Katrina Faccenda, Scottish Labour’s prospective candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith in next May’s Holyrood elections, has written to Public Finance Mnister (and local MSP) Ben McPherson over cuts to Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s budget.
She explained: “Today I have written to Ben Macpherson MSP regarding the proposed cuts to services currently provided through the Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board. Urgent action is needed and as the Minister for Public Finance and Migration, I think Ben must speak up on behalf of his constituents.
“I am incredibly concerned about the effects of more austerity-driven cuts In the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency where underfunding of local government has already had a devastating impact and there are already too many living in poverty and struggling with health inequality.”
The letter reads:
“Dear Ben,
I am Katrina Faccenda, prospective Labour MSP candidate for Edinburgh Northern & Leith.
Like many of Edinburgh’s citizens, I felt the latest round of cuts to health and social care services in the city was really the final straw.(I refer to the Phase Zero cuts agreed by the EIJB (Edinburgh Integration Joint Board)).
The EIJB members confirmed that they are upset about the changes which will have a significant negative impact on Edinburgh’s most vulnerable residents.
Do you, as Edinburgh Northern and Leith’s representative in the Scottish Parliament, share my concern that these cuts will adversely affect people in the constituency?
Even before coronavirus, three wards in this constituency were reported to have child poverty levels higher than 30% (Edinburgh Poverty Commission Interim Report, Sept 2019)
You have stated that you are ‘ focused on being a passionate voice in the Scottish Parliament for local communities and for positive change’. (parliament.scot, Current Members, Personal Information) As the Minister responsible for Public Finance how do you plan to protect the community from such reductions in vital services?
Sir Graham Watson, former Liberal leader in the European Parliament has said that Brexit will mean that Scottish independence is “inevitable” and will see Scotland joining the EU as an independent member state.
He told a European Movement in Scotland webinar: “I see no reason to fear that provided Scotland is prepared for it.” But he warned: “I see precious little of that preparation going on, sadly” and accused the Scottish Government of “dither and drift.”
Sir Graham, who lost his MEP seat in 2014 and is now based in Edinburgh and Brussels, suggested that Scotland currently resembled more Slovakia than Denmark given its poor record on productivity and export trade and urged the Scottish Government to set up new “hubs” in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, as well as in Copenhagen and Helsinki in order to boost economic links.
Hubs already exist in Berlin, Paris and Dublin. He suggested Scotland might join the Nordic Council but rejoining the EU via the European Economic Area, he argued, was a “pipe-dream.”
Former SNP MP and Europe spokesman in the Commons, Stephen Gethins, urged business, universities and local authorities to invest in Scotland House, the Scottish Government centre in Brussels, and in wider links with the EU and Europe.
Almost200,000 people have signed a Electoral Reform Society petition calling for the unelected House of Lords to be overhauled.
The Prime Minister is set to pack the House of Lords with yet more unelected peers. And discontent is growing.
As the Mirror reported this week, anger is rising at Boris Johnson’s plan to stuff the chamber with appointees.
There is concern across the spectrum. The Conservative-leaning Spectator points out: “It is no credit to British democracy that we have the second largest legislative chamber in the world. The only one larger than the 792-strong House of Lords is the 2,980-member Chinese National People’s Congress.
“In the coming days the House of Lords will grow even bigger as the Prime Minister announces another batch of peerages. We can expect a bad-tempered reaction if, as expected, a slew of Brexit campaigners such as Ian Botham are included while former speaker John Bercow is left out.”
The magazine cites ERS research showing that: “It is genuine participation that matters, and in this some have a lamentable record. The Electoral Reform Society found that in the 2016/17 session, 115 peers failed to speak in a single debate — and yet they claimed £1.3 million in expenses between them.”
Even the Lords themselves are getting restless. The PM’s peers list will reverse years of attempts to check numbers, according to the Lord Speaker, as we revealed this week.
Voters are not happy about the bloated and unelected state of the House of Lords.
Nearly 200,000 have signed a petition calling for an overhaul – for it to be scrapped and replaced with a proportionally-elected second chamber that is fit for purpose: rather than a private member’s club for the PM’s pals.
Sign it here – and let’s get this to 200,000 signatures.
Commenting on the 36 new appointments to the House of Lords, Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the UK’s leading democracy campaign group the ERS said:
“Based on the average claim of a peer, the 36 new peers are likely to cost around £1.1m a year in expenses from the taxpayer [2].
“By appointing a host of ex-MPs, party loyalists and his own brother, the PM is inviting total derision. That he can get away with it shows what a private member’s club this house is.
“The Lords was already the largest second chamber in the world. There are now over 800 unelected peers, voting on our laws for life.
“Is packing the Lords with party loyalists really a priority, as a pandemic rages across the world? This move is an absolute insult to voters. This is making a mockery of democracy.
“Today marks a nail in the coffin for the idea that the Lords is some kind of independent chamber of experts. It is a house of cronies and party loyalists – we need to see it scrapped and replaced with a fair-elected chamber that’s fit for a democracy.”
Among the new Peers are Theresa May’s husband Philip – for political service (!), Boris Johnson’s brother Joseph and former Tory party leader in Scotland Ruth Davidson.
THE HOUSE of LORDS SPEAKER IS REVOLTING!
Lord Fowler (above, second left) comments following the government’s announcement of 36 new members of the House of Lords on Friday 31 July:
Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, said: “This list of new Peers marks a lost opportunity to reduce numbers in the House of Lords. The result will be that the House will soon be nearly 830 strong – almost 200 greater than the House of Commons.
“That is a massive policy u-turn.
It was only two years ago that the then Prime Minister, Mrs May, pledged herself to a policy of “restraint” in the number of new appointments. It was the first time that any Prime Minister had made such a pledge.
“This followed a report by a special Lord Speaker’s committee chaired by Lord (Terry) Burns proposing that numbers should be reduced to 600. This was debated by the Lords itself with over 90 speakers, commanding overwhelming support.
“The big opportunity was for the present Government to take forward this movement for reform. I emphasise that this is not a matter of personalities. It is a question of numbers and the abandonment of an established policy to reduce the size of the House.
“It is also a vast pity that the list has been announced within the first few days of the summer recess when neither House is sitting, and the Government cannot be challenged in Parliament.”
Our noble Lords and Ladies receive ‘allowances’ of £323 PER DAY just for turning up – nice ‘work’ if you can get it!
Even during the pandemic, when the House of Lords isn’t sitting, our hard-working peers are trousering £162 per day when they participate in debates or vote from the comfort of home – no matter how minimal their contribution may be.
By way of comparison, a single person under 25 on Universal Credit will receive a standard payment of £342.72p PER MONTH.
The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee report ‘Universal Credit isn’t working: proposals for reform‘, calls on the UK Government to make substantial changes to universal credit in order to protect the most vulnerable.
Universal Credit is failing millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable. The Economic Affairs Committee agrees with the original aim of Universal Credit but blames the scheme’s design for soaring rent arrears and the use of food banks.
Cuts to social security budgets over the last decade is causing widespread poverty and hardship. Universal Credit needs urgent investment to catch up and provide claimants with adequate income. The temporary increase in the standard allowance in response to the Covid-19 pandemic shows that the previous level of awards was too low. The increase should be made permanent.
The Government is using Universal Credit to recover debt, mostly £6 billion of historic tax credit debt. Deductions of up to 30% of the standard allowance, and in some cases more, can be taken from claimants. This has left many households with less money than they are entitled, often at no fault of their own. Tax credit debt should be written off as it is unlikely to be repaid.
The five-week wait for the first Universal Credit payment is the main cause of insecurity. This wait entrenches debt, increases extreme poverty and harms vulnerable groups disproportionately. The Government should introduce a non-repayable two-week grant to all claimants.
The way payments are calculated can result in large fluctuations in income month-to-month, making it extremely difficult for claimants to budget. The level of awards should be fixed at the same level for three months. There should be a mechanism to enable claimants to have an early reassessment if their circumstances change.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, Chair of the Economic Affairs Committee, said: “Most people, including our Committee, broadly agree with the original aims and objectives of Universal Credit. However, in its current form it fails to provide a dependable safety net. It has led to an unprecedented number of people relying on foodbanks and not being able to pay their rent.
“The mechanics of Universal Credit do not reflect the reality of people’s lives. It is designed around an idealised claimant and rigid, inflexible features of the system are harming a range of claimant groups, including women, disabled people and the vulnerable.
“Universal Credit needs more money to catch up after 10 years of cuts to the social security budget. It requires substantial reform to its design and implementation, the adequacy of its awards, and how it supports claimants to navigate the system and find work.
“The five-week wait for a first payment must be replaced by a non-repayable two-week grant to all claimants. The monthly payment calculations which can result in big fluctuations to claimants’ incomes should be fixed for three months. Historical tax credit debt needs to be written off.
“The punitive nature of Universal Credit has not worked. It punishes the poorest by taking away their sole source of income for minor infractions. It needs rebalancing, with more carrot and less stick, particularly as large numbers of claimants will have ended up on it because of events completely out of their control.”
The Committee’s other key findings and recommendations include:
The Government must prioritise helping people into work, particularly with the increase in unemployment that the Covid-19 pandemic is causing. All claimants should have a work allowance, at a higher rate than now, to allow them to keep more of their award as they move into work.
The Government should consider reducing the taper rate to ensure that the poorest in society do not pay higher marginal effective tax rates compared to the richest in society.
The conditionality requirements on claimants who can look for, or prepare for work, has been increased significantly over recent years. Less emphasis should be placed on obligations and sanctions. Instead, there should be more support to help coach and train claimants to find jobs or to progress in their current roles. Conditionality should be adapted to accommodate changing labour market conditions, including at the local level, particularly in the light of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK has some of the most punitive sanctions in the world, but there is limited evidence that they have a positive effect. Removing people’s main source of support for extended periods risks pushing them further into poverty, indebtedness and reliance on food banks. There is a substantial body of evidence which shows that sanctions harm people’s mental health. The Government should evaluate the current length and level of sanctions. It should also expedite its work on introducing a written warning system before the application of a sanction. Sanctions must be a last resort.
The Government is doubling the number of work coaches in response to potential levels of high unemployment. This may not be enough to support people to find work in a stagnant labour market with high levels of competition for jobs. A cap should be introduced on the number of cases for which each work coach can be responsible.
Paying awards on a monthly basis does not reflect the way many claimants live. It causes unnecessary budget and cash flow problems. All claimants should be able to choose whether to have Universal Credit paid monthly or twice monthly.
Including childcare support in Universal Credit was a mistake. Paying costs in arrears has been a barrier to in-work progression and in some cases, it has been a disincentive to work. The Government should remove childcare support from Universal Credit and be made into a new standalone benefit paid in advance.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wedneday 29 July):
Good afternoon everyone thank you for joining us. As usual I will start with the most recent statistics on Covid.
I can report that an additional 22 positive cases were confirmed yesterday. That represents 0.7% of those who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland now to 18,580.
The health board breakdown of these new cases will be available later but my provisional information is that 14 of the 22 are in Greater Glasgow & Clyde area.
I have also been advised that a possible cluster of cases is currently under investigation by Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
An Incident Management Team meeting will take place later this afternoon, which I hope will give more detail, and an update will be provided after that. But I want to give an assurance today as I always do that all new positive cases are thoroughly investigated for any links and Test and Protect of course gets to work to make sure that all contacts are appropriately traced.
I can also report today that a total of 260 patients are currently in hospital who have been confirmed as having the virus. That is 4 fewer than yesterday.
And a total of 2 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid and that is no change on the figure yesterday.
Finally, I am very pleased to say that yet again during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test in the previous 28 days as having COVID-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains 2,491.
In addition though, National Records of Scotland has just published its regular weekly report. Unlike the daily figures, it includes deaths of people who have been confirmed as having Covid by a test within the previous 28 days.
But the NRS report also covers cases where the virus has been entered on a death certificate as a suspected or contributory cause of death – even if its presence was not confirmed by a test, or if the test had been more than 28 days previously.
That is a wider measure, and therefore captures more cases and between our daily figure and the NRS report, let me be very clear that all deaths that are associated with Covid either on a confirmed basis or suspected or contributory are captured and reported.
The latest NRS report covers the period to Sunday 26 July. Let me remind you at that point, according to our daily figures, 2,491 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus had been registered but none of those deaths were registered in the 7 days up to Sunday.
Today’s NRS report shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths with either a confirmed or a presumed link to the virus was 4,201. Of those, 8 were registered in the seven days up to Sunday. That is an increase of 2 from the week before.
National Records of Scotland has also reported that the total number of deaths recorded last week – from all causes not just the virus – was 24 lower than the five year average for the same time of year.
Now I want to say just a bit more about the fact that the number of Covid deaths rose very slightly last week – especially given that we reported no deaths at all over that period in our daily figures. 4 of the 8 deaths reported by NRS were in hospital; 2 were in care homes; and 2 were in other settings – for example at home.
Now the reason why the 4 deaths in hospitals weren’t captured by our daily figures, is that those daily figures –as I’ve mentioned already today– record people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.
However some people who test positive receive care for more than 28 days afterwards, but sadly some of them do not manage to recover.
So if these people die after the initial 28 days, but have Covid recorded on the death certificate as a contributing factor, then they would be included in the NRS report, but not in the daily figures but again that is to give you assurance that all deaths associated with Covid are being captured and reported between our daily figures and the National Records of Scotland report .
I want to make just two more general points about today’s figures, .
First obviously, any increase in deaths, however small it might be, is regrettable and very unwelcome . But when we have very low levels as we do now thankfully – fluctuation is to be expected.
However, the second point is this one. These figures are a reminder of the continuing impact of the pandemic – and of the fact that, despite the progress we have undoubtedly made, we should never underestimate how cruel a virus this can be.
We’ve always got to remember that every single life lost to this illness, is of an individual who is being mourned by friends and loved ones. I want to send again today my condolences to everyone who is grieving as a result of Covid.
I also want, as always, to thank our health and care workers for the extraordinary work you continue to do, in what remains very testing circumstances. You have mine and the entire Scottish Government’s gratitude for that.
Now, I have two other issues that I want to briefly update on today and both of them relate to further improvements to our presentation of Covid data.
We have had some discussions with the other nations of the UK about providing regular and consistent reports on the distribution of personal and protective equipment, PPE. Our first report will be published on the Scottish Government website today.
That shows that in the past week alone, more than 16 million items of PPE have been distributed across Scotland by National Services Scotland. These include almost 12 million gloves, 3 million masks, and nearly 1 million aprons. In total, since the 1 March, more than 362 million items have been distributed.
These figures give some idea of the scale of the ongoing work to ensure that health and care workers have the equipment they need to keep them safe and I am grateful to everyone involved in that effort.
In addition, from 2pm today, Public Health Scotland will be presenting a much wider range of Covid information on its website. And doing so, in what I hope you will find to be, a more accessible format.
It will publish our new Covid dashboard which will include summary data of recent cases and deaths, broken down both by health board and by local authority area.
And it includes much more detailed information according to the date of someone’s test result, and also the date on which people have sadly died. So you can, for example, find out exactly how many women or men within a certain age range, tested positive in Scotland on a specific day.
We know from the information requests that we receive, that there is a desire from many people to have easier access to more detailed data about the pandemic – both in terms of the current position, and of course the risk we will continue to face in the weeks ahead but also in terms of how the pandemic has developed over the past few months.
We hope that the new dashboard will help anybody who is interested, to see data about the pandemic in their area or across the whole of the country.
One of the features of the dashboard is that it will use local data to colour-code local authority areas, based on the proportion of neighbourhoods which exceed 55 confirmed cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period.
An average-sized neighbourhood on the map – which would have about 4,000 people – would need to have three cases in the previous week to exceed that limit.
That figure is considerably higher than the current prevalence of Covid within the population, and so – in contrast to the peak of the pandemic – many local authority areas are currently likely to be shown as having no neighbourhoods above that threshold.
That, however, should not be taken as a sign that there is no cause for concern or a signal for any of us to be complacent and I want to stress that very clearly.
The new figures will show, as the figures I report every day right now thankfully show, that Covid is at low levels in Scotland and we have all worked very hard to get to this position. But we also know from the case numbers I have reported today for example that the virus is still circulating in Scotland. And the clusters we have seen, and undoubtedly continue to see, demonstrate how quickly the virus can spread again, if we give it the opportunity to do so.
In addition to that as I was talking about yesterday, news reports from other countries – in Europe and around the world – remind us of how easily progress against Covid can start to go into reverse.
For that reason, when I announce the outcome of the Scottish Government’s formal review of the Covid restrictions in Parliament tomorrow, I’m likely, very likely, to adopt a very cautious approach.
We have made some very significant changes over the last three weeks – including the resumption of indoor hospitality and tourism, and it is still too early to be completely assured about the impact of these or hopefully the absents of the impact of these.
And we also intend to make some very major changes over the next three weeks – for example I hope I can confirm tomorrow the pausing of shielding at the end of the month, and as you know it is our central objective for the next three weeks to get schools back full time from 11 August.
Ensuring that those changes can take place, without raising the prevalence of the virus too far, is not going to leave us very much room for many other immediate changes.
I know sometimes what appear to be anomalies right now, about what is allowed and not allowed can seem confusing – although I would assure you that there are rational explanations for what might appear on the surface to be inconsistencies.
But more fundamentally, and this is a key point that I want to leave you with, we can’t just look at whether an individual change is safe, although that is an important part of our consideration – we also have to consider the cumulative impact of all of the changes we make, and we have to be sensible about the order in which we make changes so we don’t create a situation in which we are doing too much too quickly and therefore giving the virus a chance to overwhelm us again.
So there will be, I’m sure parts of our economy and people, who will be disappointed tomorrow if changes they want to hear are not happening as quickly as they would like and I recognise that and I am genuinely, as I always have been, sorry about that. I don’t relish any of the implications and consequences of what we are dealing with right now.
Where we are unable to move to a further opening up tomorrow, we will indicate as far as we can. indicative dates for the future even though they will be conditional on continued suppression of the virus.
As ever, the decisive factor in ensuring how quickly we can make further changes in the weeks ahead, will be how successful we continue to be at driving this virus to low levels and keeping it at the low levels we see right now.
And as ever, that depends on all of us. Each and every one of us have to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid creating opportunities for the virus to spread.
What I’m about to say, firstly you’ve heard me say it before and secondly it is not intended as a criticism.
We are all human beings and even the politicians among us, and human behaviour is very instinctive and I know, and I totally know from my own observations and I know how hard it is in my own life, that some of the things that we have been getting used to doing for the past four months, physically distancing in particular, we are all perhaps beginning to just drop our guard a little bit on these things.
And this is a moment and I say this directly and I will just say it from the bottom of my heart, it is a moment for all of us just to pause and think about whether that is the case and if we are dropping our guard and letting those standards slip, give ourselves a bit of a shake and make sure we do all the things that we have been advised to do rigorously in the period ahead and that is of course encapsulated in the FACTS advice that I always end with and that I will end with today.
• Please wear face coverings, it’s mandatory as you know in shops and on public transport and I think you will see high levels of compliance with that but in any enclosed space where you might find it more difficult to physical distance, wear a face covering. It gives an added bit of protection against transmission. • Continue to avoid crowded places. Even if they are outdoors, crowded places wherever they are, increase the risks of this virus spreading, so avoid crowded places. • Remember to clean your hands and clean any hard surfaces that you’re touching. This one will be cleaned after this briefing today because the virus stays around on hard surfaces and we know it can spread through lack of hand hygiene. So clean hands, clean hard surfaces. . • Keep a two metre distance. And this is the one more than any of the others that we all need to check ourselves on. Keep a 2 metre distance unless you’re in a premises where there is permission to go to 1 metre with appropriate mitigations the general rule remains 2 metres . • and lastly Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
Test and Protect right now is performing I think well and those who are working through Test and Protect are doing a sterling job when outbreaks and clusters appear.
But they need the cooperation of each and every one of us, so please make sure if you are experiencing a cough, a fever, or if you are aware of a change in a loss in your sense of taste or smell, then you self-isolate immediately and you take a test immediately because that helps Test and Protect do its job.
If we all follow all of these things, we don’t take away the risks of this virus unfortunately it’s not that simple but we do significantly reduce those risks and we collectively try to protect the progress that we’ve made and hopefully keep that progress and keep this virus under control, so thanks all of you for listening.
COVID-19 Cluster Identified within Greater Glasgow and Clyde
A cluster of eight positive COVID-19 cases have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and a thorough investigation is underway.
Contact tracing of individuals has identified a number of businesses across Greater Glasgow and Clyde including a pharmacy in Inverclyde as being linked to the cases.
An NHSGGC-led Incident Management Team is working with Scottish Government, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and local environmental health teams to provide advice and support.
None of the cases are experiencing anything but mild symptoms.
Close contacts are being advised to self-isolate and other identified contacts are being followed up and given appropriate advice.
To respect and maintain patient confidentiality no further details will be released at this time.
Darren Jones, Chair of Westminster’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, has written to Secretary of State Alok Sharma outlining a number of key issues for the UK Government to address in its approach to support for business and workers as the country emerges from the Covid-19 lockdown.
The correspondence to the Secretary of State recognises the efforts of many workers and businesses who rose to the challenges brought about during the pandemic.
The letter also highlights a number of issues, including gaps in support for workers, the tapering of support for workers through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the treatment of workers during the pandemic and health & safety issues.
The letter tackles a number of areas concerning the Government’s support for businesses, recommending the Government review the success of the various loan schemes and the behavior of banks, and also highlighting problems arising from unpaid business rent and the calls for targeted support for sectors that are likely to continue to be hit by restrictions which threaten their future revenue and viability.
Darren Jones, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee said: “The Business Department and the Treasury deserve significant credit for their efforts in addressing the unprecedented challenges faced by business and workers following the impact of Covid-19.
“Given the evolving situation around Covid-19, it’s inevitable that issues would emerge concerning the effectiveness of the Government’s support package and its impact on workers and businesses.
“However, it is also the case that the alarm over gaps in the Government’s support, such as for women, and those affecting freelancers and agency workers, were being raised repeatedly by those affected and yet these warnings continued to go unheeded.
“Rishi Sunak echoed a previous Chancellor in suggesting that the coronavirus has seen us all in it together. However, it’s clear that the reality of the economic lockdown is that its impact has not been shared out evenly and that it is falling very heavily on some parts of our economy.
“For example, we heard from sectors, including retail, the creative industries and manufacturing, who expressed concern over increasing redundancies in the wake of the furlough scheme changes coming in this weekend.
“It’s clear that some sectors of our economy will continue to face very challenging conditions. The shutdown of the aviation and aerospace sector will, for example, have a longer-term impact on these industries compared to others. In some parts of hospitality and in other sectors too, difficult trading conditions and continuing restrictions threaten future revenue and their viability.
“It’s important the Government quickly learns the lessons of recent months so that they can act in future with more policy sophistication and transparency and be able to step up and deliver the most effective support possible to workers and businesses.
“If we face the prospect of a second-wave and the likelihood of increased local lock-downs, it’s essential the Government looks again at its approach to sector support and to the additional measures which will be necessary to secure our economic recovery, help businesses prosper and enable workers to protect their livelihoods”.
The letter to the Secretary of State notes the examples highlighted by Which? of price-gouging, profiteering, and the inability of consumers to obtain refunds which they were legally entitled to when their holidays and flights were cancelled.
The correspondence also notes the comments from Lord Tyrie, former Chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority, stating that the pandemic had revealed that the CMA needed new powers to deal with profiteering.
The Committee calls for the Government to undertake a review of the powers and responsibilities of the CMA, and other consumer regulation enforcers, to address bad business practices and the effective enforcement of consumer law and the action needed to tackle market abuses, such as profiteering, that took place during the pandemic.
The letter to the Secretary of State highlights issues around the impact of late payments and the problems that many small businesses were experiencing throughout the UK’s supply chains because of cash flow problems.
Following evidence from SMEs, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) on these issues, the Committee recommends the SBC be given additional powers to proactively investigate late payments, that the Prompt Payment Code be made compulsory, and that late payers should be excluded from government contracts.
Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection at Which?, said:“Our research has highlighted terrible practices during the coronavirus pandemic, including airlines that have refused to refund passengers and sellers that have unjustifiably bumped up prices on essential goods.
“In too many situations consumers have been left with nowhere to turn, which is why regulators need to be given stronger and more targeted powers so they can take effective enforcement to tackle the types of bad practice we’ve seen during the crisis.”
As the Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Scotland on Thursday, the Scottish Trades Union Congress warned of further constitutional unrest if economic issues are not addressed
Prime Minister, crabs:Choose your own caption!
Roz Foyer, General Secretary of the STUC said: “Johnson’s jolly to Scotland won’t dispel the gloom that’s setting in as thousands hear the news that they have lost their work.
“The scale of the economic crisis we are facing is huge. Rather than insult the people of Scotland with his ignorance, he should focus his effort onto announcing concrete plans to rebuild our economy.
“He knows that economic unrest will find a channel in constitutional demands, and he is right to be worried. People in Scotland know how closely politics and the economy are interlinked, as the slump starts setting in across the sectors in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
“Extending the furlough scheme, all across the UK, would massively help many industrial sectors such as hospitality weather the coming storm.
“Investment in a proper Green New Deal would create the environmentally friendly jobs and economic boost that our workers and hard-struck communities are desperate for.
“For far too long, the government and employers have undervalued the kind of work that coronavirus has shown to be of utmost importance. An increase in the minimum wage to £10 an hour, and an additional £2 an hour for all key workers who have kept us safe during this catastrophic pandemic, would be a start in righting the wrongs of the past.
“Boris won’t be so jolly once he starts to see how workers in Scotland respond in the wake of his woeful response.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Wednesday 22 July):
Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing. I want to start with the usual update on the most recent Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
An additional 10 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – that takes the total now in Scotland to 18,484.
The Health Board breakdown will be available later as normal.
However, the provisional information I have is that three of these 10 cases are in Lanarkshire where we are dealing with an outbreak, which I’ll say more about shortly. At this stage, we know one of these three is associated with the outbreak.
From today, as well as reporting the overall number of positive cases – which can fluctuate in line with the number of tests carried out – I will also report the percentage of people tested who have been newly identified as positive.
For context, the World Health Organisation suggests than an indication of the epidemic being under control is less than 5% of samples testing positive over a two week period.
The 10 cases being reported today in Scotland represent 0.3% testing positive.
The 22 cases reported yesterday, represented 0.8%.
I can also report that 295 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid. That is eight fewer than yesterday. As you may remember from yesterday’s briefing, we will now report figures for confirmed cases only.
A total of three people last night were in intensive care with confirmed Covid-19. That is one fewer than yesterday.
I am glad to say that during the last 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19. The total number of deaths, under this particular measure, therefore remains at 2,491.
In addition, the National Records of Scotland has just published its regular weekly report, which is more detailed than our daily figures. Like the daily figures, it includes deaths of people who have been confirmed by a test as having COVID.
However it also covers cases where the virus has been entered on a death certificate as a suspected or contributory cause of death – even if its presence was not confirmed by a test. That is a wider measure, and therefore it captures more cases.
The latest NRS report covers the period to Sunday 19 July. At that point, according to our daily figures, 2,491 deaths of people who had tested positive had been registered.
However, today’s report shows that, by Sunday, the total number of registered deaths with either a confirmed or a presumed link to the virus was 4,193. Of those, six were registered in the seven days up to Sunday. That is a decrease of seven from the week before.
Three of those six deaths were in care homes, which is a reduction of four from last week.
The total number of deaths recorded last week – from all causes – was 32 higher than the five year average for the same time of year.
We will of course see if there are any causes for concern there, but it is worth remembering that the total number of deaths is always likely to fluctuate a bit. Last week’s figures follow on from a three week period, when the total number of deaths was below the five year average by 18, 35 and 49 respectively.
Last week was the twelfth week in a row in which the number of deaths from the virus has fallen. In addition, the total weekly number of Covid deaths now is the lowest we have seen since we started to record them in this way.
Today’s report shows once again that Covid has been driven to very low levels in Scotland.
However the figures also remind us that more than 4,000 people have lost their lives to this virus.
We must always remember that each of those deaths, was of a unique and irreplaceable individual. I want to send my condolences to everyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.
I also want, as I always do, to send my gratitude our health and care workers for the extraordinary job they continue to do.
I want to talk about two issues this afternoon. In a few minutes, I will go over some of the changes to lockdown rules which we have previously announced come into effect today.
However before I do that, I will give a brief update on the latest information we have about the Covid outbreak in Lanarkshire, based around the Sitel call centre.
Since Sunday an intensive contact tracing operation has been underway.
All staff at Sitel have been told to isolate at home for 14 days, and in addition all staff have been asked to come forward for testing. As of this morning, around 390 test results, out of around 400 tested overall, have been returned.
As of now, 15 positive cases have been identified of people who work at the site, and a further five additional positive cases have been identified through the tracing of family members and close contacts.
Contact tracing has also confirmed that a number of Sitel staff who have tested positive also had links to other locations, prior to becoming aware of the outbreak.
Environmental Health officers have checked on those locations. They are satisfied that precautions such as protective equipment and cleaning were in place, and that the risk of transmission is therefore low. Close contacts from these locations have also been advised to isolate.
I want to take the opportunity today to thank the five locations – which are Owen’s Bar in Coatbridge; The Railway Tavern and Merlin’s Bar in Motherwell; Costa Coffee in Carfin; and END clothing in Glasgow – for their co-operation.
I would also ask people who might have attended those locations in the last week or so to be extra vigilant, to follow all guidance and to isolate and book a test if you do experience any symptoms. I am saying this not because I think there is a real concern in transmission there but simply as an added precaution
This outbreak should be a very clear reminder to people that Coronavirus has not gone away. It does not take much for very small numbers of cases to become much bigger numbers – and while Test & Protect and our local public health teams are working incredibly hard to contain any outbreaks, it is not just their job. I think that’s an important point for all of us to remember, each and every one of us has a job to do to keep the virus at bay.
The second point I want to cover is to confirm that – in line with the timetable set out in our routemap – more services are reopening today.
From today, universities and colleges can institute a phased return to on-campus learning.
Further personal retail services – such as beauticians and tailors – can re-open, with enhanced hygiene measures in place.
Motorcycle instruction, tractor driving instruction and car theory tests can also resume from today.
And finally drive-in live events – such as comedy and theatre shows, concerts and bingo evenings – can also take place from today
Today’s steps represent a further cautious re-opening of sectors, and cautious resumption of services. As always, there are some risks attached to them, but we believe that with the appropriate mitigations in place, these risks can be managed.
As many of you will know, the regulations currently require us to review the lockdown restrictions every three weeks. The next review is due next Thursday, a week tomorrow, so I now is the right time to inject a note of caution.
Phase 2 of our emergence from lockdown took exactly three weeks. But as I indicated two weeks ago this current phase, phase 3, is likely to last considerably longer.
The changes we have made over the last two weeks have been really significant, including the opening of our tourism sector and indoor hospitality, so we have to carefully monitor the impact of that and the number of new coronavirus cases we are seeing each day.
Examples like the outbreak in North Lanarkshire show what can happen when people are mixing indoors and when guidance is perhaps not rigorously followed.
At a time when the virus is picking up again in a number of European countries, we need to be confident that it is safe to change restrictions further.
Our main focus right now, I think it is a priority, is on keeping the virus at a low enough level to enable schools to fully and safely re-open from the 11th of August.
That would be a further significant change. In addition, we have said already that if possible, we would like to remove the requirement for shielding from 31 July. I will say more about changes for shielding people tomorrow.
These two aims – allowing people who have been shielding to live more normally, and enabling children to go back to school full time – are really important priorities. And to be frank they are only achievable, if levels of Covid in the community remain very low.
Now obviously, we will continue to review the data for new cases and hospital admissions, among other things and our final decisions will be made next week. If there are steps we can take, then we will – we cannot leave restrictions in place for longer than is judged to be necessary.
However I want to flag up now that it is possible that we may not be able to make any changes next week beyond confirming the return of schooling and a pause in shielding.
So for those businesses who are still waiting for a date to restart, I thank you for your ongoing patience. I fully understand how difficult any further delay is for you, but I also hope you will understand why we need to prioritise re-opening schools.
I also want to underline that we are making changes at a pace and at a level that we think is right and safe for our current circumstances here in Scotland.
Announcements made for other parts of the UK do not automatically apply here.
For example I want to underline that the UK government’s encouragement to those who can work from home in England to nevertheless return to workplaces, does not yet apply in Scotland.
Working from home, where that is feasible, remains the default and preferred position and we expect employers to continue to support people to do that. We will be publishing new guidance on home working shortly.
The cluster of cases I have just talked about – around a call centre in Lanarkshire – is a salutary reminder that transmission of this virus can occur in workplaces and spread relatively easily.
Our position remains that non-essential offices and call centres should remain closed, until we judge it is safe to make this significant change for Scotland.
These notes of caution link to the point I want to end on.
It continues to be the case that the only way in which we can take further steps out of lockdown safely, is if we continue to suppress the virus. And achieving that – now, more than ever – comes down to the individual decisions that each and every one of us is making.
I know how difficult it is to maintain two metre distancing when you are meeting people you haven’t seen for three or four months – especially with family members and close friends, the human instinct to hug and be physically close is a very strong one.
But staying that bit further apart can make all the difference – it makes you less likely to get the virus, and makes you less likely to transmit the virus.
The choices we all make as individuals – on physical distancing, on wearing face coverings, on washing our hands – these will decide how quickly all of us can make further progress out of lockdown together.
And so I want to close once again by emphasising Facts – the five key things all of us should remember in everything we do.
Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
Avoid crowded places.
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
Two metre distancing remains the rule – it is the one measure we all need to remind ourselves to constantly comply with
and self-isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms. Go to https://www.nhsinform.scot and book a test immediately
If we all stick to this we have a real chance of getting the virus back under control and accelerating progress back to something much more normal than life has felt in the past few months. My thanks again to everybody who is co-operating and playing their part.
Marking one year as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson will today visit Scotland to reaffirm his commitment to supporting all parts of the UK through the pandemic …
Marking one year as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson will today visit Scotland to reaffirm his commitment to supporting all parts of the UK through the pandemic
During the visit, the PM will meet local businesses to discuss how they are getting back on their feet; entrepreneurs to see how green technology is driving innovation across Scotland and military to thank them for their efforts in the coronavirus response
Ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister pledged £50 million to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the union, marking one year as Prime Minister with a visit to Scotland and pledging further support for Scottish communities.
Ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister reiterated how the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated, more than ever, that each part of the UK benefits from being together and the strength of the union has helped us through this crisis.
In Scotland, the UK Treasury has protected over 900,000 jobs and granted thousands of businesses loans; the UK’s armed forces has airlifted critically ill patients from some of the most remote communities, helped convert the temporary hospitals and ran mobile testing sites; and the Department of Health and Social Care has procured millions of pieces of PPE to keep Scottish frontline workers safe.
This is on top of £4.6 billion ‘we have given straight to the Scottish administration to help tackle coronavirus’.
The Prime Minister has also announced further support to Scottish communities, committing £50 million to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, to help develop the islands’ economic potential. The announcement means that every part of Scotland is now covered by the innovative growth deals and takes the UK Government’s investment in these to more than £1.5 billion.
The multi-million-pound pot for the islands will lead to investment in local projects, driving sustainable economic growth and creating jobs. Projects set to be supported by the Islands Growth deal could include those developing space technology and others researching new renewable energy systems.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “When I stood on the steps of Downing Street one year ago, I pledged to be a Prime Minister for every corner of the United Kingdom. Whether you are from East Kilbride or Dumfries, Motherwell or Paisley, I promised to level up across Britain and close the opportunity gap.
“The last six months have shown exactly why the historic and heartfelt bond that ties the four nations of our country together is so important and the sheer might of our union has been proven once again.
“In Scotland, the UK’s magnificent armed forces have been on the ground doing vital work to support the NHS, from setting up and running mobile testing sites to airlifting critically ill patients to hospitals from some of Scotland’s most remote communities. And the UK Treasury stepped in to save the jobs of a third of Scotland’s entire workforce and kept the wolves at bay for tens of thousands of Scottish businesses.
“More than ever, this shows what we can achieve when we stand together, as one United Kingdom.”
During the PM’s visit, he will meet with members of the military and their families based in Scotland to thank them for their ongoing work in the coronavirus response.
Following the Islands Deal announcement, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The City Region and Growth Deals will be crucial to our economic recovery from coronavirus.
“Today’s announcement means that every corner of Scotland will benefit from these and takes the UK Government’s investment in growth deals across Scotland to more than £1.5 billion.
“These deals are just part of the unprecedented support that the UK Government is providing to people and businesses in Scotland during this time. We have supported 900,000 jobs in Scotland with our furlough and self-employed schemes, including 11,600 across the islands.
“We look forward to working with our partners across the islands and the devolved administration in Scotland to develop innovative and effective proposals.”
The Prime Minister will not be meeting Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during today’s flying visit.
Ms Sturgeon commented on Twitter: ‘I welcome the PM to Scotland today. One of the key arguments for independence is the ability of Scotland to take our own decisions, rather than having our future decided by politicians we didn’t vote for, taking us down a path we haven’t chosen. His presence highlights that.’
The Scottish Government is also investing £50 million in the Islands Deal.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, said: “The Islands Growth Deal is the final regional growth deal to be announced and marks our commitment to invest across all of Scotland, which is something we have pushed for.
“This money will work to improve the quality of life for island communities, alongside the Scottish Government National Islands Plan we introduced to the Scottish Parliament at the end of 2019.
“This significant investment will support islanders’ ambitions to create world-class visitor destinations, lead the way to a low carbon future, support growth and future industries and help the communities thrive by attracting and retaining young talent, driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and delivering long lasting benefits for people living across the three island authority areas.
“It is important that all deals take account of the unprecedented economic challenges created by coronavirus (COVID-19) and we are working with partners, to understand how best to move forward and respond to current circumstances.
“More than £1.8 billion has been committed by the Scottish Government to City Region and Growth Deals and related investments across Scotland, in addition to ongoing capital investment in Scotland’s islands across a range of policy areas.”
Controversial Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival organisers Underbelly have halted ticket sales for this year’s event – just hours after announcing ‘exciting plans’ for the New Year celebrations.
Tickets for the Hogmanay Street party were still on sale on the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2020 website yesterday afternoon, but sales were halted and information updated on the site last night.
A statement issued by Underbelly last night said: “As has been reported, exciting and positive discussions are taking place between City of Edinburgh Council and Underbelly in relation to the Hogmanay programme for 2020.
“However, it is clear to all parties that the famous Street Party cannot take place in its current form in 2020 and tickets are today being taken off sale.
“Customers who have booked tickets will be contacted in the next 14 days to be offered a full refund.”
Yesterday afternoon, BBC Scotland had reported:
Tickets for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party have gone on sale with organisers saying it “will be a pivotal moment for the world”.
It follows a meeting on Tuesday looking into how the Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated at the end of the year.
Organiser Underbelly said it was “excited by the events being discussed”.
A final decision on this year’s activities is expected in late August.
Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, directors of Underbelly, said: “We’re working closely and positively with City of Edinburgh Council and other partners on plans for Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay.
“This will be a pivotal moment for the world both to reflect on 2020 and to look to the future, and the safety of Edinburgh’s residents and visitors is critical to how these plans evolve.
“We’re excited by the events being discussed and look forward to sharing the details in the coming weeks.”
‘Positive discussions’
Adam McVey, City of Edinburgh council leader, said: “The council is having positive discussions on how Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated this year.
“All involved recognise the uncertainty of the current situation and the significant requirements for anything Edinburgh hosts to meet public health guidance.
“It’s clear that if our 2020 winter festivals go ahead they will look very different from recent years, using different locations across the city.
“It is also important to think more creatively about how to better support our local businesses who have been impacted by the lockdown.”
Initial discussions exploring potential revised plans for how both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated in 2020 began yesterday with the Council All Party Oversight Group.
A final decision on this year’s activities is expected in late August.
Representatives from all political parties met with senior officers and Winter Festivals’ producers, Underbelly, to discuss a range of proposals, which take account of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and associated health and safety considerations.
Following the positive informal discussions, the proposals will be developed further before being reported to the Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee in late August for a decision.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The Council is having positive discussions on how Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated this year. All involved recognise the uncertainty of the current situation and the significant requirements for anything Edinburgh hosts to meet public health guidance.
“It’s clear that if our 2020 Winter Festivals go ahead they will look very different from recent years, using different locations across the City. It is also important to think more creatively about how to better support our local businesses who have been impacted by the lockdown.
“Any events will need to give our residents a truly Edinburgh experience that helps discover more of our fantastic businesses that operate all year round. Work is underway with our partners to further investigate the feasibility of these new proposals and Councillors will agree the way forward in the coming weeks.
Depute Leader Cammy Day added: “We’re the proud hosts to what are well established and internationally renowned winter festivals and, in light of the ongoing global pandemic, we’re looking at alternative ways to mark them in a meaningful, workable and safe way.
“I feel positive that our Edinburgh will be able to celebrate Christmas and Hogmanay this year. However, the safety of residents and visitors remains paramount and we need some time to develop and check feasibility of proposals before a final plan can be brought forward for a final decision in August.”
