The St Andrew's Day Holiday (Scotland) Bill was approved by Parliament on Wednesday November 29, 2006.
It aims to promote St Andrew's Day on November 30 as a national celebration of Scottish identity and culture across the whole of Scotland.
What the Bill does not do
- It does not automatically create an additional day off work or school
- It does not oblige employers to change their existing pattern of holidays
- It does not add to the total number of designated local holidays in any year
What the Bill does do
- The Bill adds a date - November 30, or the following Monday should November 30 fall on a weekend - to the schedule of bank holidays in Scotland
- It provides the legal framework in which the St Andrew's Day bank holiday could be substituted for an existing local holiday from another date in the year
- It gives employers the discretion to choose St Andrew's Day as an alternative option, replacing a holiday taken at another time
- Each organisation and company is free to take its own decision about what to do. Whether you decide to have a holiday, or not to, or to replace an existing one. A decision is not bound in any way by the new legislation
Ministers are keen to encourage employers to consider the possibility of a St Andrew's Day holiday on November 30 and the Executive is engaging with its own employees to identify the best way of responding to the new legislation.
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