Order, Order.

We turn now to a Stage 1 Vote on SB222, in the name of the Scottish National Party. The question is that this Parliament approves the general principles of the Employee Food Provision (Scotland) Bill.

Members are reminded to vote For/Against/Abstain. Attempts to stylise a vote may result in it not being counted. Where there is mix-up with an alternative voting style, this shall also be accepted.

Employee Food Provision (Scotland) Bill

An Act of the Scottish Parliament to require employers to provide employees who fulfil certain criteria with meals without charge during working hours.

Section 1: Mandatory Food Provision

(1) An eligible person (A) under this act is a person who is employed by person (B), and is required to work for a period greater than 4 hours

(2) Wherein person B employs an eligible person A, person B shall be required to provide a suitable meal for person A during meal breaks. A suitable meal shall be defined as–

(a) a meal with nutritional value, and of no less than 200 calories,

(b) a meal of appropriate quality, without spoilage or reasonable suspicion of spoilage,

(c) a meal without requirement placed upon person A for remuneration of person B,

(d) a meal meeting reasonable dietary requirements as expressed by person A, such as but not limited to: vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, and food allergies.

(3) Person B may not lower Person A’s wages in order to cover the cost of meals provided.

(4) Person B is not obligated to provide a meal should Person A expressly waive their right.

(5) If Person B is unable or unwilling to provide a meal at the place of employment, they must provide an allowance to person A equivalent to £10 per shift of at least 4 hours

(a) The allowance figure will be automatically adjusted in tandem with the Consumer Price Index

Section 2: Punishment

(1) The relevant department for employment may issue fines for any repeated violation of Section 1 that involves multiple employees across a timespan of greater than a week

(2) A violation of section 1 will require person A to be compensated by person B

Section 3: Commencement

(1) This Act shall come into force immediately after receiving Royal Assent.

Section 4: Short Title

(1) This act may be cited as the Employee Food Provision (Scotland) Act.

This bill was submitted by the Rt Hon. u/NewAccountMcGee, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, on behalf of the Scottish National Party, based on the Employee Food Provision Bill submitted by u/Itsholmgangthen in the House of Commons.

Opening speech:

[Leas-]Oifigear-riaghlaidh,

It is my pleasure to introduce this bill to this Parliament. The bill this bill was based on was recently introduced in the House of Commons as an England-only bill, and I believe Scotland should be able to benefit from its provisions as well. Of course this bill ensures that employees have a nutritious meal that complies with their dietary requirements, but I believe that another aspect of this bill should also be noted. According to an article published by Harvard Business Review, a nutritious meal increases one’s productivity, which in turn increases the amount of profit an employee can create. And if an employer can’t provide food, they must provide £10 for an employee to get their own food, without using their own money. I hope to see this bill through to Royal Assent.

Link to Stage 1 Debate

Voting on this item of Business ends with the close of Business on April 28th, at 10 pm BST.