SNP Manifesto 2019

STRONGER FOR SCOTLAND
We will press for responsibility for broadcasting in
Scotland to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament
and for greater authority and funding to be moved
from the BBC network to BBC Scotland.
In the meantime, we welcome the creation of a
new BBC Scotland TV channel and its associated
investment, and we will continue to push for a fairer
share of the TV licence fee raised in Scotland being
spent in Scotland.
To prevent the UK Government playing games
with the licence fee – as it did when it transferred
the cost of free licences for over 75s from the
government to the BBC – we believe the licence fee
should be set independently of UK government.
We will also press for the UK government to take
responsibility for licence fees for over 75s and
ensure that free licences continue to be available.
If Brexit happens we will argue for streamlined visa
schemes for artists and performers which ensures
people from across the world can come to Scotland
to perform, work and collaborate, and Scotland’s
culture sector and creative industries can continue
to benefit from international partnerships and
shared experiences.
Improving Corporate Culture
The SNP has led the way in promoting improved
social responsibility and corporate culture, not
least through the Scottish Business Pledge. This
partnership between Government and business is
based on boosting productivity and competitiveness
through fairness, equality, environmental action and
sustainable employment.
It is a commitment to fairness – including
mandatory elements such as paying the living
wage, closing the gender pay gap and not using
exploitative zero-hours contracts. By bringing these
together companies across Scotland have shown
they can improve productivity and competitiveness
and build sustainable growth that also achieves
fairness, equality, opportunity and innovation.
At Westminster, the SNP will further support the
growing trend in the private sector towards greater
corporate responsibility. By taking a greater stake
in the communities within which they operate, firms
can become partners for social progress. Whilst it
is always better to work collaboratively as partners,
the SNP supports direct intervention when firms fail
to meet their legal and social obligations.
SNP MPs will back moves to increase worker
representation on company boards – a practice
common place amongst our more productive,
investment-rich European competitors and one
that we believe will promote a greater social
responsibility amongst companies.
We will also argue for greater representation of
women and minority communities on public and
private sector boards. In Scotland, the public sector
is on track to ensure that all public boards have
50-50 gender balance by 2020 due to statutory
targets we put in place. We would support similar
UK legislation for the private sector. The evidence
shows that companies and organisations do better
when they properly represent society.
SNP MPs will back moves to ensure executive
pension contributions are the same as for
all workers in the company. According to the
Investment Association, shareholder pressure has
resulted in thirty percent of FTSE 100 companies
pledging to cut executive pension contributions.
Whilst we support the sector’s call for firms to set
out plans to align executive pension contributions
with those of other workers, we will support calls
for this to be extended to all staff and put onto a
statutory basis.
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