As part of the UK Government’s review of the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, has today [01 August 2024] extended the current backdating period deadline by two years from 31 August 2024 to 31 August 2026.
The scheme was opened in August 2021 to provide acknowledgement payments to individuals who were permanently injured in Troubles-related incidents.
Following concerns raised by a number of individuals and organisations, including groups who represent victims and survivors of the Troubles, that some potential applicants could lose out on backdated payments, the Secretary of State has moved to ensure all potential beneficiaries of the scheme have sufficient time to consider making an application.
This extension will allow anyone deemed eligible in the five-year lifespan of the scheme to avail of a payment backdated to 2014.
Explaining his decision to extend the backdating period of the scheme, Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said: “Approximately 40,000 people were injured during the Troubles, and it is essential that we recognise the great hurt that was caused during this dark period in our history.
“The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme, overseen by the Victims Payments Board, has made progress in making acknowledgement payments to permanently injured victims of the Troubles.
“But with the deadline approaching, there was a risk that some potential applicants would miss out on backdated payments. I have therefore decided to extend the period for which backdated payments are available by a further two years.
“I hope this will assist both those who have suffered and are applying to the scheme, and those who are supporting applicants.”
A fund to help victims of crime opens to applications for the fifth time today (1st August).
Organisations that support victims of crime will be able to bid for a share of more than £940,000 in the Victim Surcharge Fund to provide direct, practical help to victims.
Since its establishment in November 2019, 14 organisations have been awarded over £1.3 million from the fund which is financed by penalties imposed on offenders who receive a court fine.
The Victim Surcharge Fund annual report, which was published today, details that £477,451 was paid to nine organisations in 2023-24.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Our priority is putting the rights of the victim and their needs at the heart of the criminal justice system. It is only right that criminals should pay towards helping victims of crime recover from their experience.
“Too many people face financial hardship as a result of crime and this funding can help meet the costs of essential items including property repairs and installing alarms.
“The awards will also enhance the valuable work carried out by victim support organisations.”
The victim surcharge came into force in November 2019 and applies to those who commit an offence and are subsequently convicted and receive a court fine.
To date, the Victim Surcharge Fund has provided support to over 5,000 people with fourteen organisations sharing £1,322,437.
Victim’s organisations interested in applying to the fund can request an application form by emailing VictimSurchargefund@gov.scot and should apply by 12 September.
To date, the Victim Surcharge Fund has provided support to over 5,000 people with fourteen organisations sharing £1,322,437.
The latest Scottish GDP stats are published this morning here for the month of May and here for Q1 of 2024.
Scotland’s onshore GDP grew by 0.3% in May 2024, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. This follows growth of 0.2% in April 2024.
In the three months to May, GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.9% compared to the previous three month period. This indicates an increase relative to the growth of 0.5% in 2024 Quarter 1 (January to March).
Output in the services sector, which accounts for around three quarters of the economy, grew by 0.6% in May. Output in the production sector is estimated to have contracted by ‑2.2% in May. The largest contribution to overall GDP came from contraction in the output of Electricity & Gas Supply.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray says UK Government’s key mission is growing the economy, making work pay and creating jobs and opportunity for all parts of the UK.
Mr Murray said: “Economic growth is one of the key missions of the UK Government. We inherited a dire fiscal situation, with a £22billion black hole in spending for this year alone that the previous government left us.
It’s the worst economic inheritance of any incoming government since the Second World War and tough decisions will be required. That’s why the Chancellor is taking immediate action to achieve the economic stability vital for growth.
“The UK Government will rebuild and regrow. We are making work pay, ensuring the national minimum wage is a true living wage. And with the end of exploitative zero-hours contracts, workers will have increased job security.
“Backed by £8.3bn of UK Government investment, Scottish-based GB Energy will bring jobs and opportunity for all parts of the UK and trade talks have resumed globally to forge stronger links with our international business partners.”
During the school summer holidays families can face increased costs for everything from childcare and extra activities to food bills.
We are asking our partners and stakeholders to help spread the word about financial support available and ask people to check if they are eligible for any of our family payments.
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one-off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of early learning when a child is between two, and three years and six months
Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one-off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of starting school available between 1 June and the last day in February in the year when a child is first old enough to start primary one
Best Start Foods – up to £42.40 every four weeks from pregnancy up to when a child turns three to help buy healthy food, milk and first infant formula.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government extended eligibility by removing income limits for Best Start Foods. Now, anyone who gets a qualifying benefit, and is pregnant or has a child under 3, is eligible, regardless of their other income.
Some people might not think they are eligible for payments because they are working. However, people in work, whether part-time or full-time, can also receive many of the payments delivered by us, including those designed to help families on low incomes.
In Scotland, around one in three people getting Universal Credit are in work, and Universal Credit is one of the qualifying benefits for getting Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Foods and the three Best Start Grant payments.
Parents, carers and guardians can get more information at Children and family – mygov.scot or by calling us free on 0800 182 2222.
A call to value our workforce & embrace Third Sector solutions with immediate increased funding
With over 40 years of experience in various roles within the health and care systems, from a clinician in the acute sector to working in primary care, and now as the Chair of LifeCare Edinburgh, I have witnessed significant changes and challenges (writes LORNA JACKSON-HALL).
The recent impact of financial cuts to third sector care contracts in Edinburgh, along with the recent changes in the Westminster Government, compel me to share some thoughts on short-term solutions as we work towards long-term strategies.
Valuing Our People
It’s crucial to value everyone involved in our health and care systems, both the workforce and those we serve.
The NHS faces immense pressure, primarily driven by the need to manage patient flow into hospitals and expedite their discharge into supportive environments. The workforce crisis, identified over a decade ago, continues to escalate.
An ageing population among clinical staff, coupled with cuts in university courses, training places, and bursaries, has led to a crisis in the number of Allied Health Professionals, Nurses, and Doctors.
Addressing this workforce gap will take approximately ten years as we train and equip new staff with the necessary skills.
Maximising the Potential of the Care Staff Workforce
In the interim, we must focus on our care staff workforce in both social care and the third sector.
It’s essential to examine the health economics of utilising this workforce to its full potential. These dedicated individuals perform incredible work, significantly contributing to keeping people supported in their home environments, thereby delaying or even preventing hospital admissions.
Programmes such as befriending services like Vintage Vibes and buddying services for isolated individuals, play a vital role in enhancing the health and well-being of our older population.
Urgent and immediate increased funding for third sector organisations such as LIfeCare Edinburgh could help to alleviate some of the current pressures on hospitals.
These organisations run meals on wheels, care at home services, and day services, all of which support frail elderly individuals and/or those living with dementia their carers to remain at home longer.
Impact on Hospital and GP Services
Implementing these measures would help reduce the influx of patients into hospitals and improve the discharge process, allowing acute hospitals to focus on reducing elective lists.
This, in turn, would ease the burden on GP Practice services, enabling them to prioritise preventative care. Such a shift is essential to support the growing number of people living with multimorbidity in Scotland today.
By valuing our workforce and maximising the potential of third sector organisations through true partnership working and appropriate funding, we can make meaningful progress in addressing the immediate challenges while laying the foundation for a healthier future.
UK government will recruit more than 1,000 newly qualified GPs thanks to action to remove red tape
Government acts to fix front door to NHS and deliver more appointments
Slashing burdensome red tape to boost capacity in surgeries and hire over 1000 more newly-qualified doctors
Government listening to sector to help end scandal of patients struggling to see a doctor
More than 1,000 newly qualified GPs will be recruited thanks to government action to remove red tape currently preventing surgeries from hiring doctors.
Bringing back the family doctor is central to the Government’s plan to rebuild the health service, and the changes being made to cut through the current rules will help more patients get access to GPs, and ensure more GPs are able to find roles, so that people in communities across England will receive the timely care they deserve this year.
Currently, under a scheme known as the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, primary care networks (PCNs) can claim reimbursement for the salaries (and some on costs) of 17 new roles within the multidisciplinary team – meaning more specialists are available to treat patients.
They are selected to meet the needs of the local population, but are currently prevented from using this to recruit additional GPs. The changes announced today means that newly qualified GPs can quickly be recruited into the NHS through this scheme in 2024-2025.
It’s thought hundreds of newly qualified GPs could be without a job this summer in England. But thanks to this intervention, they will be able to be hired by the end of the year.
The Government is listening to GPs, and this has been hard fought by the British Medical Association, Royal College of General Practitioners, and many other groups who petitioned for it, receiving over 11,000 signatures.
It comes as the Government accepts recommendations of the Pay Review Bodies in full, increasing GPs’ pay by 6% – their first meaningful pay rise in years.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “It is absurd that patients can’t book appointments while GPs can’t find work.This government is taking immediate action to put GPs to work, so patients can get the care they need.
“This is a first step, as we begin the long-term work of shifting the focus of healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to fix the front door to the NHS.
“I want to work with GPs to rebuild our NHS, so it is there for all of us when we need it.”
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, said: “With hard-working GP teams delivering millions more appointments a month compared to before the pandemic, it is vital they are given the resources to manage this increase in demand.
“Adding General Practitioners to the scheme is something that the profession has been calling for in recent months to make it easier for practices to hire more staff – so I welcome this measure which is an important first step to increasing GP employment in the long-term.
“We will continue to work with GPs, the BMA and the Government to avert any potential action but in the meantime the NHS has a duty to plan for any possible disruption to ensure services continue to be provided for patients – so the public should continue to come forward for care in the normal way if collective action does go ahead.”
This is an emergency measure for 2024-2025 to ensure patients are able to access GPs and GPs are able to find roles, while the Government works with the profession to identify longer term solutions to GP unemployment and general practice sustainability as part of the next fiscal event.
The Government will ensure the NHS has the funding it needs to deliver this, paid for by £82 million from the existing department budget.
In expanding general practice capacity, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme improves access for patients, supports the delivery of new services and widens the range of offers available in primary care.
Scottish Lib Dem leader sees value of a local branch to prevent fraud and scams and build financial confidence
Corstorphine branch supports charities including their upstairs neighbours at Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust
Long-serving colleague’s retirement marked with gifts from local community
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, visited the Nationwide branch in Corstorphine to learn more about how important the branch is to its local community.
The MSP toured the branch and learned more about what branches do to tackle fraud and scams. Fraud has become more sophisticated, and branch staff often act as a last line of defence. In recent times Corstorphine branch staff have noticed spikes in attempted WhatsApp scams and cowboy tradespeople.
Nationwide has promised that everywhere it has a branch, it will still be there until at least 2026 – making sure that face-to-face service stays available on the high street. This policy has led to Nationwide becoming the biggest banking brand network on the high street, with more branches than any other provider across the UK.
Corstorphine’s branch supports a range of charities by acting as a collection point for the Kids Love Clothes clothing bank and with staff from the branch volunteering for Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust, which is located above the branch.
Nationwide offers all its staff two days a year of paid volunteering time, and in 2023 donated over £50,000 to the charity to support young people aged 16-26 who are in or leaving care.
Mr Cole-Hamilton also saw the Safe Space in the branch for people facing abuse, which forms part of an initiative Nationwide has introduced in over 400 branches across the UK. Branch staff at Corstorphine are able to offer a private space for someone to call friends, family, support charities or the police.
Customer representative, Lorraine Mudie, has worked for Nationwide for 42 years and met Mr. Cole-Hamilton a week before her retirement.
She said: “It was such an honour to welcome Alex Cole-Hamilton to our branch. I’m glad to be able to show how important the branch is to our local community here in Corstorphine.
“Some of our customers heard I was retiring and have been bringing in gifts and cards just to say thank you and goodbye – which I find really touching.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “At a time when most other banks are closing branches everywhere, it’s refreshing that Nationwide have decided to stick by their communities in this way.
“I know many of my constituents will be delighted to have the reassurance that their local branch will remain open.”
The first group exhibition at Colstoun House, featuring work from eight of its residency artists in August
Friday 2 – Sunday 11 August 2024
Colstoun House, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 4PA
Quickly following its opening exhibition by Joe Grieve in May 2024, Colstoun Arts mounts its second public exhibition showcasing eight artists who have all attended the Colstoun Artist Residency at Colstoun House in East Lothian since October 2022.
Globally recognised and exhibited Leipzig artist Raffael Bader’s tension filled landscapes will sit alongside Ingram Prize and Bloomberg New Contemporaries artists James Dearlove’s surrealist takes on the Scottish countryside.
Both will be exhibited alongside Jen Hitchings, so well known for her otherworldly landscapes featured in a number of exhibitions in North America And Europe; Lara Cobden, a member of the Norwich 20 Group focussing on memory and sense of place, responding to the natural world around her; Ely based Suhaylah Hamid, an internationally exhibited self-taught artist who recently announced a collaboration with the V&A on a limited edition print series; Marina Renée-Cemmick, a figurative Artist working across multiple disciplines featured in King Charles’ Royal Collection, whose practice is founded on drawing and human observation; Angelique Nagovskaya, a Canadian-American artist and RCA graduate currently based in Washington DC, who attended Colstoun to spend time developing new ideas for her eminent practice; and Joe Grieve, whose solo exhibition The Other Side was the first exhibition Colstoun Arts mounted in May 2024, and whose work is in collection in over 20 countries.
Annually Colstoun Arts invites 6 to 8 artists to spend a month or more at its home, Colstoun House just outside Edinburgh in East Lothian. During this residency they produce a cohesive body of work inspired by the house and grounds.
During these residencies, Colstoun Arts works with artists to provide learning and development opportunities, introduce them to industry experts, and provide them with guidance.
The Colstoun Arts experience goes well beyond the traditional residency, welcoming artists to become part of life on the estate, experiencing the highs and lows of normal life whilst also providing a dedicated secluded environment with top class studio facilities to push the boundaries of their practice.
Beginning in 2022, this residency programme is designed to develop the careers of a handful of artists each year in a meaningful way, it also provides an opportunity for established artists to take a break from their practice. It is hoped that over time the alumni of this programme will begin to help one another and provide meaningful contributions to Landscape, Nature Inspired and British Art.
These new works will be shown alongside more historical works from the Colstoun Estate Collection, including numerous works by RSA artists past including Sir John Watson-Gordon and Joshua Reynolds, as well Italian landscapes and Dutch still lifes. Both elements play important roles in Colstoun Arts’ vision to become a national museum of landscape and nature inspired art.
Alongside the exhibition the main floor of the house will be open to public viewing for the first time, the curatorial focus of this project being to display historical artworks and antique furnishings collected over generations alongside contemporary artworks. The parkland will be open to the public, and the dining room will be open to members of the public for tea and coffee.
Mackie Sinclair-Parry, Director of Colstoun Arts said: “The variety of work created by our selected artists and the impact the seasons here at Colstoun have played on their work is astonishing.
“This exhibition serves as the conclusion on a residency experience we hope will stick with artists for the rest of their lives and provide benefits across business acumen as well as artistic practice.
“Art has always been a part of Colstoun’s history. When you look at the walls and see hundreds of years of art collected through the generations, it becomes obvious why we should create a sustainable, progressive way in which to collect contemporary art and present it to the wider population.
“It started with the Colstoun Artist Residency but is now being expanded to include public exhibitions and collaborations with external galleries and museums.”
Colstoun Arts will support the acquisition of artworks for the Colstoun Arts Collection which includes works from established contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Peter Randall-Page, Conrad Shawcross, Tracey Emin, Carolina Mazzolari, Robin Friend, Alina Zamanova and more as well as emerging artists Raffael Bader, Luke Alen-Buckley, Lily Lewis, Joe Grieve, Lara Cobden, Suhaylah H., James Dearlove and Marina Rennee-Cemmick.
Comedy troupe Biscuit Barrel kicked off their Edinburgh food bank fundraiser with a twist this week when members donned biscuit costumes and packed emergency food parcels at the Edinburgh Food Project warehouse.
Their Edinburgh Fringe show ‘Not Another 69-Sketch Show’ runs from 31 July – 26 August at the Gilded Balloon, and will help to support seven local food banks.
Audiences can contribute to the Edinburgh Food Project thanks to post-performance bucket collections and make a real difference to those struggling to afford the essentials.
KEEP Scotland Beautiful yesterday joined a cohort of organisations, led by Keep Britain Tidy, calling for the new UK government to urgently commit to a Deposit Return Scheme.
Alongside environmental organisations, manufacturers and retailers, we have signed a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging him to work with the devolved nations to urgently bring in a Deposit Return Scheme to protect the environment from littered drinks packaging and dramatically increase recycling rates.
The signatories include major soft drinks producers Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Suntory, the British Soft Drinks Association, a raft of environmental organisations including WWF, Surfers Against Sewage and the Marine Conservation Society and trade body the Federation of Independent Retailers – and collectively reiterates unwavering support for the UK Government’s implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme, which has undergone extensive development.
Research from circular economy non-profit Reloop shows that currently more than 20 million drinks containers are incinerated, sent to landfill or littered each day across the UK.
KSB Chief Executive Barry Fisher, who signed the letter, said: “Our research shows 65% of people report seeing littered drinks cans regularly, and 66% report seeing plastic bottles littered regularly.
“Additionally, we know from our detailed ground litter surveys that 27% of sites record a presence of litter which would be recoverable under a Deposit Return Scheme.
“The delay of a Deposit Return Scheme from 2025 to 2027 announced by the UK Government earlier this year was a major setback for us in Scotland. We know a sufficient and well-designed Deposit Return Scheme is vital to tackle a significant contributor to Scotland’s litter emergency, and it should have been implemented long before now.”
More than 40 countries have already successfully implemented a Deposit Return Scheme with the best designed seeing return rates of up to 98% as a result.
