Tag: Politics

Eye Pavilion to close for six months for urgent plumbing repairs

MSP MILES BRIGGS REPEATS CALL FOR REPLACEMENT EYE HOSPITAL

Urgent repair work will have to be carried out at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion at the end of October.

Extensive work is required on the plumbing system, meaning that all patient appointments which were scheduled to take place from October 28 will now be moved to other NHS Lothian facilities.

It is anticipated that the PAEP building will be vacated for around six months while contractors replace two waste pipes and remove asbestos material from a sealed cavity where the pipework is located.

The decision to move to other locations temporarily while the work takes place is designed to protect patients, staff and visitors.

Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause our patients and it is not a decision we have taken lightly. 

“Whilst patients and staff are not at risk, the work is essential and the advice we have received from our contractors is that this can be done more speedily and safely if the building is temporarily vacated.

“Patient and staff safety are always our chief consideration. Our teams are working hard to minimise disruption and to ensure patients continue to be seen and treated throughout this period.”

Teams are currently developing plans to ensure that inpatient and outpatient appointments continue throughout this period and it is expected that all appointments will be held in NHS Lothian facilities.

Patients do not need to do anything differently.

The vast majority of patients due to be seen at the PAEP between now and Friday October 26are unaffected. A very small number of appointments scheduled to take place before then may need to be rescheduled. These patients do not need to do anything as they will be contacted individually by their clinical teams at least two weeks in advance.

Those who already have appointments booked for dates from Monday October 28 will be contacted by letter, text or both in good time to arrange their new appointments, starting with patients who have appointments in the week beginning October 28. 

Mr Crombie added: “We are really grateful to all of our patients for their patience and understanding.

“I would like to reassure them they do not need to do anything. All affected patients will be being contacted with details of the new location of their appointment.

“Our staff and teams throughout PAEP are working really hard to make the move as smooth as possible at short notice and I can’t thank them enough.”

Lothian MSP urges residents to make their voices heard over unacceptable lack of a replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called on Edinburgh and Lothian residents to send a clear message to SNP Ministers and the Scottish Government that the failure to deliver a replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is unacceptable.

On Tuesday NHS Lothian announced that the eye hospital would be closing for six months due to urgent plumbing repairs (see above).

Previous FOIs to NHS Lothian showed a list of 125 outstanding items of maintenance work, totalling £2.3 million, that needed carried out at the hospital.

Since April 2022 the list of outstanding maintenance work has remained the same, with MSP Miles Briggs, calling the building “unfit for purpose”.

A scheduled visit to the hospital with Lothian MSPs and the Cabinet Secretary for Health is scheduled for next month to see the extent of work required at the hospital and the urgent need for a replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion.

Figures from Sight Scotland show that over the last ten years there has been a 230% increase in ongoing waits for ophthalmology outpatients in NHS Lothian. The number of people waiting over sixteen weeks has increased by 5600% and those waiting over 12 weeks has increased by 2752%.

This closure to the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is only going to worsen ophthalmology waits in NHS Lothian.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “Residents in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s must let SNP Ministers know how angry they are with the lack of funding being delivered for a replacement Edinburgh Eye hospital

“Waits for Ophthalmology services in NHS Lothian have grown dramatically, especially over the last 3 to 5 years and people are having to wait excessive lengths of time for treatment.

“As with any medical treatment, the sooner that you are seen the better the expected outcome and this is especially the case for ophthalmology.

“People who want to make their voices heard can sign my petition online to restore funding for a new Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion.”

If you would like to support Mr Brigg’s petition to reinstate funding for a replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, you can find the petition here:

https://www.edinburghconservatives.org.uk/news/miles-briggs-msp-launches-petition-restore-funding-planned-new-princess-alexandra-eye-pavilion

Businesses face significant challenges in exporting goods to the EU, says Holyrood committee

Businesses in Scotland are experiencing “significant challenges” in exporting goods to the EU as a result of considerable non-tariff barriers which have arisen due to the post-Brexit UK-EU trading relationship, according to a new report by the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.

The Committee is calling for the new UK Government to negotiate improvements to the trading relationship to better facilitate UK-EU trade.

The findings are part of a report focused on how trade in goods between the UK and EU is working under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The Committee also looked at the opportunities to improve the trading relationship.

The report highlights that non-tariff barriers have placed “considerable administrative, resource and cost pressures on businesses”, and “harmed exports”. Key amongst these barriers include the requirements for customs formalities and regulatory checks for all exports from the UK to the EU.

The Committee considers the challenges facing Scottish businesses to have been a consequence of leaving the EU as well as the type of Brexit which the TCA has delivered.

In order to address these trade barriers, the Committee identifies that there will be a need to seek closer regulatory alignment with the EU.  It says that the reduction of trade barriers will therefore depend on the extent of alignment the new UK Government is prepared to commit to in negotiations with the EU.

A key recommendation of the report is that the UK Government seek a veterinary agreement with the EU to significantly reduce border checks and the administrative burden on exports of agri-foods. The Committee say this could significantly reduce barriers to trade for many Scottish businesses.

Further recommendations to reduce barriers to trade include a mutual recognition agreement with the EU on conformity assessments, and the linkage of the respective UK and EU emissions trading schemes. In each case, the Committee say that greater regulatory alignment with the EU will likely be necessary.

The Committee also believe that the UK and Scottish governments need to provide greater support to businesses in managing the complexity of the current trading environment. In particular, it highlights that support is needed for businesses to comply with changing EU regulations, and to navigate the customs and regulatory requirements of trading with the EU.

The Convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, Clare Adamson MSP, said: “It’s clear to us that the UK-EU trading relationship under the terms of the TCA has presented significant challenges for Scottish businesses exporting to the EU post-Brexit.

“These barriers to trading with the EU have resulted from the decision to leave the EU, but also from the post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU.

“While the EU may noy be willing to substantially renegotiate the agreement, there are nevertheless significant opportunities to improve the trading relationship, including through our important recommendations such as the need for a veterinary agreement with the EU.”

The Convener added: “We heard overwhelming evidence that the non-tariff barriers resulting from the TCA have placed considerable administrative, resource and cost pressures on Scottish businesses, with many withdrawing from the EU market as a result.

“These challenges have been particularly acute for exporters of agri-food products, which are required to meet the EU’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, as well as SMEs, who have been less able to absorb the additional costs and regulatory burdens.

“Therefore, it’s clear that there is a need for the UK Government to negotiate improvements to the trading relationship to better facilitate UK-EU trade, including through the formal review of the TCA in 2026.”

Westminster: Select committee Chair election results announced

The Speaker has declared the results of the elections for select committee chairs.

Chair election results

 Select committees appointed under Standing Order No. 152 (Select committees related to government departments):

Other specified select committees:

Where single nominations were received for the role of Chair, the Speaker declared their election, unopposed, in the Chamber on Monday. They are:

Running alongside the select committee elections, Bob Blackman MP was the sole nomination received for the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee and has been declared Chair.

The new chairs will take up their positions when the remaining members of the committee have been appointed by the House. 

Read the breakdown of results (pdf, 215KB

The House of Commons rose for conference recess on Thursday 12 September and will next sit on Monday 7 October at 2.30pm.

Record number of pupils in “good or satisfactory” schools

Investment drives major improvement

A record number of pupils in Scotland are being taught in schools in “good or satisfactory” condition, official figures show.

The 2024 School Estate Statistics show that a record 91.7% of school buildings, with a total of 647,773 pupils, are in a good or satisfactory condition.

This is an increase of 29 percentage points since April 2007. Since then, 1,139 school building projects have been completed.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “This government is determined to deliver high quality learning environments for all pupils in Scotland – and a key part of that is delivering a world-class school estate.

“Positive school environments play a huge role in the education of Scotland’s young people and our investment is paying dividends, with a record high number of schools being in good or satisfactory condition.

“The Scottish Government is continuing its investment in the school estate through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. As set out in our Programme for Government, construction will begin on a further eight school building projects over the next year.

“This means that by the end of 2027-28, Scotland will have seen 47 modern, state-of-the-art school buildings open, thanks to our investment.”

School estate statistics 2024 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Additional £40m allocated to councils to ease pressure on temporary accommodation

Councils will receive a share of an additional £40m this year to increase the supply of social and affordable homes.

The funding, which was confirmed in April and has boosted the affordable housing supply programme budget to nearly £600m this year, will mostly be distributed to the five council areas with sustained temporary accommodation pressures: Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.

The money will be used to purchase properties to help reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation or, where appropriate, to bring long term voids back into use.

The remaining 27 local authorities will receive a share of the remaining funding. A further £40m will be allocated to councils next year.

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “The delivery of affordable homes is the foundation of family life and is fundamental to how we achieve our priorities of eradicating child poverty and growing the economy.

“The key to tackling homelessness and reducing the time spent by families in temporary accommodation is to deliver more affordable homes.

“We have already supported councils to purchase almost 1,500 properties in 2023-24 for use as affordable homes. However, we must do more and, by committing £40m this year, we are accelerating that work.

“This money will help councils provide a warm, safe place that families can call home again.”

MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald has welcomed the SNP Scottish Government announcement of £40 million for councils across Scotland, including almost £15 million for Edinburgh, to boost the supply of affordable homes. 

First Minister John Swinney outlined in the Programme for Government that £600 million would be committed to affordable housing in the current financial year and allocating this £40 million will allow for the purchase of properties to reduce temporary accommodation and bring vacant buildings back into use.

Across Scotland councils have been supported to purchase almost 1,500 properties in 2023-24 for use as affordable homes and the allocation of this £40 million will accelerate that work to ensure that families across Edinburgh have a safe and warm place to call home. 

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald said: “Tackling the housing emergency is one of the major issues across the city and one of the key ways we can solve it is by bringing empty and vacant buildings back into use.

“This £40m fund, introduced by the SNP Government as part of the £600m affordable housing budget, will ensure that we can build on the 1,500 properties that were brought into use for affordable housing in the past year and the almost £15m allocated to Edinburgh will have a significant impact in tackling the housing crisis across the city.

“Every family in Edinburgh deserves to have a safe and warm place that they can call home and with the SNP in government that is exactly what they will get.”

Local authorities will receive the following share of funding:

Local authority£m
Aberdeen City0.375
Aberdeenshire0.173
Angus0.066
Argyll and Bute0.135
City of Edinburgh14.882
Clackmannanshire0.173
Dumfries and Galloway0.222
Dundee City0.637
East Ayrshire0.122
East Dunbartonshire0.224
East Lothian0.440
East Renfrewshire0.196
Eilean Siar0.082
Falkirk0.751
Fife1.848
The Highland Council0.653
Glasgow City11.544
Inverclyde0.040
Midlothian0.471
Moray0.369
North Ayrshire0.293
North Lanarkshire0.673
Orkney Islands0.085
Perth and Kinross0.066
Renfrewshire0.168
Scottish Borders0.146
Shetland Islands0.082
South Ayrshire0.301
South Lanarkshire1.724
Stirling0.750
West Dunbartonshire0.309
West Lothian2.001
Total40.000

Charities respond to Winter Fuel Payment vote defeat at Westminster

In response to the House of Commons voting in favour of cutting the Winter Fuel Payment, Independent Age Chief Executive Joanna Elson, CBE said: “People in later life living in financial hardship will be rightly concerned that, despite mounting public pressure about the impact on older people on the lowest incomes, the UK Government will continue with its plans to means test the Winter Fuel Payment from this year.  It’s clear that making this decision now means many people in later life struggling in poverty will be forced to make dangerous cutbacks.

“The Chancellor still has time to reassess. Even with today’s vote, the UK Government can show it is listening to the concerns of older people in poverty, and delay this policy change until more older people start receiving Pension Credit.

“Boosting take-up is complex and will take time, the latest take-up figures show that up to 1.2 million older people could be missing out on this financial entitlement. They will already be living on a low income as they are eligible for Pension Credit, but now they will have even less money to live on this winter.

“We are also concerned about the large group of older people that just miss out on Pension Credit. Many of them are in financial hardship and do not have enough money to live well, but will still have their income cut at an already challenging time of year with energy prices on the rise.  

“In the short term we hope the UK Government listens to the evidence being shared, and doesn’t means-test the Winter Fuel Payment now.

“Long-term there must be financial security for all of us as we age.

“We urge the UK Government to lead a review where all major parties come together and agree on what an adequate income in older age is, then ensure that everybody receives it so that no one lives in poverty in later life.”

Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK said: “We’re deeply disappointed, but not surprised, that the vote to brutally means-test Winter Fuel Payment was passed today.

“As soon as the Government announced it was instructing its MPs to support it this was the inevitable result, but we would like to thank all those in every party who voted against the policy or abstained.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about the Government’s decision, but at heart Age UK’s critique of their policy is really simple: we just don’t think it’s fair to remove the payment from the 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes who badly need it, and to do it so quickly this winter, at the same time as energy bills are rising by 10%. 

“It is crystal clear that there is insufficient time to make any serious impact on the miserably low take-up of Pension Credit before the cold sets in this autumn, and the Government has brought forward no effective measures to support all those whose tiny occupational pensions take them just above the line to claim.

“It’s true they have agreed to extend the Household Support Fund until April and they deserve some credit for that, but the HSF is an all-age fund that you have to apply for, so we know it will only help a small proportion of all the pensioners who will be in need as a result of their policy change.

“The Government has also tried to suggest that the increase in State Pension for older people next year as a result of the Triple Lock means there’s no need to worry about how they will cope now, but that won’t help anyone this winter and most pensioners will not benefit to the extent being suggested – either because they are on the old State Pension which attracts less of an increase, or because they don’t qualify for a full State Pension in the first place.

“The reality is that driving through this policy as the Government is doing will make millions of poor pensioners poorer still and we are baffled as to why some Ministers are asserting that this is the right thing to do.

“We and many others are certain that it is not, and that’s why we will continue to stand with the pensioners who can’t afford to lose their payment and campaign for them to be given more Government support. 

“Meanwhile, winter is coming and we fear it will be a deeply challenging one for millions of older people who have previously relied on their Winter Fuel Payment to help pay their energy bills and who have no obvious alternative source of funds on which to draw.

“As a charity we will do everything we can to help them, but with so many in need and no extra support on offer from the Government at the moment it’s looking like an incredibly uphill task.”

ALL Scottish Labour MPs voted with the government, but Rebecca Long Bailey was one of more than fifty Labour MPs who refused to vote in favour of the cut. She explained why:

Former Labour Party leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also voted against the withdrwal of the payment. He said: “I voted against cuts to winter fuel payments. Politics is about choices, and the government has chosen to push pensioners into poverty.

What’s next for means testing? The NHS?

“I will always defend the principle of universalism. That is how we build a fairer society for all.”

Give Us A Chance!

TORY MSP MILES BRIGGS SUPPORTS SCOTTISH DISABILITY CHARITY’S CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT DISABLED PEOPLE FROM FUNDING CUTS

Miles Briggs is offering his full support to Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland’s ‘Give us a chance’ campaign. The charity’s campaign comes as the Scottish Government announced £500m of cuts to public services and warned of further “difficult decisions” ahead in next year’s Scottish Budget.

Miles met with SBH Scotland CEO Lawrence Cowan, Chair Dr Margo Whiteford CBE and Amjid Majeed, who has spina bifida and receives support from SBH Scotland, to learn more about the charity’s campaign.

The ‘Give us a chance’ campaign calls on people to sign a letter to the First Minister, demanding that he protect disabled people from future cuts. The campaign also calls on the Scottish Government to release funding to protect the work of disability charities and to make the needs of disabled people across Scotland a priority.

SBH Scotland, which supports people with spina bifida and hydrocephalus across Scotland, is facing a 22% cut to support from Scottish Government this year – a total cut of 42% since 2018.

Half of all people in poverty live in a household where at least one member is disabled. Scottish Government figures show that disabled people are over twice as likely to experience loneliness compared to non-disabled people. They are also less likely to meet socially than non-disabled people.

Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, said: “I give my full support to SBH Scotland’s ‘Give us a chance’ campaign.

“The needs of disabled people in Scotland should be a priority for the Scottish Government and it is crucial that they protect disabled people from future cuts.

“It is important that the vital services that the most vulnerable in our society rely on are protected at all costs.

“I call on the First Minister John Swinney and Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison to properly invest in services to enable disabled people to thrive and lead full lives.”

Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland CEO, Lawrence Cowan said: “The Scottish Government’s talk of further ‘difficult decisions’ ahead is incredibly concerning. 

“We did not receive a commitment this week to protect people with disabilities from budget cuts. We will be seeking that commitment as we head into the Budget. 

“People we work with say that they already have to constantly fight for basic support. 

“If those services are worn away even further, we will see greater inequality and more injustices experienced by disabled people. We cannot let that happen. 

“We also urgently need clarity on the future of funding for charities like ours. We’re facing a 22% cut in Scottish Government funding this year – a total cut of 42% since 2018. If that money doesn’t come through, we won’t be able to reach people who desperately need help right now. 

“We are delighted to have the support of Miles Briggs as we ask the Scottish Government, on behalf of families across the country, to ‘give us a chance’.

“Give disabled kids a chance to fulfil their potential and follow their dreams and give our disabled adults a chance to live life to the full.”

 Amjid Majeed said: “It is a sad day when we have to campaign to make sure those who need the most help are given the care and support they desperately need!

“SBH Scotland is a lifeline for so many people living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

“I personally can feel very lonely and isolated and rely on the groups provided by the charity as a chance to socialise, going out and meeting with the good friends I’ve made there.

“Charities can’t survive without funding, and I’d be devastated to think that the services SBH Scotland provides could be reduced or taken away because of these cuts.”

Sign SBH Scotland’s open letter: www.sbhscotland.org.uk/give-us-a-chance

THE LETTER READS:

Dear First Minister,

We are urging you to make sure that disabled people are protected from future cuts.

We and our loved ones are more reliant on good quality public services to live. Many of these services are already feeling the strain and further cuts could be devastating. 

Half of all households living in poverty have at least one member with a disability. Disabled people are over twice as likely to experience loneliness compared to non-disabled people.

Charities like SBH Scotland give us a place to belong, to meet people who are going through the same things and for kids with spina bifida and hydrocephalus to have fun and just be kids. They are facing a 22% cut in funding from your government this year unless further funds are confirmed. We need the work of this charity more than ever.

We cannot let these inequalities become further entrenched. Please, protect disabled people from cuts and release funding for vital charities like SBH Scotland.

We all have so much to give our society and our economy. Give us a chance.  With your support we can be unstoppable.

Yours Sincerely,

Lawrence Cowan, CEO SBH Scotland

Elenor Leckie, Parent

Chancellor announces £8 BILLION Amazon Web Services investment

REEVES VOWS TO MAKE EVERY PART OF BRITAIN BETTER OFF

  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves secures a planned £8 billion investment from Amazon Web Services which is estimated to support around 14,000 jobs per year across the UK.
  • The Chancellor will welcome the announcement as part of the Government’s mission to boost growth, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.
  • Rachel Reeves will say the Government’s mission to ‘fix the foundations of our economy has only just begun.’

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has today [11 September] confirmed an £8 billion investment from Amazon Web Services which is estimated to support thousands of jobs across the UK.

The Chancellor secured the planned five-year investment last week at a meeting with Amazon Web Services.

The investment is estimated to support around 14,000 jobs per year at local businesses, including those across the company’s data centre supply chain such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering and telecommunications, as well as well as other jobs within the broader local economy.

AWS estimates that these investments in the UK will contribute £14 billion to the UK’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2024 to 2028.

Rachel Reeves will welcome the announcement as part of the government’s long-term mission to boost growth, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.

Speaking from a University Technical College in Silverstone today, which works with Amazon Web Services to introduce students to the skills required to enter the digital infrastructure industry, the Chancellor will warn that ‘change cannot happen overnight’ and ‘two quarters of positive economic growth will not make up for fourteen years of stagnation under the previous government.’

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:  “I am under no illusion to the scale of the challenge facing our economy and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight.

“Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation under the previous government.

“However, this £8 billion investment marks the start of the economic revival and shows Britain is a place to do business. I am determined to go further so we can deliver on our mandate to create jobs, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.

“The hard work to fix the foundations of our economy has only just begun.”

Amazon Web Services Vice President and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Tanuja Randery said: “The next few years could be among the most pivotal for the UK’s digital and economic future, as organisations of all sizes across the country increasingly embrace technologies like cloud computing and AI to help them accelerate innovation, increase productivity, and compete on the global stage.

“AWS is proud to announce our plans to invest £8 billion in digital and AI infrastructure over the next five years to help meet the growing needs of our customers and partners, and support the transformation of the UK’s digital economy.”

AWS do not release the exact location of their data centres for security reasons, but these centres are servicing London and the West and so are located in areas that facilitate this.

The government is also actively engaged in conversations with the company about investments in other parts of the UK.

Today’s investment announcement comes ahead of this year’s UK International Investment Summit on 14 October, where the UK will bring together the world’s most important companies and investors, demonstrating how the UK’s offer is the best in the world, with political and economic stability, a strategic government partnering with businesses, a proper trade strategy, and policies designed to enable growth.

Holyrood Committee highlights serious shortcomings hampering implementation of Self-Directed Support Act

A new report by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has found that implementation of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 has been hampered by a range of factors.

The legislation was introduced to ensure that care and support is arranged, managed, and delivered in a way that supports choice and control for individuals. Although the Committee has heard that Self-Directed Support (SDS) has been implemented well and is transformational for individuals in some areas, the report highlights a number of challenges that have meant the legislation is not always implemented in a fair and equitable way across the country.

The Committee say that restrictions on available providers, how services are commissioned and procured, and the financial systems and models of care currently in place mean that, in many parts of the country, SDS has not been delivered in the way intended by the legislation.

The post-legislative scrutiny report concludes that a lack of knowledge and understanding of the principles of the Act among key staff is also limiting effective implementation of SDS. The Committee says social workers face a number of constraints which prevent them from taking a relationship-based approach to their work in a way that would enable them to fully implement the principles of SDS.

Other issues highlighted by the Committee include inconsistent application of eligibility criteria by Health and Social Care Partnerships. The Committee concludes that, in many instances, the way current eligibility criteria are applied contradicts the aims and principles of SDS.

While the Committee heard examples of good practice from certain local authority areas, which are offering those in receipt of care more choice using a range of different collaborative initiatives, they say there have been challenges in applying this good practice across the country.

The Committee also concludes that there is an urgent need to establish a process of national oversight and clear lines of accountability across all levels of decision-making to ensure a significantly improved approach to monitoring and evaluation of SDS.

On the report’s publication, Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “While it’s clear from our evidence that stakeholders strongly support this legislation, its implementation has not been consistent across the country.

“During our scrutiny, the Committee has heard that there is a lack of national consistency in relation to information, advice and support to ensure fair and equitable access to social care through SDS.

“We also have concerns over recruitment and retention of the social care and social work workforce, the continued impact of Covid-19 and wider funding constraints across the social care system that are affecting proper implementation of the Act.

“Our conclusion is that the current underlying system of social care delivery based on individual assessment, eligibility and transactional care contracts is incompatible with the principles of SDS.

“The Social Care (Self-directed Support) Act was introduced ten years ago with the intention of empowering individuals to have greater choice and control over the care they receive. However, in too many cases, the principles of SDS are not being observed, meaning individuals are not receiving the care they want or deserve.

“We are calling on the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure proper implementation of the legislation through greater national consistency, by improving local authority practice and processes, addressing issues around commissioning and tendering, and significantly improving processes for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the policy.

“We would like to thank all of those who contributed to our post-legislative scrutiny of SDS.”

Programme for Government – a new start for the Scottish Government?

FRASER of ALLANDER ANALYSIS

John Swinney presented his first programme for government to parliament on Wednesday. John Swinney came to power as First Minister in May, but due to the UK General election, this was his first opportunity to set out his government’s programme (write MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).

The Programme for Government has four key themes: eradicating child poverty, economic prosperity, improving public services and protecting the planet. So far, so familiar – and not a huge departure in the substance from the three priorities presented in the 2023-24 Programme for Government by his predecessor.

The speech, of course, focused on the upside and how each strand of what was set out will be mutually reinforcing. One thing we often comment on when looking at these high-level speeches is that some of these things might occasionally conflict with each other. So, what is good for business might not be good for tackling child poverty, and vice versa.

However, the FM made clear that child poverty is ‘first and foremost in these priorities’. This sounds like a clear signal that where there are trade-offs, child poverty concerns will win over. Some may disagree with putting that first above all else, but for those of us trying to understand why certain decisions are being made, it’s not unhelpful for the government to be setting out a clear steer.

We’ll be looking at what that means in practice when it comes to Budget allocations; to implement much of what he talked about – for example, a roll-out of the type of whole family support that has been piloted so far – will require new money.

Also, following on from the Finance Secretary’s grim statement on Tuesday, no amount of prioritisation can totally overcome fiscal constraints.

Despite the fact that more targeted (rather than universal) measures are probably sensible for targeting child poverty, the non-delivery of the pledge to roll-out free school meals to all children in primary 6 and 7 is likely to sit uneasily with the FM. More tough decisions in this mould are likely to need to be made.

Elsewhere in the Programme for Government, there are some interesting specifics in relation to the economy, particularly on planning. The government has committed the establishing Scotland’s first “Planning Hub”, the establishment of Masterplan consent areas, and a planning apprenticeship programme. Whilst this sounds like pretty dry stuff, one of the most common frustrations raised by businesses is about the planning system, so this is likely to be welcomed.

Other things were notable by their absence. The Human Rights Bill and the Learning Disability, Autism and Neorodivergence Bill were not on the list of Bills for this 2024-25 session.

Given the 2025-26 session will be cut short by an election, they aren’t likely to be passed this parliament. This has come as a shock to many given previous assurances and the substantial resources that civil servants and stakeholders alike have put into the pre-legislative process to get these ready.

We’re yet to hear a convincing explanation for why they’ve been delayed.

The fiscal statement casts a long shadow 

The statement on Wednesday was hugely overshadowed by the fiscal statement on Tuesday. Overall, as well as setting out fiscal “black holes” it felt like Tuesday’s statement sucked up most of the political energy around in the week, leaving Wednesday to feel like a bit of a low energy anti-climax.

We are still not sure after the statement exactly what the Finance Secretary sees as the gap in the budget. Given she has set out £500m of “direct savings” plus the use of £460m of use of Scotwind money, we assume it is roughly £1 billion. £800m of this has been tied to “pay pressure”, and the rest (we assume £100-200m?) has been described as “in demand-led activities like legal aid, police and fire pensions and the costs of accommodation for Ukrainian displaced people” plus COVID-related health measures.

After a bit more detective work, we’ve documented the “£500m of direct savings” in the table below, along with where we still have questions:

 Published description What we’ve worked out
Savings  
£65mPre-announced decisions: peak fare train fairs to return, no free bus travel for asylum seekers plus agreement with local government to draw on existing programmes to fund pay dealsAccording to Transport Scotland, the cost of the full year subsidy for the peak fares pilot was approximately £40m[i]. In theory then, not having it running for the last 6 months saves £20m, although it is unclear to us if this was budgeted for to begin with given the pilot was only expected to last for 6 months of the year.The BBC reports £2m had been set aside for free bus travel for asylum seekers[ii]BBC reports that Councils have been asked to redirect £5m of this year’s nature restoration fund to help fund pay deals[iii]. In addition, £10m has been redirected from the Connecting Scotland’s digital devices programme (free iPADs and laptops for people who were digitally excluded), £2m from the fund to expand free school meals to p6 and 7 pupils who receive the Scottish Child Payment (although they say it will still be delivered) and £26m from the Flood Risk Management Programme, on the basis that “councils do not need it in this year”.ivThese total £65m.
£188.4New additional measures announced on 3rd SeptemberFull table of figures are laid out in the Annex of the letter to the Finance Committee.As there are no figures to help put these reductions into context (i.e. in relation to the size of the original budget allocations) it makes it hard to judge whether these are likely to have a large or small impact.
£60mSavings anticipated through emergency spending controls, in addition to savings set out as part of the £188.4 million. They are linked to recruitment freezes, and reductions in costs of travel and marketing, as per the letter to Cabinet reported in the mediav. We have no information on how the number has been calculated.
£160mThe cost of universality in the Winter Fuel Payment.The money for an equivalent to the UKG universal WFP was added to the Block Grant adjustment for 2024-25. The recent UKG decision to remove universality means that this money will need to be returned to UKG through the fiscal framework reconciliation process.SG could spend this money in 2024/25, but would then need to find savings in subsequent years to cover the reconciliation.We understand a decision on whether it will be spent this year is yet to be made.
Total savings
£473.5m  Up to £500 million saving measuresWe understand from officials that the “up to £500m” is a rounding up of the total.
#i https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/scotrail-peak-fare-removal-pilot-report-published/
ii https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw3n63ypjwo
iii https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7p2y1p1eo
iv https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxjqggnewro

 v https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scottish-government-imposes-emergency-spending-controls-l2pnb7lsg 

The fact that we are having to piece this together, including from media reports, is obviously not ideal. We don’t think it would have been too much to ask to have all this detail laid out, along with the evidence of impact that was cited in the letter to the Fiance and Public Affairs Committee.

We hope more information is released into the public domain in the coming weeks alongside the Autumn Budget Revision so help clear things up, as far as possible…

A look ahead to the budget

We now know the Scottish Budget will be on the 4th of December. The other important day to understand what the budget may look like for the rest of this financial year and the next will be the UK Budget on 30th October.

We should at that point have much more clarity about the financial envelope which the Scottish Government is working with for 2025-26.

There are also likely to be significant changes to departmental allocations for the current financial year (2024-25). Rachel Reeves said in her fiscal statement as Chancellor in July that she expected some of these in-year issues to be soaked up by departmental budgets.

The extent to which this will actually be achieved will also impact the monies coming to the Scottish Government. Therefore we may be most of the way through 2024-25 before we actually understand how much of the Scotwind revenue is required to balance the budget in 2024-25. It may mean that this is not the last fiscal statement we have about the current financial year.

Given all these in-year movements we would like to call, yet again (like SPICe have done in their blog), for the Government to provide in the Budget next year’s plans alongside the current position for 2024-25.

The convention (for some reason) would be to present the budget plans for 2025-26 compared to the plans that were set out for 2024-25 in December 2023. The in-year movements we have seen over the last three years make a nonsense of this convention (which reduces transparency and hampers parliamentary scrutiny).

This may be a bit of a niche point but it would make analysis of these statements much easier. Here’s hoping that this is finally the year this change is made.