-37
-40.88
14
Small Copper
19,367
0.15
11
66.2
15
Brimstone
17,694
0.14
73
-9.53
16
Painted Lady
11,893
0.09
3
113.08
17
Six-spot Burnet
9,271
0.07
-23
–
18
Marbled White
8,611
0.07
12
-2.61
19
Silver Y
5,650
0.04
171
–
20
Jersey Tiger
4,748
0.04
5
–
21
Scotch Argus
1,234
0.01
-11
–
Totals
1,515,761
12
34
–
This year, the Big Butterfly Count was sponsored by the DFN Foundation, a commissioning charity focused on influencing sustainable change in special needs education, supported employment, healthcare and conservation.
Small White most spotted Butterfly in Scotland
Results of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2023 have revealed that Small White takes the top spot in Scotland this year, and a better picture for butterflies than had been feared has emerged.
Following last summer’s drought, scientists at Butterfly Conservation called on the public to help them understand the effect the extreme weather had on the UK’s butterflies. People responded in their thousands, with 3,295 citizen scientists in Scotland taking part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, conducting 5,087 15-minute Counts in gardens, parks, school grounds and the countryside.
This year, those participants recorded more than 28,000 butterflies and day-flying moths between 14 July – 6 August. On average, people in Scotland spotted six individual butterflies per Count, very similar to the 2022 event.
However, UK wide long-term trends, revealed for the first time this year, show that since the Big Butterfly Count started 13 years ago, many species have significantly decreased.
It is a further warning sign that nature everywhere is in crisis – butterflies, as well as forming a vital part of the food chain, are considered significant indicators of the health of the environment.
Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation, said: “It’s wonderful that so many people have been out enjoying spotting butterflies. We had huge support for the Big Butterfly Count this year, and thanks to the many people who went out during those sunny intervals, we now know that the effects of last year’s drought were not as bad for butterflies as we had feared.
“The mixed weather this year has helped as there has been an abundance of green food plants available for caterpillars, and plenty of nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies. However, while the number of butterflies recorded across the UK this summer has been the highest since 2019, the longer-term trends show worrying declines for some of the most common butterfly species.”
The top five butterfly species spotted in Scotland were Small White, Large White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Meadow Brown.
Comma also did well, showing an increase of 41% and experiencing its best summer in Scotland since the Big Butterfly Count began. This species suffered a severe decline in the twentieth century and has subsequently made a comeback, and has expanded its range rapidly northwards.
Holly Blue also had its best ever Big Butterfly Count results in Scotland this summer and increased by 118% on 2022 levels. This species is a relatively recent arrival, becoming established in Edinburgh in 2006 and in Ayr in 2008.
However, Scottish sightings of Common Blue, Ringlet and Six-spot Burnet were down compared to 2022. Speckled Wood recorded its lowest numbers in Scotland since the Big Butterfly Count began, and dropped 49% on 2022 levels.
Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, explained: “One of the biggest threats butterflies in the UK face is habitat loss. While the weather certainly has an impact on numbers from year to year, butterflies, moths and many other species can generally cope with variable weather. What they can’t cope with is habitat destruction.
“Butterflies need a place to live. If they can feed, breed and shelter, they can thrive. By creating a Wild Space in your outdoor area you can help to reverse the massive losses of wildlife-friendly habitat and start to turn around the fortunes of our declining butterflies.”
Anyone, anywhere, can create a Wild Space. Whether it’s leaving a patch of long grass in your garden or planting a small selection of nectar rich plants on a balcony, the opportunities are vast and everyone can make a difference.
Dr Richard Fox concluded: “Nearly 137,000 Big Butterfly Counts were recorded across the UK this summer, if every single person who helped with the Count creates a Wild Space, we can build a UK-wide network of spaces for butterflies to feed, breed and shelter.
“By creating a Wild Space everyone can make a difference and help butterflies and moths thrive.”
Butterfly Conservation has free resources and guidance on creating a Wild Space available, including accessible, tailored, simple advice for anyone to have a go.
Westminster’s Transport Committee has published its report on the future of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) and how the Government should approach their introduction to the UK’s roads.
The cross-party Committee makes a number of recommendations on how regulations should be updated to tackle concerns about safety and security, dilemmas over legal liability, as well as infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate their introduction.
Transport Committee Chair Iain Stewart MP said: “Thanks to the energy and creativity of the self-driving vehicles sector, the UK has a head start in developing a vision for how SDVs could be introduced. The Government’s strategy is one this Committee broadly welcomes.
“Self-driving vehicles are a great British success story in the making and we have a competitive advantage over many other countries. But all that hard work could be at risk if the Government doesn’t follow through and bring forward a Transport Bill in the next Parliamentary session, before the next general election.
“Widespread take-up of SDVs faces various hurdles, including public confidence in their safety, security and their potential to have knock-on impacts on other road users. If the Government is going to meet its ambitions for self-driving vehicle deployment these knotty issues need to be addressed.
“We believe the Government should take a cautious, gradual approach, with SDV technologies only initially introduced in well-defined contexts, or else we risk unintended consequences.”
Government urged to legislate
The Committee heard that current laws for SDVs are archaic and limiting, especially concerning testing and legal liability. Witnesses told us the sector is “crying out” for regulation. We commend the work of the Law Commissions and the Government in devising a new legal framework, Connected & Automated Mobility 2025.
That framework has broad support, albeit with more detail needed in some areas. This makes it disappointing that the Government has not committed to legislating in this Parliament to put this framework in place.
The SDVs sector is a British success story, and the UK has a competitive advantage that we must maintain. The Committee urges Government to pass comprehensive legislation in the next parliamentary session to put in place the robust regulatory framework it promised.
This should cover vehicle approvals, liability for accidents, cybersecurity, and the use of personal data. Failing to do so will do significant and lasting damage both to the UK’s SDVs industry and the country’s reputation as a trailblazer.
Government’s definition of safe ‘too weak and too vague’
While it is widely assumed that SDVs will prove safer than human drivers, this is not a given. The Committee heard that optimistic predictions often rely on SDVs becoming widely used on UK roads, which could be decades away, or assertions about human error that ignore other risks.
Safety must remain the Government’s overriding priority as SDVs encounter real-world complexity. Given this, MPs question the Government’s proposed ‘safety ambition’ – that self-driving vehicles will be “expected to achieve an equivalent level of safety to that of a competent and careful human driver” – believing it is “too weak and too vague”. The Government should set a clearer, more stretching threshold.
Greater automation will reduce time spent driving, leading to concerns that drivers may become less practised and therefore less skilled over time. Conversely, the requirement for drivers to be ready to take manual control of a vehicle means a risk of facing challenging scenarios with little notice.
The Committee recommends that Government should set out a strategy for the future of human driving in a world of SDVs. This should include possible changes to driving tests and a plan to ensure all drivers fully understand SDVs. The Committee also argues this should not impose new responsibilities on other road users and pedestrians or make them less safe.
Cybersecurity, road worthiness and legal liability
SDVs pose cybersecurity risks because of their connected rather than automated capabilities. This poses new dangers, which the law must evolve to meet. A safety-led culture will require wide access to data.
Ensuring SDVs are roadworthy will be more complicated than for conventional vehicles as there is more that can go wrong. Legal liability also becomes more complex as it is shared between owner and vehicle software operators.
This may cause problems for the insurance industry. The Government explained broadly how its new regulatory regime will work but accepted that more thinking was needed about how this will work in practice.
The Committee urges the Government to take a lead on these issues.
What infrastructure will be needed?
Self-driving vehicles will need well-maintained roads – an issue many road users already feel should be a high priority – as well as signage, nationwide connectivity, and up-to-date digital information about the road network.
While some steps have been taken towards this by the Government and public bodies, these preparations are too siloed and divorced from broader planning.
If the Government is serious about SDVs it should ensure meeting their needs is an integral part of future infrastructure strategy.
How could SDVs be used?
The Committee heard there is a range of possible uses for SDVs, including with HGVs, buses, taxis and private cars. It believes that, in time, SDVs have the potential to improve connectivity and provide significant benefits for safety and productivity in industries such as logistics.
However, the Government must take a cautious, gradual approach with the technology introduced only in well-defined and appropriate contexts. As such, the Committee broadly welcomes the Government’s strategy set out in August 2022.
However, without careful handling, there are concerns that SDVs could worsen congestion and exacerbate inequalities in transport access if, for example, self-driving private hire vehicles are unable to offer the same assistance to disabled people as human-driven ones.
Government must ensure the introduction of SDVs is responsive to the wider population and meets the UK’s transport policy objectives, which are the subject of a separate inquiry by the Transport Committee.
