Independent Advisers will be able to launch investigations into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code under new powers being given to them by the First Minister.
Currently, investigations can only begin following a referral from the First Minister. Now, the Scottish Ministerial Code will be strengthened to enable independent advisers to investigate potential breaches whenever they feel it is warranted.
In a further reform, where a breach is established, advisers will be able to provide advice to the First Minister on appropriate sanctions.
The independent advisers will also be given a role in scrutinizing Ministers’ declarations of interests so they can offer advice on avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
First Minister John Swinney said: “The people of Scotland rightly expect Ministers, including myself, to be held to the highest standards.
“The 2023 Ministerial Code already set an extremely high bar in terms of standards in public life and these updates to the Scottish Ministerial Code, which are, collectively, the most significant since independent advisers were introduced in 2008, will further increase transparency and scrutiny.
“These changes, and others which will be confirmed when the new Code is published, will ensure we keep the public trust and continue to deliver for the people of Scotland.”
Eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving public services and protecting the planet will be the top priorities of the Scottish Government, First Minister John Swinney has pledged.
Outlining his first Programme for Government (PfG) as First Minister, Mr Swinney set out how the Scottish Government will deliver commitments that are ‘affordable, impactful and deliverable’.
The First Minister highlighted that child poverty is his ‘first and foremost’ priority and that he will reform support for whole family services to make them ‘easy to access, well-connected and responsive to families’ needs.’
Key announcements include:
the expansion of Fairer Future Partnerships ensuring services work to help families by maximising their incomes – supporting parents back into work and improving their wellbeing
ensuring the NHS has the resources it needs, today and in the years to come, freeing up 210,000 outpatient appointments and delivering around 20,000 extra orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures annually in Scotland’s new National Treatment Centres
making Scotland more attractive for investment and promoting home-grown entrepreneurs and innovators
delivering faster planning decisions for renewable energy schemes, protecting the planet by speeding up the transition to net zero
The First Minister said: “This Programme for Government will ensure that the people of Scotland have every opportunity to live well, thrive, and see promise in their future.
“This year’s commitments are affordable, impactful and deliverable. Together, they reflect my optimism that out of every challenge, we gain an invaluable opportunity to adjust our course, to interrogate our priorities and to renew our partnerships.
“I have been clear about the financial limitations surrounding this Programme for Government due to UK Government spending decisions. In the face of these significant challenges, it is critical that we direct available funding towards our four priorities – eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving our public services and protecting the planet.”
In his statement, the First Minister added: “No child should have their opportunities, their development, their health and wellbeing, and their future curtailed by the material wealth of their family. Not ever, and certainly not, in a modern, prosperous society like Scotland.
“This is not only the moral compass of my Government, it is the greatest investment in our country’s future that we can possibly make.”
Reacting to the Programme for Government, Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “It’s good that the First Minister talked about his strong commitment to ending the injustice of child poverty in our wealthy nation.
“But before today’s Programme for Government more than 100 of our members came together calling for action like boosting the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week, affordable housing, and the delivery of stronger social security through a Minimum Income Guarantee. Many of these calls were not progressed within today’s Programme for Government.
“The First Minister was right to highlight the importance of welfare advice services that help people get the support they’re entitled to through social security. While a continued commitment to invest in the third sector is positive, the Scottish Government need to be clear as to how they will deliver long-standing promises for fair funding for the community and voluntary organisations that deliver that advice.
“He talked about affordable childcare and extra support to help people into work – but these commitments need to be matched with adequate investment. The Poverty and Inequality Commission have been clear that existing interventions are not at the scale necessary to deliver the change needed to meet our child poverty targets.
“He talked about closing the attainment gap in schools. But the latest figures show that children from poorer backgrounds are still being held back by poorer educational outcomes, so we need to hear what the Scottish Government is going to do differently.
“We welcome the fact that a Community Wealth Building Bill will be introduced into Parliament. But we need to make sure that it puts the voices of people in poverty at its heart, and starts to build new local economies that place wellbeing at their heart, and start to lessen Scotland’s unjust inequalities of wealth and power.
“We’re very disappointed that there will be no Human Rights Bill for Scotland. Poverty is a breach of people’s human rights, and we need to make sure they have the power to hold public bodies to account when their rights aren’t respected. The delay to this Bill will make it more difficult for the Scottish Government to deliver on their core mission of eradicating child poverty.
“We are a country that believes in justice and compassion. People in Scotland want our political leaders to unlock our country’s vast wealth, build better budgets that give people the means to build a better future, and to create a true wellbeing economy that supports fair work, and a just transition to the net zero future that we urgently need.”
Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing at Independent Agesaid: “In the context of tightening budgets it is vital we look for innovative ways to help the growing number of older people in poverty in Scotland.
“Now, more than ever, we need a comprehensive and coherent strategy to tackle the terrifying rate of poverty in later life. Without it, it is likely the 150,000 older people across the nation who are in financial hardship will continue to struggle to afford even a very basic quality of life.
“Poverty at any age is extremely damaging to both mental and physical wellbeing. Through our work across Scotland, we have spoken to older people affected who shared with us what the cost of living has been like. We heard from those using foodbanks, and others waiting until the cold became ‘unbearable’ before using the heating at night.
“This cannot continue. If the Scottish Government wants to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow old, it is essential they introduce a long-term strategy to address pensioner poverty. Older people on low income are facing a bleak winter, they urgently need to see action on the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackle poverty.”
Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland policy and public affairs officer, said: “It’s heartening to see the First Minister’s explicit focus on the early years in his Programme for Government.
“In a challenging context, we need strategic leadership and coordination to ensure that money is spent where the evidence tells us it will make the biggest difference to babies, children, families and communities.
“Eradicating child poverty and Keeping the Promise can only be delivered by making the very best support available to families in the earliest years, to prevent unnecessary suffering to children and enable them to thrive.
“Delivering the Government’s ambitious vision for children requires cultural, structural and legislative change. A critical first step must be urgent reform of the Children’s Hearing System to protect the distinct needs and rights of babies who come into the care system.
“Getting it right for our most vulnerable citizens must become Scotland’s number one investment priority.”
“We welcome the continued commitment to provide an additional £100m in funding for Culture and will work with the Scottish Government on the effective allocation of that funding, to the benefit of culture and creativity in Scotland.
“We also welcome today’s confirmation of £6.6m, originally committed to Creative Scotland by the Scottish Government at the start of this financial year, reinstating budget removed in the previous year.
“We continue to see unprecedented levels of demand for the Open Fund for Individuals and will process the high volume of applications we have received. With the budget now confirmed, we will work to re-open this fund.
“We are sure today’s confirmation of the release of this funding will be welcomed by the creative community of Scotland.”
The cross-party committee of MSPs learned about the contribution life science research can make towards growing Scotland’s economy.
The visit forms part of its parliamentary inquiry into ‘Managing Scotland’s public finances’, which aims to influence the Scottish Government’s Budget before it is announced in autumn.
The MSPs are examining how the Scottish Government uses its capital expenditure to achieve innovation, productivity, and growth – and whether its priorities are the most effective choices.
Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson said:“Our parliamentary inquiry is about examining the effectiveness of the Scottish Government’s overall approach towards managing Scotland’s public finances.
“With a really challenging fiscal and economic outlook, it’s vital that we look critically at boosting innovation, productivity and growth.
“Life sciences already contribute to the Scottish economy, but we want to learn more about its potential for growth and what that could mean in terms of high-value Scottish jobs, high return research and successful spin-out companies.”
“A key part of our inquiry is examining how the Scottish Government currently uses its capital expenditure to boost growth – but we want to ensure its priorities are the right ones ahead of the coming budget.
“Our visit to the University of Dundee’s school of life sciences, to meet leading figures in the field, will give us a good insight into what scope there is to expand research and boost innovation and growth.
“We’ll take the learning from our visit back to Holyrood to inform our inquiry and our recommendations to the Scottish Government ahead of the budget.”
Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Dundee, Professor Iain Gillespie, said:“We are delighted to welcome the Finance and Public Administration Committee to Dundee and help boost innovation and growth.
“As the UK’s top university for both biological sciences research and for nurturing spinout success we are a key driver of the economy, learning and skills, as well as a vital part of the scientific ecosystem that is addressing the great health challenges of our time.
“Investment in research and innovation is an investment in the nation’s health and wealth, and we are happy to share our expertise in creating high value companies and anchoring jobs in Scotland.”
The committee’s Dundee visit will provide insight into:
funding of research & development at the University
commercialisation: turning research into innovation
creating, support and scaling of high growth spin-out companies
Background provided by the University of Dundee:
Dundee has been the UK’s top ranked university for Biological Sciences in the last two Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercises. It was also named the UK’s best university for supporting spin out companies by venture capitalist firm Octopus Ventures last year.
While at the University, members of the Finance and Public Administration Committee toured Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), which bridges the gap between academic scientific research and industrially experienced drug discovery.
DDU’s successes include the invention of cabamaquine, a new compound currently in human trials that has been shown to treat malaria with a single dose, while potentially protect people from contracting the disease and prevent its spread.
The University is one of the world leaders in targeted protein degradation, a field of research which has received billions of pounds of investment in recent years and is making the treatment of diseases previously thought to be undruggable a reality.
Eight Members of the Scottish Parliament, a third of all eligible Conservative MSPs, have announced that they are backing Shadow Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat MP to be the next Leader of the Conservative Party.
The MSPs include Douglas Lumsden, Tim Eagle, Roz McCall, Stephen Kerr, Tess White, Maurice Golden, Finlay Carson and Sandesh Gulhane.
Endorsing Tom for Leader, they said that he is the only candidate who has spent the time needed to understand the challenges facing Scotland, including those surrounding energy security, fisheries, farming and rural communities.
Likewise, he is the only candidate who has taken the time to meet with Scottish Conservative Party members, regularly campaign in the country and attend Scottish Conservative Party Conference multiple times.
Proud champions of the union, the MSPs explained they wanted someone who would not only protect and fight for the union, but understood that if Scotland failed, everyone across the United Kingdom would feel the consequences. With Tugendhat as Leader, they argue they would always have a champion for the Union – and the priorities of Scotland – at the helm in Westminster.
As a soldier, Tugendhat spent over 10 years keeping the entire United Kingdom safe before entering Parliament. He was one of the first MPs to warn about the threat of Russia and China.
As Security Minister, he was responsible for the National Security Act, which resulted in Britain arresting and charging more Russian and Chinese spies in his time as Minister than in the previous decade.
The MSPs said they were supporting Tom as they know he will deliver for the Scottish people, ensuring energy security and economic rejuvenation, and support rural communities, including Scotland’s cherished farming and fishing industries.
Tom recognises that the Conservative Party has been undermined by infighting and factionalism in Westminster, which led to a failure to deliver and a breakdown in trust with the public.
He has made it clear that this leadership election is about choice. A choice between drawing a line under the infighting and a future focused on uniting the Party and rebuilding it around core Conservative values.
He argues that people across the United Kingdom deserve better and as Leader of the Conservative Party, he promised to rebuild our party, regain trust and beat Labour at the next election.
The MSPs outlined that they want a leader who will end the infighting in Westminster and return the Party to traditional conservative values, something Tugendhat has always fought for, including when he voted against Covid vaccine passports and did not support the National Insurance rise.
At the general election, the MSPs believe the Scottish people rejected the SNP in a sign they want to move on from the independence debate and want their government to focus on delivery.
As a man who delivers on his promises and can unite the party, the MSPs are backing Tom as they believe he will be an electoral asset for the Scottish Conservatives at the next 2026 Holyrood elections. They believe Scotland deserves better and that Tugendhat will take the Scottish Conservatives and Scotland into a new era.
In a joint statement, the MSPs said:
“We are backing Tom Tugendhat to be our next UK Party Leader. We believe – indeed we know – that he is the best person for the job.
“A Leader to create a united party for our United Kingdom. A man of principle, service and duty.
“Someone who says what he will do, then gets it done. Someone who gets Scotland, is a friend of Scotland, and is an asset to the Party in Scotland.
“We need a UK Leader who will be a help, not a hindrance, to the Scottish Conservatives in the battles ahead – Holyrood 2026 and the local elections the year after.
“We do not need a caretaker leader of the opposition, but someone capable and hungry to be the next Prime Minister for all of the UK.
“That Leader is Tom Tugendhat.“
ALSO supporting Mr Tugenhadt is newMP for Gordan and Buchan, Harriet Cross, who commented:“I am delighted to endorse Tom Tugendhat MP for Leader of our Great Party. As a newly elected MP for the Conservative and Unionist Party, it is my duty to support a Leader who will protect and fight for our Union. With Tom at the helm of the Conservative Party, the Union will always have a champion.
“This is because Tom gets Scotland. He has taken the time to attend multiple Scottish Conservative Conferences, and meet local associations and members. He is someone who cherishes the union and wants all its nations to succeed.
“As part of the new generation of Conservatives, I want a Leader who will take forward traditional conservative values for the Party to unite around, and promise we deliver for all nations. I know that Tom Tugendhat is a man of his word. When he promises something, he delivers. And in ensuring our Party rebuilds trust with the voters of Scotland on a Conservative platform, Tom Tugendhat is the best hope for our Party.”
Welcoming the support, Tom Tugendhat said: “It is an absolute privilege to have so many of my Scottish Conservative colleagues backing me to be the next Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party today.
“I am thrilled to have their support. Unionism is indivisible from Conservatism and as leader, I promise to always fight for the Union and deliver on the priorities of the Scottish people.”
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.”
Plans to reveal which new hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres will be built in Scotland have been delayed.
In a letter to Holyrood’s finance committee, Cabinet secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison explained: ‘To provide as much certainty as possible to parliament and wider stakeholders of our capital investment plans, I must wait until I have confirmed capital allocations from the new UK government”.
That confirmation is not expected until late Autumn – and, given the new Labour government’s warnings about a £20 bn. ‘black hole in the UK’s finances, it’s not expected to be good news.
Lothian Conservative MSP, Miles Briggssaid: “This further delay to finding out if SNP Ministers will reinstate the funding for a new Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is extremely disappointing.
“We urgently need a new eye hospital to improve the delivery of ophthalmology across the South East of Scotland.
“The decision by SNP Ministers not to reverse funding for a new hospital has been a disastrous decision and will ultimately lead to additional costs for the delivery of a new hospital.
“I will continue to lead calls for the funding for a new eye hospital. What we desperately need is to see some leadership from SNP Ministers.”
The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.
The Act aims to measure, tackle and report on child poverty in Scotland. It set out specific targets that seek to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030. The Act also established the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which has responsibility for scrutinising child poverty reduction targets.
The Committee has launched its call for views to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.
In addition to interested individuals or groups, the Committee would like to hear from local authorities, health boards, academics with expertise in this area and private and third sector organisations that are working to reduce child poverty.
The Committee also wants to hear from people who engaged in the scrutiny of the Bill in 2017, before it became an Act, so that it can assess whether the Government’s approach has lived up to expectations.
The issue of child poverty has featured prominently in the Committee’s work, including during an inquiry that focused on parental employment where the Committee encouraged the Scottish Government to “supercharge” its efforts.
Speaking at the launch of the call for views, Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice Committee, said:“The Child Poverty Act is a landmark piece of legislation, enshrining in law targets to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030.
“As we are now more than halfway towards the date when the 2030 targets are due to be met, our Committee would like to hear views on how the Act is working in practice.
“We’re really keen to understand whether putting the targets into law has been effective and what might have been different had the Scottish Government not taken this approach.”
