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Scotland Office: Unfair Dismissal

Asked by Alison GriffithsConservativeScotland OfficeTabled Answered 28 January 2025UIN 25502

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers and determine the terms and conditions for their employees.

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