Ministerial Code report published: First Minister cleared of code breach
The independent report by Mr James Hamilton on the First Minister’s self-referral under the Scottish Ministerial Code has been published.
Mr Hamilton is a former Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland and has been an independent adviser on the Code since January 2013, having been appointed by Alex Salmond when he was First Minister.
He was asked to assess whether there had been any breach of the Code by the First Minister, the nature of any such breach and, if a breach had occurred, to advise on the appropriate remedy or sanction.
Mr Hamilton looked at the following:
the First Minister’s meeting with Geoff Aberdein on 29 March 2018, and the meetings / telephone calls with Mr Salmond on 2 and 23 April, 7 June and 14 and 18 July 2018
whether the First Minister misled Parliament about these meetings
whether the First Minister attempted to influence the conduct of the investigation
whether the First Minister broke the code by continuing with the judicial review.
On each point he found the First Minister had not breached the code, saying in his conclusions at para 18.2 of the report: “I am of the opinion that the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the Ministerial Code in respect of any of these matters.”
Mr Hamilton’s report, formally commissioned by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, was delivered to the Scottish Government yesterday. In line with the First Minister’s commitment to Parliament, the report has been published on the day of receipt.
The report is published in full, except for information that needs to be excluded to comply with court orders in force to protect the identity of complainers. In a covering note to the report Mr Hamilton has acknowledged that redactions will be necessary.
Commenting, Mr Swinney said: “I want to thank Mr Hamilton for his thorough and impartial assessment of the facts.
“People can read the report for themselves, but the rigour and independence of his investigation is clear.
“This report is the formal outcome of the self-referral under the Ministerial Code made by the First Minister on 13 January 2019. I hope that everyone will now accept that Mr Hamilton’s conclusions are comprehensive and evidence-based.”
Mr Hamilton’s report said Ms Sturgeon had given an “incomplete narrative of events” to MSPs but he said this was not deliberate, rather a “genuine failure of recollection”.
While Mr Hamilton’s report relieves some of the pressure on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a Holyrood committee is expected to take a very different view when it finally publishes it’s findings this morning.
It’s parliament’s responsibility to hold the government to account, and a cross-party committee of MSPs has been scrutinising the government’s handling of the complaints against former First Minister Alex Salmond.
The committee’s work has been hampered throughout by obstructions placed in their way by the government and the Crown Office, but their final report is expected to be highly critical of Ms Sturgeon’s recollection of events. The report is likely to accuse the First Minister of misleading their investigation – that’s parliament-speak for lying.
The Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints will formally publish its full report at 8am.
In a pre-emptive strike, Ms Sturgeon has already dismissed the committee’s report as ‘partisan’.
The Scottish Tories also plan to hold a vote of no confidence in the First Minister today, but this seems doomed to failure as the SNP Government has the support of the Scottish Greens.
When all this is over, it’s full steam ahead to May’s elections – and it remains to be seen whether any of the above will make any difference at all to voting intentions. Was this a deliberate attempt to subvert our democracy – or just a Salmond Sturgeon stooshie of interest only to political anoraks and conspiracy theorists?
‘Let’s not allow the irresponsible behaviour of a minority set us all back’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon criticized Rangers for a ‘lack of leadership’ when she addressed the Holyrood parliament today.
She told MSPs:
The ability to announce even limited changes at this stage is possible only because of the hard sacrifices that the majority of people across the country continue to make each and every single day.
So let me at the outset acknowledge, and be clear that I share, the anger and despair that the vast majority of people – including, I am sure, the majority of football fans – felt at the weekend towards crowds of supporters flagrantly breaching rules that the rest of us are following every day at great personal cost.
The behaviour witnessed at the weekend was disgraceful and it was selfish.
Now it is natural that some of the anger people feel is directed towards the government and the police – I absolutely understand that. All of us must reflect on what more could have been done, and what more we need to do to avoid any repeat in the future.
But those at fault are those who breached the rules.
How the police manage situations like this is, of course, an operational matter – government cannot and should not direct policing operations.
I will though be speaking to the Chief Constable later this afternoon to consider what further action might be necessary to avoid any repeat of the unacceptable scenes we saw at the weekend.
However, no one should doubt the deeply invidious situation that behaviour like this puts the police in as they discharge their responsibility to protect public order and public safety.
We will also be having further discussions this week with the football authorities and with certain football clubs who, in my view, do need to show much more leadership on occasions like this.
Now let me be clear, in making these comments, I really don’t care about the colour of the shirt. My comments on these matters are in no way partisan.
I said some harsh things about Celtic’s decisions at the start of this year. And as far as I am concerned in this case, Rangers Football Club could have done more to help avoid this situation arising at the weekend.
The fact is that elite sport is being allowed to continue just now so that fans – deprived like all of us of so much else in life right now – can continue to watch and support their teams.
It would be deeply unfair if a minority spoil that for the majority, and I very much hope that will not be the case.
But given the fragility of the situation we face right now, we cannot simply turn a blind eye to what happened at the weekend and we won’t.
So we will report back in due course – and certainly ahead of the Old Firm match scheduled for 21 March – on the various discussions taking place this week.
Now finally on this subject, I understand, completely understand, why people watching what unfolded at the weekend might wonder why they are bothering doing the right thing.
The fact is the vast majority of us are doing the right thing because we know it really matters – it matters for our own health and the health of our loved ones.
It is about saving lives. And it is working. As I will set out shortly, we are firmly on the right path.
So, no matter how legitimately angry we feel, let’s not allow the irresponsible behaviour of a minority to set us all back.
Let’s stick with it as we make our way, slowly but surely, back to normality.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Tuesday 5 January 2021:
Good afternoon everyone and since this is the first media briefing of the new year let me wish all of you a happy new year. This year is having a very difficult start but we do hope that it will nevertheless bring better times ahead.
Now I’m going to say more in a few moments about the announcements that I set out in parliament yesterday. But as usual I will give you an update on today’s statistics first.
I can tell you that the total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 2,529.
That represents 14.8% of the total number of tests, and it means that the total number of confirmed cases that we now have in Scotland is139,027.
Analysis of PCR samples also shows that the new variant is now responsible for around 50% of new cases in Scotland – and that that is a proportion that is rising.
695 of the new cases today were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 388 in Lanarkshire, 322 in Lothian, and 210 in Tayside. The remaining cases are spread across eight other health board areas.
1,347 people are currently in hospital – now, we haven’t been reporting hospital and ICU figures over the New Year bank holiday period, but to give you some context for that figure today I can tell you that it is 255 more people in hospital now than was the case a week ago – exactly a week ago today.
And 93 people are in intensive care, and that is 28 more than a week ago today.
11 additional deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours, of patients who first tested positive in the previous 28 days. Of course, yesterday was a bank holiday so it is possible that this figure today is artificially low as a result of that.
But it means that the total number of deaths reported under this daily measurement, is now 4,633. And of course every single one of these deaths – I report them here on a daily basis as statistics – but every single one of those statistics represents a human being who has lost their lives to this virus and will have left behind grieving families and friends.
So again today, my condolences and thoughts go to every individual and family who is in that situation.
Now, I am joined today by the National Clinical Director, he is going to help me answer questions in a few moments. But before we get to questions, I would like to emphasise the key points that I set out yesterday in parliament.
Firstly, just to reiterate that the current situation that we face now in the pandemic is, in my view, more serious than it has been at any time since the spring.And that’s because this new more transmissible variant of Covid is becoming increasingly common as I said a moment ago.
And as a result of that, cases are rising much more steeply and rapidly than they had been in the latter part of last year; and as a result of that more people are likely to become seriously ill; and the health service will come under more severe pressure.
That of course is the negative – the worrying – position we face, and I don’t say it for exaggeration, I say it because we all must take that seriously right now.
But of course, there is a difference between now last spring, and that is a positive difference. And that of course is the fact that vaccines have been approved for use in the UK now and vaccines we know does offer us the way out of this pandemic.
More than a hundred thousand people in Scotland have already been vaccinated. And, as I set out in parliament yesterday, we expect – although these timetables are still tentative – that by May more than 2.5 million people will have received vaccination – at least the first dose of the vaccination.
That includes everyone on what is called the JCVI priority list – everyone over the age of 50, and people under 50 who have specific underlying health conditions.
Now we will do everything we can to speed that up to deliver vaccines as quickly as possible, and we will set out what our expectations are around that as the certainty we have on the flow of supplies becomes much firmer – I hope, in the days and weeks to come.
But in the race we currently face – and I am describing it deliberately as a race between the vaccine and the virus, because that really is in essence what it is – we can’t rely solely on speeding up vaccination.
That’s really important, but because this new variant is spreading so much more quickly we must also act as we vaccinate more people to slow the virus down so that the vaccination can get ahead and ultimately be in a position where it wins the race.
And, the new variant – because it is much easier to transmit, and spreads more quickly –means that slowing it down is more difficult and to achieve that takes much stricter restrictions than the ones that have been in place over the past few months.
And that is why we got to the position yesterday of announcing what is effectively a new lockdown.
And the key message we want to convey and are conveying and stressing very, very strongly is a simple message – not simple to abide by, but simple for me to communicate, and it’s a similar message to the one I communicated for much of last year and that is: stay at home.
Staying at home whenever possible is the best way now of protecting ourselves, protecting each other, protecting the NHS and – ultimately – saving lives.
There are of course specified essential purposes for which you can leave your house – these include exercise, essential shopping, providing care, perhaps for a vulnerable relative.
And because extended households are still permitted, to try and help us in some way tackle the loneliness and isolation of these restrictions, you can also leave your home to visit the other people in your extended household.
But fundamentally, I’m asking everybody to really try hard to stay at home as much as possible – and only leave home if it is for a genuinely essential purpose.
And that means that you must work from home if you can.
In fact, it is only permissible to leave home to go to work if you cannot work from home.
Now, businesses, employers have a big part to play in ensuring we achieve that. The Economy Secretary spoke to business organisations yesterday to reinforce this message.
And I want to be clear that we really need businesses in this next phase – as they have been throughout – to be responsible, to help us fight this virus.
And that means – just as this is true for individuals for the stay at home message – it means not always looking for the loophole that allows you to stay open or have your staff physically at work. Instead it means thinking about how you as a business can maximise your contribution to the collective challenge that we all now face.
And in return, government must do – and we will continue to do – all we can to maximise the financial support available to you.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has just announced this morning additional financial support for businesses, and we are over the course of the day trying to get clarity of the detail on that so that we then know what that enables us to do in addition to the considerable financial support for businesses that is already in place.
Returning to what lockdown means for all of us as individuals, we have also introduced tighter restrictions on outdoor socialising, because this virus we know is spreading more easily. So it is still possible to meet someone outdoors – but only two people from two households can now meet up – previously it was up to six people from two households, but now only two people from a maximum of two households.
That rule applies to everyone who is aged 12 and over – and that means that outdoor exercise should also only take place in groups of two, and no more than two households.
Now we announced several other significant restrictions yesterday – you can find full details of these on the Scottish Government website. And where there is a need for it we will put forward and publish additional guidance to help people navigate their way through this as well as we can.
Now one thing I want to mention specifically, because I know it is very distressing for many people – and that was the announcement yesterday that places of worship will close over this next period as well – except for funerals and weddings.
I know for people in faith communities who take great comfort from collective worship this is a particularly large restriction to bear. But we do deem it essential at the moment to help us with that overall task of keeping the virus, or getting the virus back under control.
But we will not keep these restrictions in place for any longer than necessary.
We have also, of course, regrettably decided that school and nursery buildings will only be open for children of key workers and vulnerable pupils until at least 1 February.
For that time, remote learning will continue for the majority of pupils, and this is without a doubt – I said this yesterday but it is worth repeating – the most difficult of the restrictions that we put in place yesterday. I know how tough it will be for pupils, who as well as missing education in the normal school environment will be missing your friends and the normal social aspect of growing up and enjoying your school life. And I am sorry about that and we will try and get you back to school as quickly as possible.
But this is also difficult for parents – particularly those who are working and who are trying to juggle online learning, and we are thinking about what more support we can put in place to help you through this difficult period.
The decision on schools will be reviewed fortnightly – and we will do everything we can to get as many pupils as possible back to school as soon as it is safe to do so.
But at the moment, the community transmission of the virus is too high, and still rising – and also there is some uncertainty about the impact of the new variant on young people, and those two things together lead us to the judgement that it is not safe enough to have schools open right now for the majority of pupils as normal.
Now, the measures that were announced yesterday that I’ve just run through here today are of course not the start to this year that any of us would have wanted.
They are really tough for businesses, for individuals – and as I have said at a couple of occasions already, we will consider what further support we are able to provide.
But the current figures, including those I have reported today, tell us that action is needed.
This new variant is so much more easily transmitted that without these tougher restrictions, cases in Scotland would definitely continue to rise very, very sharply.
And that, of course, creates the likelihood that more people get ill and die than would otherwise be the case, but it also creates the real risk that our National Health Service – which is currently coping, although the pressure on frontline staff is considerable – but it creates the real risk that it would instead be overwhelmed and perhaps quite quickly.
So by acting now, instead of waiting until things get more severe, we give ourselves the chance to avert the more serious challenge that is currently being faced in some other parts of the UK right now.
I know that doesn’t provide any comfort, and nor does it create any comfort for me to say that we are not alone – but we are not alone. People in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are waking up today to similar restrictions, and many other countries across Europe are in similar positions.
But, while this is hard for everybody to take we must hold on to the fact – and it is a fact – that we now have, in a way that we didn’t have last year, a clear route out of this pandemic through the vaccination programme.
And the Scottish Government will be doing everything we possibly can to accelerate, speed up that programme, and get the maximum number of people vaccinated as quickly as possible. But while we’re doing that, we absolutely must – all of us – collectively work to slow down this virus
That’s why these measures are essential and it’s why again I must ask everybody to really rigorously abide by all of these restrictions.
That means following the FACTS advice: wear face coverings; avoid crowded places when you are out of your house, which you shouldn’t be unless it is essential; wash your hands, wash hard surfaces, even when you are staying at home it’s really important still to do that; keep a two metre distancing when you’re out, from people in other households; and, of course self-isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.
These steps all still work, in breaking chains of this new variant and remain as important if not more so.
But fundamentally the most important thing – and the most difficult thing – I am asking everybody to do again is to stay at home.
Staying at home helps us control this virus. It helps us protect ourselves and each other. It helps us protect our NHS. And fundamentally, and ultimately, it helps us save lives.
And that, as we have all known all along, is really important. So my concluding message is the as it was back in March – because the situation we face now is as serious as the one we faced back in March.
So, please – Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.
Seven days before Britain was due to crash out of the European Union, a deal has been agreed:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: It is four and a half years since the British people voted to take back control of their money, their borders, their laws, and their waters and to leave the European Union.
And earlier this year we fulfilled that promise and we left on Jan 31 with that oven-ready deal.
Since that time we have been getting on with our agenda.
Enacting the points based immigration system that you voted for and that will come into force on Jan 1.
And doing free trade deals with 58 countries around the world.
And preparing the new relationship with the EU.
And there have been plenty of people who have told us that the challenges of the Covid pandemic have made this work impossible.
And that we should extend the transition period.
And incur yet more delay.
And I rejected that approach precisely because beating Covid is our number one national priority and I wanted to end any extra uncertainty and to give this country the best possible chance of bouncing back strongly next year.
And so I am very pleased that this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion.
A comprehensive Canada style free trade deal between the UK and the EU, a deal that will protect jobs across this country.
A deal that will allow UK goods and components to be sold without tariffs and without quotas in the EU market.
A deal which will if anything should allow our companies and our exporters to do even more business with our European friends.
And yet which achieves something that the people of this country instinctively knew was do-able.
But which they were told was impossible.
We have taken back control of laws and our destiny.
We have taken back control of laws and our destiny. We have taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulation. In a way that is complete and unfettered.
From Jan 1 we are outside the customs union, and outside the single market.
British laws will be made solely by the British Parliament.
Interpreted by UK judges sitting in UK courts.
And the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice will come to an end.
We will be able to set our own standards, to innovate in the way that we want, to originate new frameworks for the sectors in which this country leads the world, from biosciences to financial services, artificial intelligence and beyond.
We will be able to decide how and where we are going to stimulate new jobs and new hope.
With freeports and new green industrial zones.
We will be able to cherish our landscape and our environment in the way we choose.
Backing our farmers and backing British food and agricultural production.
And for the first time since 1973 we will be an independent coastal state with full control of our waters with the UK’s share of fish in our waters rising substantially from roughly half today to closer to 2/3 in five and a half years’ time after which there is no theoretical limit beyond those placed by science or conservation on the quantity of our own fish that we can fish in our waters.
And to get ready for that moment those fishing communities we will be helped with a big £100m programme to modernise their fleets and the fish processing industry.
And I want to stress that although of course the arguments with our European friends and partners were sometimes fierce this is, I believe a good deal for the whole of Europe and for our friends and partners as well.
Because it will not be a bad thing for the EU to have a prosperous and dynamic and contented UK on your doorstep.
And it will be a good thing – it will drive jobs and prosperity across the whole continent.
And I don’t think it will be a bad thing if we in the UK do things differently, or a take a different approach to legislation.
Because in so many ways our basic goals are the same.
And in the context of this giant free trade zone that we’re jointly creating the stimulus of regulatory competition will I think benefit us both.
And if one side believes it is somehow being unfairly undercut by the other, then subject to independent third party arbitration and provided the measures are proportionate, we can either of us decide – as sovereign equals – to protect our consumers.
But this treaty explicitly envisages that such action should only happen infrequently and the concepts of uniformity and harmonisation are banished in favour of mutual respect and mutual recognition and free trade.
And for squaring that circle, for finding the philosopher’s stone that’s enabled us to do this I want to thank President von der Leyen of the European Commission and our brilliant negotiators led by Lord Frost and Michel Barnier, on the EU side Stephanie Rousseau as well as Oliver Lewis, Tim Barrow, Lindsay Appleby and many others.
Their work will be available for scrutiny, followed by a parliamentary vote I hope on Dec 30.
This agreement, this deal above all means certainty.
It means certainty for the aviation industry and the hauliers who have suffered so much in the Covid pandemic.
It means certainty for the police and the border forces and the security services and all those that we rely on across Europe to keep us safe.
It means certainty for our scientists who will be able to continue to work together on great collective projects.
Because although we want the UK to be a science superpower, we also want to be a collaborative science superpower.
And above all it means certainty for business from financial services to our world-leading manufacturers – our car industry – certainty for those working in high skilled jobs in firms and factories across the whole country.
Because there will be no palisade of tariffs on Jan 1.
And there will be no non-tariff barriers to trade.
And instead there will be a giant free trade zone of which we will at once be a member.
And at the same time be able to do our own free trade deals as one UK, whole and entire, England, NI, Scotland and Wales together.
And I should stress this deal was done by a huge negotiating team from every part of the UK, and it will benefit every part of our United Kingdom, helping to unite and level up across the country.
And so I say again directly to our EU friends and partners, I think this deal means a new stability and a new certainty in what has sometimes been a fractious and difficult relationship.
We will be your friend, your ally, your supporter and indeed – never let it be forgotten – your number one market.
Because although we have left the EU this country will remain culturally, emotionally, historically, strategically and geologically attached to Europe, not least through the four million EU nationals who have requested to settle in the UK over the last four years and who make an enormous contribution to our country and to our lives.
And I say to all of you at home.
At the end of this toughest of years.
That our focus in the weeks ahead is of course on defeating the pandemic.
And on beating coronavirus and rebuilding our economy.
And delivering jobs across the country.
And I am utterly confident that we can and will do it.
By today we have vaccinated almost 800,000 people and we have also today resolved a question that has bedevilled our politics for decades.
And it is up to us all together. As a newly and truly independent nation.
To realise the immensity of this moment and to make the most of it.Happy Christmas to you all.
That’s the good news from Brussels – now for the sprouts.
Commenting on today’s announcement of the UK and EU today reaching a deal, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK’s deal with the EU is great news for Scotland’s businesses. There are huge opportunities ahead – not just with this exceptional access to the EU market, but also in new markets right around the world.
“We have an agreement on fisheries which will ensure that our fishermen, and our coastal communities, will flourish outside of the EU’s unfair Common Fisheries Policy. The UK will once more be a sovereign coastal state.
“The deal protects famous Scottish products such as whisky, Arbroath Smokies and Orkney cheddar.
“People in Scotland will benefit from a wide range of social security and healthcare rights while travelling, working and living in the EU.
“Now, Scottish businesses need to get ready. The UK Government has been preparing intensively, and working with businesses, and that will continue. The Scottish Government also needs to do its bit and take action in devolved areas – we have given the Scottish Government nearly £200 million to prepare for Brexit.
“The United Kingdom will always be a welcoming, outwards-facing nation. Our European neighbours are our friends, and that will not change. EU citizens will continue to be an important part of many of Scotland’s communities. This is a historic moment for us all.
“There are enormous opportunities ahead of us, and we all need to make the most of them.”
The UK remains a trusted partner. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to deliver on our common global goals.
But now let's turn the page and look to the future.
To all Europeans I say: it is time to leave Brexit behind.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We have, finally, found an agreement. It was a long and winding road. But we have got a good deal to show for it.
It is fair and balanced. And it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides.
The negotiations were very tough. But with so much at stake, for so many, this was a deal worth fighting for.
We need to avoid major disruptions for workers, companies and travellers after 1 January 2020.
It will protect European interests.
It is also – I believe – in the UK’s interests.
It will lay a solid foundation for a new beginning with a long-term friend. And it means that we can finally put Brexit behind us.
Europe will be able to move on.
Throughout this period, the European Union has demonstrated great unity, drawing on the strength of 450 million people and the largest single market in the world.
The Agreement we have reached clearly shows how much this matters.
Chapter by chapter, line by line.
Let me give you three examples:
First: Competition in our Single Market will be fair and remain so.
The EU´s rules and standards will be respected.
We have effective tools to react if fair competition is distorted and impacts our trade.
Secondly: We will continue cooperating with the UK, in all areas of mutual interest.
For example in the fields of climate change, energy, security and transport.
Together we still achieve more than we do apart.
And thirdly: We have secured five and a half years of full predictability for our fishing communities and strong tools to incentivise it to remain so.
Of course, this whole debate has always been about sovereignty.
But we should cut through the soundbites and ask ourselves what sovereignty actually means in the 21st century.
For me, it is about being able to seamlessly do work, travel, study and do business in 27 countries.
It is about pooling our strength and speaking together in a world full of great powers.
And in a time of crisis it is about pulling each other up – instead of trying to get back to your feet alone.
The European Union shows how this works in practice.
And no deal in the world can change reality or gravity in today’s economy and today’s world. We are one of the giants.
The EU is well prepared for Brexit.
We know this deal will not stop disruption altogether.
We have been working closely with authorities and businesses to make sure they are ready.
We have set aside EUR 5 billion in our new budget to support all of the people, regions and sectors affected by Brexit.
So now is the time to turn the page and look to the future.
The United Kingdom is a third country. But it remains a trusted partner. We are long standing allies. We share the same values and interests.
Whether it be the COP26 summit in Glasgow or the upcoming UK G7 and Italian G20 presidencies:
The European Union and the United Kingdom will stand shoulder to shoulder to deliver on our common global goals.
This moment marks the end of a long journey.
I would like to thank our Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, and his team, and Stéphanie Riso for their tireless efforts, their endurance, their professionalism.
I also want to thank David Frost and Tim Barrow for having been tough but fair negotiating partners.
And I am grateful to all our Member States and the European Parliament for their trust and their support. I will now convene the College.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at the end of successful negotiations I normally feel joy. But today I only feel quiet satisfaction and, frankly speaking, relief.
I know this is a difficult day for some.
And to our friends in the United Kingdom I want to say: parting is such sweet sorrow.
But to use a line from TS Eliot: What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.
So to all Europeans I say: It is time to leave Brexit behind. Our future is made in Europe.
Thank you so much.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a statement: “It beggars belief that in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession Scotland has been forced out of the EU Single Market and Customs Union with all the damage to jobs that will bring.
“A deal is better than no deal. But, just because, at the eleventh hour, the UK Government has decided to abandon the idea of a no-deal outcome, it should not distract from the fact that they have chosen a hard Brexit, stripping away so many of the benefits of EU membership.
“And while we do not yet have full details on the nature of the deal, it appears major promises made by the UK Government on fisheries have been broken and the extent of these broken promises will become apparent to all very soon.
“People in Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, but their views have been ignored.
“This is a far harder Brexit than could have been imagined when the EU referendum took place, damaging and disrupting this nation’s economy and society at the worst possible time.
“We are doing everything we can to mitigate against the consequences of the UK Government’s actions – but we cannot avert every negative outcome.
“We know that businesses are already struggling under the burden of COVID-19, and are now faced with the need to prepare for this hard Brexit in little more than a week’s time. We will do all we can to help them and are issuing updated information and advice and urge those most affected, including businesses, to prepare.
“Scotland did not vote for any of this and our position is clearer than ever. Scotland now has the right to choose its own future as an independent country and once more regain the benefits of EU membership.”
Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, said: ““The news of a deal means that consumers can breathe a sigh of relief, as they will avoid the cost of a no-deal Brexit to their pockets and their consumer rights.
“Crucially, the announcement that people will continue to benefit from zero tariffs on goods from the EU is positive for consumers, as many will be keeping a close eye on their finances heading into the new year.
“Even with a deal, people may still see fundamental changes compared to what they have been used to. We will be closely scrutinising the details of the deal when it is published to establish the true implications for consumers and continuing to provide advice to help people navigate this new landscape.”
This week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chose her Christmas card.
People under 16 were invited to send in their drawings representing the theme of kindness for this year’s card.
Congratulations to the winner: Sophie Blackett, age 10, from Calderwood, East Kilbride.
And well done to everyone who took part, there was almost 700 entries!
The message inside the Christmas card this year reads: “At this festive season, we remember all those who lost their lives to COVID in 2020 … but, in remembering them, we also look forward with hope to better times ahead, especially for our young people.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Thursday 6 August):
Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. I want to start with the usual update on the Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
An additional 67 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That is 1.2% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 18,847.
Just as point of clarity, today’s 67 cases is actually a net increase of 66, as one of yesterday’s cases has since been denotified.
A full health board breakdown will be available later, as usual, but the provisional information I have is that 39 of the 67 cases are in the Grampian health board area. It is not yet clear how many are connected to the ongoing outbreak in Aberdeen and I will say a bit more about that outbreak shortly.
A further 17 are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde and we are examining these very carefully to see if there are any patterns – there was a relatively large number in Glasgow yesterday – to see if there is any cause for concern.
A total of 270 patients are currently in hospital who have been confirmed as having the virus. That is an increase of 3 since yesterday.
A total of 4 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid-19. That is an increase of 1 since yesterday.
I am glad to say that yet again during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test in the previous 28 days as having Covid-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,491.
However the total number of deaths is still a reminder of the awful impact of this virus. I want to extend my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one.
We will also today publish updated information about the prevalence of the virus in Scotland.
Our modelling suggests that the R number – the average number of people infected by one other infectious person – is between 0.6 and 1. That is a slight increase on the last estimate, which was 0.6 and 0.9. However, as I’ve said before, the R number becomes a less reliable indicator when the prevalence of the virus remains very low.
The modelling also shows that the number of people in Scotland with the virus has continued to fall. Our central estimate for last week is that 275 people in Scotland were infectious.
These figures show – once again – the sustained progress that we’ve made, over the past few months. And I want to thank everybody who has contributed to that.
I particularly want to thank our health and care workers – who continue to do an incredible job.
However, I want to warn again against any complacency.
We have seen an increase in cases in recent days that may not yet be reflected in this modelling – many of these cases, but not all, are linked to outbreaks such as the one in Aberdeen and the one in Inverclyde last week. But it’s important to say that not all of these cases are linked to outbreaks, so we really must be on our guard and recognise what these figures are telling us, which is that this virus is still very much out there and circulating in Scotland.
I now want to provide an update on the situation in Aberdeen, and you will appreciate that this is an active outbreak that is being managed and this information will be changing regularly at the moment.
I can confirm that – as of now – a total of 79 cases have been confirmed as associated with that cluster. That is an increase of 25 on the position reported yesterday. A further 30 cases are under investigation as possibly linked to the outbreak. And a total of 233 close contacts have already been identified, although we expect that number to rise over the course of today.
As I said yesterday, many of those positive cases and contacts have been linked to a number of licensed premises, in Aberdeen. And a list of those places is now available on the Scottish Government’s website.
To be clear, it’s not that one particular person in this cluster has visited all these premises. It is that someone who has tested positive has been in each location, but it will be different people in each of these locations.
Now, we’ve been asked why members of the public who have visited these premises have not all been contact traced. The answer is that they may not have been there at the same time as a person who has tested positive – or they might not have come within 2 metres of them for the requisite period. Contact Tracers are professionals, they are highly trained experts at what they do and they assess who should be traced.
However, if you have been to any of these premises, even if Test and Protect hasn’t been in touch with you, we are still asking you to be extra vigilant for symptoms – and to follow the FACTS at all times.
And if you are contacted by Test and Protect in Aberdeen, please comply with their advice. In fact, if you are contacted by Test and Protect anywhere in Scotland, I appeal to you to please comply fully with their advice, particularly, in relation to self-isolation. If they advise you are a close contact and that you must self isolate for 14 days it is absolutely essential that you do that and for the full 14 days.
The further growth of this cluster which I’ve reported today – and I expect to be standing here tomorrow reporting a growth beyond the numbers today – is a reminder of how easily this virus can spread. It also underlines why we needed to take decisive action, to keep it under control.
Today is – of course – the first full day that the restrictions in Aberdeen have been in place. So I want take this opportunity to set out – again – what the restrictions are. However, I should say that guidance – on all of this – is available on the Scottish Government’s website.
Firstly, we are advising people in Aberdeen not to travel more than 5 miles for leisure or recreational purposes. That does not apply, however, if you’re travelling for work, education or medical treatment.
One of the questions we’ve been asked about is holidays. And our advice to people in Aberdeen is that you should not be going on holiday right now – either to other parts of Scotland, or other parts of the UK. And as those of you who watch these briefings regularly will know, we advise against overseas holidays in general at the moment for people right across Scotland.
We’re also advising people outside of Aberdeen, not to travel to the city for leisure purposes – or to visit friends and family.
Some people in Aberdeenshire have asked if they can travel into the city for work. The answer is yes, you can – but please follow all guidance. But you should not be travelling into Aberdeen from Aberdeenshire for leisure or recreational purposes or to visit family.
If you are currently visiting Aberdeen, you can stay – but again, please follow all of the guidance while you are there. And take extra care when you return home.
Secondly, we are advising that people in Aberdeen should not go into each other’s houses. Extended household groups are not included in that – but the restriction applies to everyone else.
There are also new restrictions on indoor visits to hospitals in Aberdeen – with only essential visits permitted. And care home visiting remains restricted to outdoor visits only, in line with the current guidance.
Finally, we have put in place regulations, which require all indoor and outdoor hospitality in the city to close. So all bars, restaurants, cafes, and pubs must now be closed. They were required to close by 5pm yesterday.
Takeaway services in Aberdeen can continue. And hotel restaurants can continue to provide food for residents. But hotel bars must also close.
Now, everything I’ve seen – so far – suggests that businesses are complying the regulations. And I want thank all of them, for their help and cooperation.
In fact, I want to thank everyone in Aberdeen for being so understand of why this action is necessary and for sticking to the new guidance. I know how tough that will be, it’s a blow to the city and all of us regret that we’ve had to take this decision.
But, I believe people do know why it is necessary.
There are just too many uncertainties about this outbreak, right now. So we were not able to be confident that we could keep it under control without these additional measures.
Allowing this virus to run free is not an option – at any time, in my view, given how dangerous it is – but particularly as we prepare for the reopening of schools from next week.
We have therefore taken a precautionary approach. For the moment, it means that one part of the country has had to go into reverse. But ultimately, we hope it will allow all of Scotland to continue the progress that we’ve achieved over these past months.
But of course, it’s not just people in Aberdeen who have a part to play here. All of us must be on our guard – now more than ever.
The further we get from lockdown, the more opportunities there are for the virus to spread. As i said before – when we locked ourselves down we locked it down too, so when we let ourselves out, we let it out as well. So as we come out of lockdown we all need to be extra careful – in everything that we do.
We – all of us – are the first line of defence against this virus. But we are only as strong as our weakest link.
Every time one us forgets to follow the advice, we risk letting the virus slip through our defence.
And as soon as that happens, we are fire fighting as we see in Aberdeen right now. Test and Protect is doing a fantastic job in Aberdeen but we all have a responsibility to ensure those fires don’t start in the first place.
So we must all recognise our individual responsibility to the overall wellbeing of the country.
Any time we fail to abide by the health guidance, we give Covid-19 an opportunity to come back. And as we see from Aberdeen – this virus will take any opportunity it can get. One of the things we know about Covid-19 is that it is infectious.
That’s why it’s so vital to follow the 5 rules golden rules of the FACTS campaign.
F – you must wear them in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
A – Avoid crowded places.
C – Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
T – Two metre distancing remains the rule.
and S – Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
By complying with these rules we can continue to play our part in suppressing this virus. We are also giving Test and Protect the best chance to deal with the outbreaks when they do occur, as they inevitably will on some occasions and of course we are protecting our front line health and social care staff as well.
My very strong encouragement and my plea to everyone is to please follow all of these rules.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wedneday 29 July):
Good afternoon everyone thank you for joining us. As usual I will start with the most recent statistics on Covid.
I can report that an additional 22 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.7% of those who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland now to 18,580.
The health board breakdown of these new cases will be available later but my provisional information is that 14 of the 22 are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde area.
I have also been advised that a possible cluster of cases is currently under investigation by Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
An Incident Management Team meeting will take place later this afternoon, which I hope will give more detail, and an update will be provided after that. But I want to give an assurance today as I always do that all new positive cases are thoroughly investigated for any links and Test and Protect of course gets to work to make sure that all contacts are appropriately traced.
I can also report today that a total of 260 patients are currently in hospital who have been confirmed as having the virus. That is 4 fewer than yesterday.
And a total of 2 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid and that is no change on the figure yesterday.
Finally, I am very pleased to say that yet again during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test in the previous 28 days as having COVID-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,491.
In addition though, National Records of Scotland has just published its regular weekly report. Unlike the daily figures, it includes deaths of people who have been confirmed as having Covid by a test within the previous 28 days.
But the NRS report also covers cases where the virus has been entered on a death certificate as a suspected or contributory cause of death – even if its presence was not confirmed by a test, or if the test had been more than 28 days previously.
That is a wider measure, and therefore captures more cases and between our daily figure and the NRS report, let me be very clear that all deaths that are associated with Covid either on a confirmed basis or suspected or contributory are captured and reported.
The latest NRS report covers the period to Sunday 26 July. Let me remind you at that point, according to our daily figures, 2,491 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus had been registered but none of those deaths were registered in the 7 days up to Sunday.
Today’s NRS report shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths with either a confirmed or a presumed link to the virus was 4,201. Of those, 8 were registered in the seven days up to Sunday. That is an increase of 2 from the week before.
National Records of Scotland has also reported that the total number of deaths recorded last week – from all causes not just the virus – was 24 lower than the five year average for the same time of year.
Now I want to say just a bit more about the fact that the number of Covid deaths rose very slightly last week – especially given that we reported no deaths at all over that period in our daily figures. 4 of the 8 deaths reported by NRS were in hospital; 2 were in care homes; and 2 were in other settings – for example at home.
Now the reason why the 4 deaths in hospitals weren’t captured by our daily figures, is that those daily figures –as I’ve mentioned already today– record people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.
However some people who test positive receive care for more than 28 days afterwards, but sadly some of them do not manage to recover.
So if these people die after the initial 28 days, but have Covid recorded on the death certificate as a contributing factor, then they would be included in the NRS report, but not in the daily figures but again that is to give you assurance that all deaths associated with Covid are being captured and reported between our daily figures and the National Records of Scotland report .
I want to make just two more general points about today’s figures, .
First obviously, any increase in deaths, however small it might be, is regrettable and very unwelcome . But when we have very low levels as we do now thankfully – fluctuation is to be expected.
However, the second point is this one. These figures are a reminder of the continuing impact of the pandemic – and of the fact that, despite the progress we have undoubtedly made, we should never underestimate how cruel a virus this can be.
We’ve always got to remember that every single life lost to this illness, is of an individual who is being mourned by friends and loved ones. I want to send again today my condolences to everyone who is grieving as a result of Covid.
I also want, as always, to thank our health and care workers for the extraordinary work you continue to do, in what remains very testing circumstances. You have mine and the entire Scottish Government’s gratitude for that.
Now, I have two other issues that I want to briefly update on today and both of them relate to further improvements to our presentation of Covid data.
We have had some discussions with the other nations of the UK about providing regular and consistent reports on the distribution of personal and protective equipment, PPE. Our first report will be published on the Scottish Government website today.
That shows that in the past week alone, more than 16 million items of PPE have been distributed across Scotland by National Services Scotland. These include almost 12 million gloves, 3 million masks, and nearly 1 million aprons. In total, since the 1 March, more than 362 million items have been distributed.
These figures give some idea of the scale of the ongoing work to ensure that health and care workers have the equipment they need to keep them safe and I am grateful to everyone involved in that effort.
In addition, from 2pm today, Public Health Scotland will be presenting a much wider range of Covid information on its website. And doing so, in what I hope you will find to be, a more accessible format.
It will publish our new Covid dashboard which will include summary data of recent cases and deaths, broken down both by health board and by local authority area.
And it includes much more detailed information according to the date of someone’s test result, and also the date on which people have sadly died. So you can, for example, find out exactly how many women or men within a certain age range, tested positive in Scotland on a specific day.
We know from the information requests that we receive, that there is a desire from many people to have easier access to more detailed data about the pandemic – both in terms of the current position, and of course the risk we will continue to face in the weeks ahead but also in terms of how the pandemic has developed over the past few months.
We hope that the new dashboard will help anybody who is interested, to see data about the pandemic in their area or across the whole of the country.
One of the features of the dashboard is that it will use local data to colour-code local authority areas, based on the proportion of neighbourhoods which exceed 55 confirmed cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period.
An average-sized neighbourhood on the map – which would have about 4,000 people – would need to have three cases in the previous week to exceed that limit.
That figure is considerably higher than the current prevalence of Covid within the population, and so – in contrast to the peak of the pandemic – many local authority areas are currently likely to be shown as having no neighbourhoods above that threshold.
That, however, should not be taken as a sign that there is no cause for concern or a signal for any of us to be complacent and I want to stress that very clearly.
The new figures will show, as the figures I report every day right now thankfully show, that Covid is at low levels in Scotland and we have all worked very hard to get to this position. But we also know from the case numbers I have reported today for example that the virus is still circulating in Scotland. And the clusters we have seen, and undoubtedly continue to see, demonstrate how quickly the virus can spread again, if we give it the opportunity to do so.
In addition to that as I was talking about yesterday, news reports from other countries – in Europe and around the world – remind us of how easily progress against Covid can start to go into reverse.
For that reason, when I announce the outcome of the Scottish Government’s formal review of the Covid restrictions in Parliament tomorrow, I’m likely, very likely, to adopt a very cautious approach.
We have made some very significant changes over the last three weeks – including the resumption of indoor hospitality and tourism, and it is still too early to be completely assured about the impact of these or hopefully the absents of the impact of these.
And we also intend to make some very major changes over the next three weeks – for example I hope I can confirm tomorrow the pausing of shielding at the end of the month, and as you know it is our central objective for the next three weeks to get schools back full time from 11 August.
Ensuring that those changes can take place, without raising the prevalence of the virus too far, is not going to leave us very much room for many other immediate changes.
I know sometimes what appear to be anomalies right now, about what is allowed and not allowed can seem confusing – although I would assure you that there are rational explanations for what might appear on the surface to be inconsistencies.
But more fundamentally, and this is a key point that I want to leave you with, we can’t just look at whether an individual change is safe, although that is an important part of our consideration – we also have to consider the cumulative impact of all of the changes we make, and we have to be sensible about the order in which we make changes so we don’t create a situation in which we are doing too much too quickly and therefore giving the virus a chance to overwhelm us again.
So there will be, I’m sure parts of our economy and people, who will be disappointed tomorrow if changes they want to hear are not happening as quickly as they would like and I recognise that and I am genuinely, as I always have been, sorry about that. I don’t relish any of the implications and consequences of what we are dealing with right now.
Where we are unable to move to a further opening up tomorrow, we will indicate as far as we can. indicative dates for the future even though they will be conditional on continued suppression of the virus.
As ever, the decisive factor in ensuring how quickly we can make further changes in the weeks ahead, will be how successful we continue to be at driving this virus to low levels and keeping it at the low levels we see right now.
And as ever, that depends on all of us. Each and every one of us have to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid creating opportunities for the virus to spread.
What I’m about to say, firstly you’ve heard me say it before and secondly it is not intended as a criticism.
We are all human beings and even the politicians among us, and human behaviour is very instinctive and I know, and I totally know from my own observations and I know how hard it is in my own life, that some of the things that we have been getting used to doing for the past four months, physically distancing in particular, we are all perhaps beginning to just drop our guard a little bit on these things.
And this is a moment and I say this directly and I will just say it from the bottom of my heart, it is a moment for all of us just to pause and think about whether that is the case and if we are dropping our guard and letting those standards slip, give ourselves a bit of a shake and make sure we do all the things that we have been advised to do rigorously in the period ahead and that is of course encapsulated in the FACTS advice that I always end with and that I will end with today.
• Please wear face coverings, it’s mandatory as you know in shops and on public transport and I think you will see high levels of compliance with that but in any enclosed space where you might find it more difficult to physical distance, wear a face covering. It gives an added bit of protection against transmission. • Continue to avoid crowded places. Even if they are outdoors, crowded places wherever they are, increase the risks of this virus spreading, so avoid crowded places. • Remember to clean your hands and clean any hard surfaces that you’re touching. This one will be cleaned after this briefing today because the virus stays around on hard surfaces and we know it can spread through lack of hand hygiene. So clean hands, clean hard surfaces. . • Keep a two metre distance. And this is the one more than any of the others that we all need to check ourselves on. Keep a 2 metre distance unless you’re in a premises where there is permission to go to 1 metre with appropriate mitigations the general rule remains 2 metres . • and lastly Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
Test and Protect right now is performing I think well and those who are working through Test and Protect are doing a sterling job when outbreaks and clusters appear.
But they need the cooperation of each and every one of us, so please make sure if you are experiencing a cough, a fever, or if you are aware of a change in a loss in your sense of taste or smell, then you self-isolate immediately and you take a test immediately because that helps Test and Protect do its job.
If we all follow all of these things, we don’t take away the risks of this virus unfortunately it’s not that simple but we do significantly reduce those risks and we collectively try to protect the progress that we’ve made and hopefully keep that progress and keep this virus under control, so thanks all of you for listening.
COVID-19 Cluster Identified within Greater Glasgow and Clyde
A cluster of eight positive COVID-19 cases have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and a thorough investigation is underway.
Contact tracing of individuals has identified a number of businesses across Greater Glasgow and Clyde including a pharmacy in Inverclyde as being linked to the cases.
An NHSGGC-led Incident Management Team is working with Scottish Government, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and local environmental health teams to provide advice and support.
None of the cases are experiencing anything but mild symptoms.
Close contacts are being advised to self-isolate and other identified contacts are being followed up and given appropriate advice.
To respect and maintain patient confidentiality no further details will be released at this time.
Marking one year as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson will today visit Scotland to reaffirm his commitment to supporting all parts of the UK through the pandemic …
Marking one year as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson will today visit Scotland to reaffirm his commitment to supporting all parts of the UK through the pandemic
During the visit, the PM will meet local businesses to discuss how they are getting back on their feet; entrepreneurs to see how green technology is driving innovation across Scotland and military to thank them for their efforts in the coronavirus response
Ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister pledged £50 million to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the union, marking one year as Prime Minister with a visit to Scotland and pledging further support for Scottish communities.
Ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister reiterated how the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated, more than ever, that each part of the UK benefits from being together and the strength of the union has helped us through this crisis.
In Scotland, the UK Treasury has protected over 900,000 jobs and granted thousands of businesses loans; the UK’s armed forces has airlifted critically ill patients from some of the most remote communities, helped convert the temporary hospitals and ran mobile testing sites; and the Department of Health and Social Care has procured millions of pieces of PPE to keep Scottish frontline workers safe.
This is on top of £4.6 billion ‘we have given straight to the Scottish administration to help tackle coronavirus’.
The Prime Minister has also announced further support to Scottish communities, committing £50 million to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, to help develop the islands’ economic potential. The announcement means that every part of Scotland is now covered by the innovative growth deals and takes the UK Government’s investment in these to more than £1.5 billion.
The multi-million-pound pot for the islands will lead to investment in local projects, driving sustainable economic growth and creating jobs. Projects set to be supported by the Islands Growth deal could include those developing space technology and others researching new renewable energy systems.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “When I stood on the steps of Downing Street one year ago, I pledged to be a Prime Minister for every corner of the United Kingdom. Whether you are from East Kilbride or Dumfries, Motherwell or Paisley, I promised to level up across Britain and close the opportunity gap.
“The last six months have shown exactly why the historic and heartfelt bond that ties the four nations of our country together is so important and the sheer might of our union has been proven once again.
“In Scotland, the UK’s magnificent armed forces have been on the ground doing vital work to support the NHS, from setting up and running mobile testing sites to airlifting critically ill patients to hospitals from some of Scotland’s most remote communities. And the UK Treasury stepped in to save the jobs of a third of Scotland’s entire workforce and kept the wolves at bay for tens of thousands of Scottish businesses.
“More than ever, this shows what we can achieve when we stand together, as one United Kingdom.”
During the PM’s visit, he will meet with members of the military and their families based in Scotland to thank them for their ongoing work in the coronavirus response.
Following the Islands Deal announcement, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The City Region and Growth Deals will be crucial to our economic recovery from coronavirus.
“Today’s announcement means that every corner of Scotland will benefit from these and takes the UK Government’s investment in growth deals across Scotland to more than £1.5 billion.
“These deals are just part of the unprecedented support that the UK Government is providing to people and businesses in Scotland during this time. We have supported 900,000 jobs in Scotland with our furlough and self-employed schemes, including 11,600 across the islands.
“We look forward to working with our partners across the islands and the devolved administration in Scotland to develop innovative and effective proposals.”
The Prime Minister will not be meeting Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during today’s flying visit.
Ms Sturgeon commented on Twitter: ‘I welcome the PM to Scotland today. One of the key arguments for independence is the ability of Scotland to take our own decisions, rather than having our future decided by politicians we didn’t vote for, taking us down a path we haven’t chosen. His presence highlights that.’
The Scottish Government is also investing £50 million in the Islands Deal.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, said: “The Islands Growth Deal is the final regional growth deal to be announced and marks our commitment to invest across all of Scotland, which is something we have pushed for.
“This money will work to improve the quality of life for island communities, alongside the Scottish Government National Islands Plan we introduced to the Scottish Parliament at the end of 2019.
“This significant investment will support islanders’ ambitions to create world-class visitor destinations, lead the way to a low carbon future, support growth and future industries and help the communities thrive by attracting and retaining young talent, driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and delivering long lasting benefits for people living across the three island authority areas.
“It is important that all deals take account of the unprecedented economic challenges created by coronavirus (COVID-19) and we are working with partners, to understand how best to move forward and respond to current circumstances.
“More than £1.8 billion has been committed by the Scottish Government to City Region and Growth Deals and related investments across Scotland, in addition to ongoing capital investment in Scotland’s islands across a range of policy areas.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Thursday 16 July):
Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us again today. I’m joined today by the Deputy First Minister and by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nicola Steedman.
I’ll start with the usual update on the Covid-19 statistics.
An additional 11 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – which takes the total now in Scotland to 18,384.
A total of 630 patients are currently in hospital with the virus – either confirmed or suspected. That is 19 more than yesterday but it includes a reduction of 9 in the number of confirmed cases.
A total of 6 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That is the same number overall as yesterday but an increase of 1 in the number of confirmed cases.
Since 5 March, a total of 4,138 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 have been able to leave hospital.
During the last 24 hours, 1 death was registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, is now 2,491.
Now even one death is of course one too many, but for us to have had just one registered death of a confirmed case in eight days is a sign of the progress we have made.
That said, the total number of deaths is a painful reminder of the heavy toll that this virus has taken, so once again my thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one.
We will also today publish updated information about the prevalence of the virus in Scotland.
Our modelling suggests that the R number – the average number of people infected by one other infectious person – remains below 1. And the number of people in Scotland with the virus continues to fall. Our central estimate for last week is that 700 people in Scotland were infectious.
Again, these figures are a sign of the considerable progress that has been made. And so as I always do I want to thank everybody who has contributed to that, including every single member of the public across the country, but in particular our health and care workers for the remarkable job that you do in very difficult circumstances.
There are three issues that I want to cover today.
The first is childcare- an issue which is hugely important for families across the country, and which is also hugely important for the economy – today’s job figures published this morning highlight again the economic impact of the pandemic, and the importance of government and everybody working hard to counter that in the weeks and months ahead.
As you know, childcare services were able to reopen fully yesterday, and so John Swinney will talk a bit more about the childcare which is available now, and which will be available in the months ahead.
Before that, however, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who works in childcare for all of your efforts to enable children to return safely. It is hugely appreciated by all of us.
I also want to thank parents and carers. I can only imagine how much disruption the closure of childcare settings has caused for you over these past few months. But I want to thank you for understanding why it has been necessary, and for managing throughout this period – sometimes, I know, in very difficult circumstances indeed.
And finally – in the unlikely event that any of you are watching to this briefing! – I want to say again thank you to all of the children across the country who have been affected by the closure of childcare facilities and of schools.
I hope that in the last few days you’ve been able to play with your friends a bit more; and I hope that you are looking forward to going back to nursery or, in a few weeks’ time, going back to school.
But I know how difficult it has been for you to stay indoors for much of the time over the past few months, and I know that not being able to see your friends hasn’t been much fun at all, but you have all been brilliant, and I want you to know that everyone is really proud of you.
The second issue I want to cover is shielding.
The statistics now show that the prevalence of the virus in Scotland is low, and is, at this stage, getting lower. That means that we can update our advice to people who are shielding, in line with the routemap that we set out for you last week.
From tomorrow (Friday), therefore, we advise that you can if you wish stay in any holiday accommodation, including hotels and bed and breakfasts. You can also visit outdoor markets and public gardens.
And in a change that I hope will be particularly welcome, non-cohabiting couples can meet without physical distancing, even if one or both of you is shielding, and even if neither of you lives on your own.
We hope to be able to pause the need for shielding altogether at the end of this month – although even if we do that we will still encourage those in the shielding group to take extra care in things such as physical distancing and hygiene.
I know that the prospect of returning to something more like your normal lives will be welcome for many of you, if not all of you, but I appreciate that it is also likely to be quite daunting.
The Scottish Government will provide more information for you nearer the time, and we will do everything we can to support you in this transition.
In addition the Economy Secretary has asked the UK Government to ensure ongoing financial support for anyone who has been shielding, and who may not be able to go back to work, or to work from home.
In addition, I think that those of us who aren’t shielding should also think about how we can help all of you during this transition.
Wearing masks in shops and on public transport, making sure we all keep 2 metres away from others wherever possible, that’s the best way we can all help to give shielding people the confidence to go out and about safely.
And if you’re an employer, please be sensitive to the concerns of any employees who may be shielding.
If it turns out that we are able to confirm next week that shielding will be paused from 31 July, please reach out to people who might be going back to work; have honest conversations about how you can support them; and try to think creatively about how you can make your workplace safer for them.
As I’ve said before, the relaxation of shielding measures is good news, but it will be prompting some understandable stress and anxiety. All of us can take sometimes small steps, that might make a big difference for people who are shielding.
The final issue I want to cover relates to mental health. Most of the focus on Covid so far – for very obvious reasons – has been on its physical impact.
However, we are also increasingly thinking about the mental health of people who have had Covid.
There are now, for example, more than 500 people who have been discharged from intensive care or high dependency units in Scotland.
Being in intensive care is obviously a traumatic experience – and many Covid patients have had to go through that, without any prospect of being visited by friends and family at any time while they have been in hospital.
So although we know that most people will make a full recovery, with the help of their loved ones – some people we know will need additional support.
Scotland already has a very effective programme, which is used by several health boards, for helping patients who have been in intensive care.
The Inspire programme uses specialists from different disciplines; it puts former intensive care patients in touch with other people who have had the same experiences; and it encourages them to join community organisations or other groups which can help them through.
And so we plan to learn from that in supporting Covid patients.
I am delighted to confirm today that Dr Nadine Cossette – a psychiatrist with NHS Lothian – has agreed to lead on this work. It is an important way of ensuring that people who have had Covid get the long-term help that they need to recover.
Before I hand over to John Swinney and then to Dr Steedman, I want to stress again today that as the figures demonstrate, we have now got to a position – it’s been hard earned, and it has not been easy – but we’ve now got to a position where, at this stage, there are very low levels of the virus in Scotland.
However, as you hear me say every single day, the only way to ensure that things remain that way, is to continue to stick to the rules.
Every single one of us have a duty – and I think it is a duty that all of us have as citizens – to remember that the decisions we take as individuals right now have an impact on the collective wellbeing of us all. That is more important now as we emerge from lockdown than it has been at any point over the last four months.
So I want once again to remind you all of Facts – the five key, vitally important things all of us should remember in absolutely everything we do.
Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces. They are mandatory in shops and on public transport, but our advice is in any enclosed space where physical distancing might be more difficult, wear a face covering.
Avoid crowded places. Not just crowded places indoors – that is especially important – but even outdoors, avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly and if you’re touching hard surfaces clean them too.
Two metre distancing remains the general rule and the strong advice we give to everyone.
and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms. Remember, if you have a new cough, if you have a fever, if you suffer a loss of or a change in your sense of taste or smell, don’t wait to see if you feel better. Act immediately. Self-isolate and go to the NHS inform website, and book a test. It is by doing that, that you give our test and protect system the opportunity to break the chains of transmission.
So if all of us remember these 5 basic measures, all of us can help to stay safe, protect others, and save lives.
https://youtu.be/Q4t7EjeBHdg
So my thanks, again, to everyone who is doing the right thing, and sticking with these rules. If we all keep doing it then we will continue to make the progress that we’ve seen in recent weeks.
Before I leave today there is one other issue that I want to update you on, which relates to a temporary change to the regularity of these daily briefings.
For the next two weeks we are going to be moving to three briefings a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays. That means there will be no tomorrow or on Monday – I will next see you here on Tuesday.
The reason for that is, when you watch these briefings you see those of us who stand at the podiums, but these briefings involve a lot of work on the part of people behind the camera. This allows us to give people a bit of a break over the next two weekends in the summer period.
We will return to five-day-a-week briefings at the start of August as we go into that period running up to the return of schools, when I am sure there will be a lot of questions, not just from the journalists but parents and young people will want to hear regular updates about our progress.
So we do intend to return to the five-day-a-week briefing, but we intend to give people a little bit of a break over the next two weekends, before we go into next, I’m sure, very busy period.
One other change is that of Tuesday next week when I return for the next briefing, we will be at the slightly earlier time of 12.15 every day and that is likely to be a permanent change. So try to remember, if you are planning on tuning in, to tune in 15 minutes early to get the update that we will give you.
Obviously for Mondays and Fridays over the next two weeks we will put out the daily update through the Scottish Government website.
My thanks to all of you for joining us today and as always for complying with the guidance that we ask you to comply with, and that’s the note that I will leave you on.
We are making so much good progress here and we must make sure it continues, so please remember Facts: Face coverings, avoid crowded places, clean your hands, clean hard surfaces, two metres distance, and self-isolate and get a test if you have symptoms.
I can’t stress this enough: if we all stick to these five basic measures, it is possible for us to keep this virus under control, and get that greater normality back into our lives, with perhaps the greatest prize of all – to have children and young people back in full-time education come the middle of August.
So thank you again very much, and I will see you again on Tuesday at 12.15pm.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House on Sunday 14 June:
Good afternoon everyone, thank you for joining us this afternoon. I’ll start as alwayswith an update on some key statistics in relation to Covid-19.
As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,755 cases confirmed through our NHS laboratories – that’s an increase of 25 from yesterday.
A total of 964 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total reduction of 19 from yesterday, including a reduction of 7 in the number of confirmed cases.
A total of 15 people last night were in intensive care with either confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is a decrease of 5 since yesterday.
I can confirm that since 5 March, a total of 3,904 patients who had tested positive for the virus and required to be in hospital have now been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.
And in the last 24 hours, I can confirm that 1 death has been registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19 –which takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,448.
I want to stress as I always do that these numbers are not just statistics – they represent people whose loss is being mourned right now. That point is just as important when we are reporting one death, as it is when we report multiple deaths. So – once again – let me send my deepest condolences and my thoughts to everyone who has lost a loved one as a result of this illness.
Let me also express my thanks – as always – to our health and care workers for the extraordinary work that you continue to do in very testing circumstances.
And indeed, let me broaden that today to all of our key workers – health and care, obviously, but our police officers, our prison officers, those who are keeping our energy systems working, keeping food on our tables, everybody who has played a part in ensuring our country has kept operating during this very difficult time.
I’ll move on to questions fairly soon, but I want this afternoon to give an indication of what you can expect in the week ahead.
I hope to be able to confirm on Thursday, that people who are shielding will be able to go outdoors for exercise.
In addition, as you know, we are required by law to review the lockdown restrictions every three weeks. The next review date is Thursday. At that point, I will set out to parliament our assessment of whether the current suppression of the virus allows us to move to phase 2 of our route map.
As things stand right now, I remain optimistic that, on Thursday, while we might not be able to do absolutely everything we hoped to do in phase 2, we will nevertheless be able to enter that next phase and announce some further important steps on our journey back to normality.
The reason for my cautious optimism is that since we last announced changes, we have continued to see a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, and also in the weekly number of deaths. In addition, the R number – which as you know is the rate at which the virus reproduces – has fallen slightly, and is now between 0.6 and 0.8, and it’s crucial that it remains under 1.
So I hope, for example, that as well as allowing a bit more social interaction, from Thursday we will also be able to move forward with the remobilisation of the NHS and also indicate a date from which our retail sector can begin to re-open.
All of that and any other changes that we’re able to announce on Thursday will be in line with the careful approach that we set out in our route map.
And that is really important. The evidence suggests that the careful approach we have adopted so far is working.
The lesson I take from that is that we should stick with that plan – not discard it.
Because – and this is the much harder bit – while transmission of the virus is much reduced, the virus hasn’t gone away yet.
We still have a significant number of infected people in Scotland. And we are still seeing new cases each day. The risk remains that, if we move too quickly, and if we start coming into closer contact with too many people, cases of the virus could start to multiply again very quickly and we need to avoid that happening.
On the other hand, if we hammer down the incidence and prevalence of the virus down to the lowest levels we can, our exit from lockdown may then involve a return to more normality in the medium term than we previously thought possible.
And that’s of course what we must hope for right across the board – but it will be particularly important as we try over the next few months to restore as much normality as we can to children’s schooling. Which of course is a big priority, not just for the Government and for local authorities, but for parents and young people the length and breadth of the country.
So while there are no risk free options – and we shouldn’t slow down progress in pursuit of perfect risk free options that don’t exist – equally we must not ease restrictions at a pace that very obviously heightens the risks.
And we should also realise that the prize for going perhaps a bit more cautiously now, could be a return to greater normality in the medium term.
We have seen in England and some other countries, that the R number may have increased, particularly in certain regions – and we might see that here too. That’s won’t necessarily be a cause for panic – but it should be a reminder to us to constantly check and assess the impact of our actions.
All of that means the judgements we make about phase 2 will by necessity be finely balanced.
Phase 2 contains a number of significant measures – including potential changes to the rules on how we can meet each other, what workplaces can reopen, and which public services can resume.
We are currently assessing the impact of those different measures. That means considering the particular risks that each element will bring, and thinking also about what mitigating actions might be needed to reduce those risks. And it means – as we have done right throughout this crisis – weighing up both the harms that come from Covid, and also the harms that come from lockdown itself.
As I said earlier, we might not be able to do absolutely everything – but we want to do as much as possible, and we will do as much as we possibly can.
It is also likely that not everything that we are able to do in phase 2 will kick in straight away on Friday.
Regulatory changes will have to be made.
Our public transport operators will need time to implement their plans to increase capacity safely.
And workplaces that we hope will be permitted to open, will need to ensure they have the appropriate physical distancing measures in place; that guidance is being followed; and that employees feel confident that they can return to work safely.
We are producing additional guidance this week – in advance of any possible changes – for Early Learning and Childcare, for the retail sector, and on the use of public spaces.
Steps such as these are essential, to ensure we continue to suppress the virus as much as possible.
Once we determine what changes can be made, we will phase them in, in the most constructive way we can. We want people to be confident that they will be safe, as more social and economic activities gradually resume.
It’s also vital that we all understand the crucial point that I stressed earlier. Just because the number of cases is currently declining, and we are thinking of easing the restrictions – that does not mean the threat of coronavirus has gone. It hasn’t. The progress we have made still remains fragile, and the virus call too easily could run out of control once again.
There are some worrying signs of that right now in some states in America, for example.
So we must work hard to get the balance as right as we can. And as we do that, some of the most basic public health advice becomes even more important.
As we move through the routemap what we are doing, as a society, is relying less on strict lockdown restrictions to suppress the virus – and relying more instead on all of us following the public health guidance, maintaining physical distancing and of course participating in Test and Protect.
Our ability to move to further phases, and to sustainably re-open our society and economy – so that we do not need to lockdown again in the future – depends on all of us strictly following those principles.
In the weeks and months ahead – perhaps even more than at the present time – we all have to remember that the decisions we are making as individuals, will affect the health and wellbeing of all of us.
And so it remains critical that we stick with the current public health guidance. So let me end just by recapping on what that is.
We should all be staying home most of the time, and seeing fewer people than we normally would. When we do meet people from another household we should stay outdoors. We must stay outdoors and stay 2 metres apart from them. We shouldn’t meet more than one other household at a time, and not more than one a day – and keep to a maximum of 8 people in a group.
We should all be washing our hands often and thoroughly. If we’re not at home, make sure we have hand sanitiser with us.
And please wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport, or in any enclosed space where physical distancing is more difficult.
Avoid touching hard surfaces – and clean any you do touch.
And if you have the symptoms, get a test immediately and follow advice on self-isolation. You can book a test by going to the NHS Inform website.
If we all continue to do these things and make sure we don’t ease up on the basic public health guidance then we will continue to see this virus suppressed and we will continue to see easing of lockdown restrictions become much more possible in the future.
My thanks again to all of you for doing that. I’m going to hand over now to the Chief Nursing Officer and then to our National Clinical Director to say a few words before taking questions.
