Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry investigating the strategic and economic case for improved fixed transport links between Scotland’s islands.
Transport connectivity is a major challenge for Scotland’s islands, with many island communities currently being connected via ferry services. This lack of fixed-link connectivity can restrict economic development.
Fixed links to connect the islands, such as bridges or tunnels, are increasingly being considered as long-term solutions. For example, Shetland’s Island Council has approved a feasibility study into building tunnels into undersea tunnel connections.
Fixed link infrastructure like this has been a success in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago 200 miles further into the Atlantic than the Shetland Islands, which has been building undersea tunnels since the 1960s.
Scotland’s islands have been highlighted as a key region for economic growth, due to their clean energy, tourism and space sectors.
As momentum grows at a local level, the cross-party committee could examine the economic case for these fixed link projects and the UK Government’s potential strategic interest in supporting this infrastructure.
Submissions can be made via the committee’s website until 12 December 2025.
Connectivity is a crucial issue affecting communities across Scotland, particularly those in remote, rural and island areas, where infrastructure delivery is complex and costly.
Alongside this inquiry into physical connectivity, the committee will shortly be launching an inquiry into digital connectivity.
Patricia Ferguson, Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said: “Current transport links between Scotland’s islands simply don’t seem to be up to scratch. Delayed and cancelled ferries cause disruption for entire communities, and undoubtedly also pose huge barriers to the development of island economies.
“Fixed link infrastructure projects like undersea tunnels could be transformational for Scotland’s island communities.
“Throughout this inquiry, we’ll be looking closely at the economic case for these fixed link projects, their value for money and, ultimately, whether there could be a strategic interest for the UK Government to support their development.”
New laws are now in force protecting England’s social housing tenants from emergency hazards and damp and mould. The changes are a lasting legacy to Awaab Ishak
New rules will protect tenants and force social landlords in England to urgently fix dangerous homes.
Emergency hazards to be addressed within 24 hours under landmark changes.
Reforms are a legacy to two-year-old Awaab Ishak who tragically died from prolonged exposure to mould.
The first phase of Awaab’s Law will force social landlords to take urgent action to fix dangerous homes or face the full force of the law, improving lives for tenants and families living in all four million of England’s social rented homes.
The new legal duties will finally put tenants’ safety first with landlords forced to fix emergency health and safety hazards within 24 hours of reporting. They must also investigate significant damp and mould within 10 working days of being notified and then make properties safe in five working days. For both types of hazards, they must also write the findings to tenants within three working days of inspection.
As part of the reforms, landlords now must also consider the circumstances of tenants which could put them at risk – including young children and those with disabilities or health conditions. Alternative accommodation must also be offered if homes cannot be made safe within the required timeframes.
These vital reforms will not only keep tenants safer in their homes, but hold landlords to account. Those who fail to comply with the rules face being taken to court, where they could be issued enforcement orders, forced to pay compensation and legal costs – as well as loss of rent if homes were uninhabitable.
Awaab’s Law is a lasting legacy to two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died after being exposed to mould at his Rochdale home in December 2020. In the wake of this tragedy, Awaab’s family has fought to secure justice, not only for their son but for all those who live in social housing.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: ”Everyone deserves a safe and decent home to live in and Awaab Ishak is a powerful reminder of how this can sadly be a matter of life or death.
“Awaab’s family has fought hard for change and their work to protect millions of tenants’ lives will live on as a legacy to their son.
“Our changes will give tenants a stronger voice and force landlords to act urgently when lives are at risk, ensuring such tragedies are never repeated.”
More of Awaab’s Law will be phased in next year and in 2027 to make homes safer from more hazards, alongside work to build 1.5 million new homes, including the biggest boost of social and affordable housing in a generation.
To bring further transformative and lasting change in the safety and quality of social housing and give tenants a stronger voice, a new £1 million fund has been launched by the government today to create new ways of helping tenants engage with their landlords and have more influence over decisions that affect them.
Up to £100,000 will be granted to successful bidders who propose strong ideas for improving communication between landlords and tenants and help tenants have more of a say in how their homes are managed.
Examples of innovative ideas could include online platforms, marketing campaigns or recruiting specialist personnel who can support tenants to improve their experiences in social housing.
This will help replace the outdated, inefficient ways of communicating that leave tenants feeling unheard and waiting too long to get issues resolved by their landlord.
Flawed contract design and incompetent delivery left the Home Office unable to cope with the surge in demand for asylum accommodation, a report by the Home Affairs Committee has found.
Hotels went from a temporary stop-gap to the go-to solution for asylum accommodation, leading to a failed system that is expensive, unpopular with local communities and unsuitable for asylum seekers.
As the cost of asylum accommodation contracts more than tripled, inadequate oversight meant failings went unnoticed and unaddressed. The Home Office failed to keep costs down and underutilised mechanisms to penalise providers for poor performance and reclaim excess profits.
No performance penalties are applied for poor performance at Napier, Wethersfield or asylum hotels, despite hotels accounting for over 75% of spending on asylum accommodation.
Break clauses in 2026 and the end of the contracts in 2029 offer the Home Office an opportunity to end the failed system. However, without a clear long-term plan and the institutional capability to deliver a model that is more effective and offers value for money, past failures risk being repeated, the Committee warns.
The Home Office’s approach has been a series of hasty, short-term responses. It must now learn from past failures and deliver a clear long-term strategy for asylum accommodation that provides value for money, adequate standards of accommodation and takes account of the impact on local communities.
Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Dame Karen Bradley said: “The Home Office has presided over a failing asylum accommodation system that has cost taxpayers billions of pounds.
“Its response to increasing demand has been rushed and chaotic, and the department has neglected the day-to-day management of these contracts. The Government needs to get a grip on the asylum accommodation system in order to bring costs down and hold providers to account for poor performance.
“Urgent action is needed to lower the cost of asylum accommodation and address the concerns of local communities. While reducing hotel use is rightly a Government priority, there will always be a need for flexibility within the system, and the Home Office risks boxing itself in by making undeliverable promises to appeal to popular sentiment. It shouldn’t set itself up for more failure.
“The Home Office has not proved able to develop a long term strategy for the delivery of asylum accommodation. It has instead focused on short term, reactive responses.
“There is now an opportunity to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system, but the Home Office must finally learn from its previous mistakes or it is doomed to repeat them.”
Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. That is why thousands of people took to the streets of Edinburgh yesterday to say with one voice that we demand better – better than poverty, better than inequality and better than divisive, hateful narratives that seek to pit our communities against one another.
Trade unions, faith groups, community organisations and charities stood shoulder to shoulder with people from across Scotland to demand fair work, strong public services and dignified social security.
It was a showcase to our political decision makers at all levels that we are tired of waiting for change on the injustice of poverty, and we are standing together to demand action.
This isn’t the end. It is the start of a movement, together in hope and solidarity, for a better Scotland for all of us.
FASTER CARE FOR THOUSANDS THROUGH NHS USE OF INDEPENDENT SECTOR
A total of 6.15 million appointments, tests and operations were delivered by independent providers for NHS patients this year.
The almost 500,000 increase on last year is helping to cut waiting times, free up NHS capacity and deliver national renewal through the government’s Plan for Change
Patients able to cut waiting times by up to five months by switching to nearby hospital with shorter queues.
Hundreds of thousands of people are receiving faster care thanks to the Labour government’s partnership with the private sector, which is helping provide the treatment they need to get back on their feet – free at the point of use.
More than 6 million tests and operations for NHS patients were delivered by independent healthcare providers over the past year – almost 500,000 more than last year.
Independent healthcare providers delivered an average of 19,000 surgical procedures and 100,000 outpatient appointments every week this financial year – helping to treat more than 1.1 million people
This is all part of the drive to use every resource available to stop patients suffering on the unacceptably long waiting lists this government inherited – which have now fallen by 206,000 over the past year.
Using spare capacity in the private sector is central to the government’s goal that 92% of patients in England should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment – which is fundamental to delivering the renewal this country needs.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I’ll do everything I can to get NHS patients treated faster, free at the point of use.
“This is a principled, progressive position, not just a pragmatic one. We’re not prepared to continue two-tier healthcare, when those who can afford it get treated on time, and those who can’t are left behind. Wealth shouldn’t determine health.
“This is just one reform which has helped deliver 5 million more appointments, grown NHS productivity, and cut waiting lists by 200,000.
“We are also investing in growing the NHS capacity, opening up CDCs and operating theatres at evenings and weekends, and bringing in modern technology like robotic surgery. Through investment and relentless reform, we will make sure every patient is treated on time, not just those who can afford to pay.”
The partnership with the private sector comes alongside the other UK government measures to cut waiting times and expand NHS capacity in England, including:
Opening more Community Diagnostic Centres seven days a week, 12 hours a day. They have delivered over 8.7 million diagnostic tests since July 2024, closer to where people live, freeing up hospitals.
Opening new 22 new surgical hubs and expanding a further 12.
Introducing a national programme of weekend High-Intensity Theatre (HIT) lists once a month in 50 hospitals to get through a week’s worth of planned operations in a day
Setting up NHS Online, which will deliver up to 8.5 million appointments in its first three years and allow patients to digitally connect to expert clinicians anywhere in England.
The partnership with the independent sector strengthens the commitment set out in the 10 Year Health Plan to boost patients right to choose where they are treated, with new research showing patients are cutting their wait for an NHS operation by up to five months by switching to a nearby hospital with shorter queues.
Sir Jim Mackey, NHS Chief Executive, said: “The independent sector is playing a vital role in supporting our efforts to bring down waiting lists and ensure patients can get the NHS care they need faster.
“Thanks to the ambition and hard work of NHS teams, we are seeing early signs of progress with waiting lists falling for the first time in years – but we are determined to go further and faster to improve patients’ experiences and this data shows clearly that maximising use of this capacity is an approach that is working for patients.”
Research from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), alongside the Patients Association and Arthritis UK, found patients need to travel on average just under 13 miles – typically under 30 minutes by car – to cut over two and a half months off their waiting time for treatment.
For particular treatments, patients can cut their wait even further. For example, in the South East, patients requiring general surgery such as a hernia operation could cut their wait from an average of 27 weeks to just 6 weeks – a reduction of almost five months – by travelling from the areas with the longest waiting times to shortest.
David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said: “These latest figures demonstrate just how important the independent sector is in providing much-needed NHS treatment – delivering around 10% of all NHS elective activity, and a record amount of appointments, tests and scans – all free at the point of use to patients.
“In committing to better commissioning, patient choice and clear incentives, the recent NHS & Independent Sector Partnership is having real benefits to patients and by sticking to these principles, the Government and the independent sector can continue to drive down NHS waiting lists long into the future.”
Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Arthritis UK said: “Thousands of people with arthritis in need of life changing hip and knee replacements are waiting in unnecessary pain.
“We know that the longer people wait, the more impact this has on their lives and causes a further deterioration in their joints which results in more complicated and expensive surgery and too often worse health outcomes.
“Promoting patient choice, including being able to be treated by independent providers, is therefore an important tool which may ensure that people can get faster access to the treatment they so desperately need.”
Sarah Tilsed, Head of Partnerships and Involvement, The Patients Association: “It’s encouraging to see more patients receiving the care they need sooner, with over six million NHS appointments, tests, and operations delivered through the independent sector in the past year.
£Every patient who has their treatment brought forward no longer has their life on pause and is able to take the next step in their care journey.
“As the NHS continues working to reduce the backlog, it’s vital that patients are supported with clear information and real choice about their options. Using all available capacity to deliver care sooner is essential, as long as patients are well informed of their right to choose and feel in control of their care journey.”
All figures above relate to the period September 2024 to August 2025
Independent healthcare providers deliver NHS care free at the point of use under contract to the NHS
7.6 MILLION people were on NHS England waiting lists last month
The first Private Members Bill of this Parliament has passed all stages in the Houses of Commons and Lords. The bill, proposed by Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith Tracy Gilbert, will make it easier for voters in Scotland and Wales to apply for a postal or proxy vote in devolved elections next year.
The Private Member’s Bill, Absent Voting (Scotland and Wales) Bill, passed its Third Reading in the House of Lords today (Friday 24 October). As no changes were made to the Bill in the House of Lords it will now go forward for Royal Assent.
Tracy Gilbert MP was drawn 12th in the Private Members Bill ballot last September. Twenty MPs are drawn in the ballot, giving them a right to introduce a bill.
Ms. Gilbert’s bill will allow voters to apply for a postal or proxy vote online, making it easier for voters to participate in elections and ending the anomaly in Scotland and Wales where voters can apply online for UK Parliament elections but not devolved elections.
Currently, voters must apply for a proxy vote by sending a physical letter. This can make the process difficult for people with disabilities or for those living outside the country. This necessary legislative change means voters will now be able to apply online for a postal or proxy vote for Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru elections next year.
During the passage of the bill through Parliament, Gilbert won cross-party praise for her bill being called a ‘modern day chartist woman’ by Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
Tracy Gilbert MPsaid: “I’m thrilled that my Private Member’s Bill is the first of this Parliament to pass both Houses of Parliament. I am grateful for the cross-party support the Bill has received.
“My bill will simplify the process for applying for a postal or proxy vote in next year’s Scottish and Welsh Parliament elections by enabling voters to apply online, extending access to democracy.”
TOMORROW, Saturday 25th October, Child Poverty Action Group – alongside other members of the End Child Poverty Coalition – will be joining charities, community organisations, faith groups, trade unions and many more in a march from Holyrood to the Meadows in Edinburgh (writes CPAG Scotland’s MARIA MARSHALL).
#ScotlandDemandsBetter has been organised to give organisations and individuals in Scotland an opportunity to make their voices heard and demand that politicians make the change needed so that every household in Scotland can thrive.
Signs we are on the right track…
In a lot of ways, we have seen progress to tackle child poverty in the past several years, at least here in Scotland.
The passing of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act in 2017 was a watershed moment. Following the abandoning of child poverty targets by the UK Government in 2015, the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act ( unanimously backed by all of Holyrood’s parties) set targets for child poverty reduction and requirements such as a tackling child poverty delivery plan to be published by the Scottish Government every four years.
The result of this cross-government, cross-party effort in Scotland has been to sharpen the minds of those who hold the power and drive real and tangible progress for families.
Since then, we have seen the introduction and expansion of the Scottish child payment (SCP), first introduced in February 2021 and now worth £27.15 a week for every eligible child under 16.
Along with other members of End Child Poverty and the Scotland Demands Better movement we are now calling for immediate and sustained increases in its value so that it reaches £55 per week by the end of the next parliament. Investing further in the Scottish child payment is the most direct and cost-effective tool available to the Scottish government to further reduce child poverty.
SCP is one of a suite of policy interventions in the first two delivery plans including; Best Start Foods and Best Start grant (replacing Healthy Start and Sure Start in the UK), an expanded offer of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, increased focus on parental employability support and the expansion of universal free school meals in primary schools (despite subsequent backtracking on promises for universal provision for P6-7 pupils too…)
Of all the interventions taken, it is the increased investment in social security in Scotland that is behind the diverging trend confirmed in the latest child poverty statistics which saw child poverty in Scotland fall by four percentage points, while rising (once again) UK-wide. Steps in the right direction for sure.
We’ve come some way, but not far enough
So on the one hand, we have seen some real success. In December last year, research commissioned by CPAG on the costs of raising a child, found that the gap between costs and incomes for families in Scotland was narrower than the rest of the UK. However, this same research found that Scotland’s lowest-income families are still left with less than half the income they need for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living.
Despite showing that progress had been made, this year’s child poverty statistics also confirmed that over one in five children in Scotland are still growing up in poverty. For those children, for all children, we are demanding better.
We can shout about the progress made, but for families living on the sharp end of the cost of living crisis, this will ring hollow. Summer holidays this year too often brought more stress and anxiety for Scottish parents than opportunities to learn and play. Like Hope, parent and participant in the Changing Realities project, who wrote in July:
“Already it has been a bit stressful. The kids are constantly hungry and “bored” then hungry again. Which means more food shopping. I can’t afford summer clubs/camps (tennis, football, multi sports, water sports etc) as they are coming in at around £40 a day and some of them state you have to bring your own packed lunches … I also am embarrassed to take the kids to a food bank this year. So if my oldest boy is in I’ll get him to watch my youngest and tell them “I’m going shopping.”
Too many families are being denied the security and opportunity to thrive that we all deserve. But looking to the future, there should be reason to feel hope.
Standing at the crossroads
We now have two governments, UK and Scotland, who have made a commitment to tackling child poverty. Campaigners are anxiously awaiting the UK child poverty strategy due to be published this Autumn.
Next year’s elections in Scotland also provide an opportunity for all parties, MSPs and candidates to commit to building on the progress made and delivering a better future for all of Scotland’s children.
In theory, we are at the cusp of a real opportunity for making progress on tackling child poverty. But we can also risk losing our way…
Will we build on the progress made in Scotland to meet the 2030 targets? Will the UK Government pull the levers in their power such as scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap to move us in the right direction together?
Or will we see a stalling in Scotland, resting on existing progress and unable to keep up with the rising costs squeezing low-income families? Will the UK strategy fail to tackle the true drivers of rising child poverty such as the slashing of social security support in the past 15 years?
Walking with hope
In May last year, parents from the Changing Realities project launched their own campaign ‘Hope Starts Here’ with the aim to change the narrative on the progress we need to see by shifting the focus on the potential that all children have.
One parent, Faith, expressed that: “I hope that my children will be able to have endless possibilities of what and who they want to become in the future when they grow up. There is a big world waiting out there for them.”
Faith’s words encapsulate why members of the End Child Poverty coalition will be marching together to demand better for our children. All children should have endless possibilities of what and who they want to be when they grow up.
Better is possible. There is already ambition across the political spectrum to tackle child poverty. We now need to see the two-child limit and benefit cap scrapped at UK level, and in Scotland we need all parties to set out a clear path that will deliver year on year progress towards the 2030 targets, so that every child in Scotland can have the best possible start in life.
If you’re in Edinburgh on Saturday, please join us.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon is calling on the UK Government to reconsider its approach to funding allocations in the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund as it is “not a fair settlement for Scotland.”
Ms Gougeon’s letter reads:
To: Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP
From: Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon
Dear Angela,
Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
Thank you for your letter of Monday 20 October setting out your intention to allocate the Scottish Government just £28 million of the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund announced by your government earlier this year.
The deal that you have presented on the share of this funding to Scotland is wholly unacceptable. As you will be aware, the Scottish fishing sector accounts for over 60% of the UK’s fishing capacity and over 60% of UK seafood exports.
Moreover, more than 75% of all UK quota species is landed by Scottish vessels. Over the past several months, at both Ministerial and official level, we have set out a clear, rational, and evidence-based case for Scotland’s share of this funding to be representative of the relative size and importance of the Scottish sector, and reflect at least the 46% share Scotland previously received from the EU funding allocated to the UK.
Instead the announced allocation of just 7.78% is a grossly oversimplified approach which does not represent a fair settlement for Scotland, a position supported by key Scottish stakeholders.
It is unjustified and nothing short of insulting to the Scottish fishing industry and our coastal communities. It also disproportionately benefits your own fishing sector in England – for whom you have retained over £300 million, despite landing significantly smaller catches than Scotland.
With the funding being spread over 12 years – and no guarantee that the commitment will even be maintained following this parliamentary term – the deal you have set out means Scotland will have a meagre £2.3 million per annum of additional funding to invest in our marine industries and coastal communities. This is nowhere near enough to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities as your letter sets out.
This announcement is yet another negative consequence of Brexit which the people of Scotland did not vote for, but for which our businesses and communities are paying the price.
However, more than that, it demonstrates a clear misunderstanding of, and lack of care for, the Scottish fishing industry and our coastal communities by the UK Government.
The fact that this announcement was made within hours of you writing to me and my counterparts in the devolved governments in Wales and Northern Ireland, with no opportunity for discussion, also demonstrates a disappointing departure from your government’s commitment to resetting and renewing the devolution relationship and effective intergovernmental working.
This comes on the back of a similar lack of engagement on the EU deal in relation to fisheries, which will hit the Scottish sector hard. At the same time we are still assessing the likely implications of the scientific advice on mackerel and cod – which are expected to have serious negative impacts for the fishing industry in Scotland.
I strongly urge you to reconsider this approach, and enter into discussions at the earliest possible opportunity with myself, and our colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, to agree an alternative approach which treats each of our respective industries and communities with the respect they deserve.
I have copied this letter to Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies and Minister Andrew Muir for awareness of the Scottish Government’s position.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Mairi Gougeon
The Scottish fishing industry has condemned the UK Government’s “grossly unfair” allocation of funding from its £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.
A network of walk-in GP clinics will open as part of work to improve access to primary care.
The clinics, which would be staffed by GPs, nurses and support staff, will be open seven days a week, 12:00-20:00, in addition to existing primary care services. They will provide a range of same-day assessments, diagnostics and treatment.
Fifteen clinics in sites across Scotland will proceed initially to test the benefits for patients.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Improving access to primary care and shifting more care into the community is central for this Government.
“As part of this, we are taking forward new and innovative ways to improve access to primary care, including the benefits of local walk-in GP clinics.
“These will be in addition to core GP services and will offer additional flexibility for patients. These will be designed in collaboration with NHS Boards, GPs and other partners to ensure they strengthen existing services.”
The announcement was made by First Minister John Swinney at the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen yesterday.
The last 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now back in Israel after spending more than two years in captivity.
The hostages were kidnapped by Hamas during the 7 October2023 attacks
Hamas says it will also hand over the remains of four dead hostages later today, but has told mediators it does not know the location of some of the other 24.
Israel has released almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the release of hostages in Gaza.
Starmer, who has travelled to the middle east, said: “I share the deep feeling of relief as hostages are released today.
“It is now crucial that we work together to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.”
