Developments since the Equalities Mainstreaming Report 2024

Outcome 1

[IMAGE]

User Centred Design

Since 2024, Revenue Scotland has also strengthened its user-centred design (UCD) capability through the appointment of a user researcher to ensure that services are  designed around the real needs of users.

• our User Researcher talks directly to the people who use our services, so we can fix problems and make improvements based on their needs
• we identify and reduce barriers that may disadvantage users, particularly where they impact users’ protected characteristics.

The user researcher has established a framework and related documentation for Revenue Scotland’s UCD activity in line with research best practice. This ensures:

• participants are in control of their research involvement and resulting data, with 
  appropriate data protection measures in place regardless of methodology.
• projects are conducted ethically and inclusively. Using Scottish Government ethics plan templates, UCD project teams must, at the outset of each project, outline proposed safeguarding and inclusion-facilitating measures. This includes how the team plans to recruit a diverse range of users, how materials become accessible to any participant, how both staff and participants are supported in case of distress and how bias would be minimised in research and analysis. Plans will be reviewed by a lead UCD professional for suitability and accuracy, adding a further level of assurance and expertise
• projects are replicable and insights easily shareable, through consistent protocols and documentation (e.g. guidelines, templates, and research plans)
• users have all the information and resources needed to comfortably take part in projects, with project goals explained upfront in accessible language and suitable adjustments offered to all prospective participants

An example of direct user engagement led by UCD was a pilot online survey of registered SETS users. It asked both user-related questions (e.g. roles, digital confidence) and questions on their perception of service accessibility, ease of use and improvement ideas. It generated valuable insights, such as:

• most surveyed users considering themselves digitally confident
• almost three-quarters of surveyed users find SETS accessible

UCD professionals have supported projects across teams, helping embed a user-centred mindset in wider service development. One example is the ongoing Leases Improvement Project, where they collaborated with the team to elaborate service user questions, run interviews and analyse resulting qualitative data. This helped identify pain points and improve clarity and accessibility in taxpayer journeys and communications (e.g. revised notification processes and plain English leaflets).

The UCD team will continue to expand its activity and further contribute to establishing a culture that puts service users at the heart of strategic decisions. Planned activity, most due to start in 2026, includes supporting SETS development, annual user surveys, strengthening our equality evidence base, further usability and accessibility testing of our digital services, and wider engagement with existing taxpayers, new tax users, and their agents.

10 year anniversary 

In April 2025, we celebrated 10 years of public service. We did this via online and in person events and publications raising awareness of our activities over the years. 

Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs) – includes EqIA elements

The Consumer Duty in Scotland commenced on 1 April 2024. In advance, we created an Integrated Impact Assessment process, as a composite tool covering Equalities Impact Assessments, Fairer Scotland Duty and Consumer Duty.

We conduct Equality Impact Assessments to check whether our decisions or services disadvantage any group. Over the period of this Report the following IIAs have been undertaken or are in progress:

• Scottish Aggregates Tax – implementation and review to be undertaken following go live
• User-Centered Design - ongoing
• SETS 2 replacement - in development

Outcome 2

35 Hour Working Week

From 1 October 2024, colleagues in Bands A–C moved to a thirty-five-hour working week with no reduction in pay, as part of the Scottish Government 2023–25 pay award. Ahead of this change, Revenue Scotland trialled a Wellbeing Hour, giving colleagues one hour a week to focus on their wellbeing. Positive feedback from the trial helped inform this change. We also introduced new principles to help teams adapt and to further support colleague wellbeing and work–life balance.

Supreme Court Rulings

In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court confirmed that the terms “woman”, “man” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex, while protections for transgender people under gender reassignment remain unchanged.

We are reviewing and updating our policies to ensure compliance, clarity and fairness as these changes take effect. There are accessible gender-neutral toilets throughout our main building.