Politics – Page 45 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

UK backing for new international drive to prevent and prepare for future pandemics

UK will give £25 million to found a new World Bank fund to prevent, prepare for and respond to future devastating pandemics
Investment in preventing future pandemics can stop the devastating human and economic impact of COVID-19 happening again

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced £25 million of UK aid backing for a new fund to ensure the world is better prepared to defeat future pandemics.

Hosted by the World Bank, the ‘Financial Intermediary Fund’ for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response will provide funding to countries whose healthcare systems are dangerously unprepared for the challenges caused by large outbreaks of infectious diseases. It will ensure they can quickly respond to, and as far as possible contain, outbreaks before they spread across the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to at least 6.2 million deaths across the world and caused far-reaching economic devastation.

Stopping a pandemic like this ever happening again will require a concerted and coordinated international effort.

At the G7 Summit today (Monday), leaders will discuss the importance of helping countries manage Covid as an endemic disease and the pressing need to invest in preparedness and other measures to prevent history repeating itself.

The new fund will help fill some of the financing gaps exposed by COVID-19, particularly insufficient financing for preparedness in national health systems and disease surveillance at country, regional and global levels. Crucially, the fund can help catalyse countries’ own financing, so the world is as equipped as possible whenever and wherever a new public health risk emerges.

The Prime Minister said: “While the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic are, thankfully, behind us, we cannot be complacent. The next potential pandemic could emerge any moment and with it the devastating human and economic consequences we have experienced over the last two and a half years.

“We must ensure we learn the lessons of COVID-19 and are better prepared next time. We owe it to the people of the world to say, ‘never again’.”

The chance of a pandemic on the scale of COVID-19 occurring in the next 25 years could be as high as 50%, and a key lesson of the coronavirus pandemic is that even small investments in pandemic preparedness can have huge returns.

By contributing to preparedness in the short term, we can avoid huge economic damage in the long-term.

Under the UK’s G7 Presidency last year, the Prime Minister drove forward international work on pandemic preparedness under his ‘five point plan’ and the 100 Days Mission, work on which was led by Sir Patrick Vallance.

This included launching a worldwide network of zoonotic research hubs, increasing the global manufacturing capacity for treatment and vaccines, designing a new early warning system and agreeing global protocols for a future health emergency.

The UK also hosted a Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit in March, which raised over £1.2 billion to develop variant-proof coronavirus vaccines and speed up the process of developing vaccines against future health threats so this can be done in under 100 days.

David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, said: “I welcome the UK’s support for the new Financial Intermediary Fund to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response functions in developing countries.

“The fund will provide a dedicated stream of additional, long-term funding to complement the work of existing institutions and operate with high standards of transparency and accountability.

“COVID-19 highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action to build stronger health systems and mobilise additional resources to prepare for the next pandemic in countries, regions, and around the world.”

At the G7 Summit last year, the UK galvanised international action to donate 870 million coronavirus vaccines to those who need them. This commitment, combined with UK and other investments to support the development and rapid manufacturing scale-up of COVID-19 vaccines, turned the tide on Covid around the world. Two-thirds of the global population have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.

The supply of coronavirus vaccines now outstrips demand and UK efforts are therefore focused on action to end the acute phase of the pandemic, help countries manage COVID-19 as an endemic disease and prepare for the next health threat.

Governments, NGOs and private donors have been encouraged to donate to the Financial Intermediary Fund, which was called for by G20 Finance Ministers in April.

The funding announced by the Prime Minister today will establish the UK as a founding donor to the fund, alongside the US, EU and others.

COP President Alok Sharma to address CHOGM 2022 to urge implementation of the Glasgow Climate Pact

He will lead a high-level climate event to discuss progress on the Glasgow Climate Pact, and the importance of keeping the 1.5C goal alive
The COP26 President will also visit the Kigali hub of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), spearheaded by UK experts and £16 million of DEFRA funding

COP President Alok Sharma will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2022), this week, June 22-23, in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of a UK government delegation led by the Prime Minister.

Mr Sharma will co-host a high-level Commonwealth climate event on Thursday 23 June with the Government of Rwanda to underline the importance of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C, reiterate the action that was committed at COP26, and set out the steps already being taken by Commonwealth members to achieve this.

This will feature the agreement to revisit, strengthen and implement their 2030 climate action plans and long-term strategies towards net-zero, providing a spotlight on the commitments made in Glasgow and the action that must be taken by COP27.

Mr Sharma will announce at the event that the UK has doubled its funding to £10 million for the NDC Partnership’s new Partnership Action Fund (PAF), as part of the UK’s drive to work with developing countries to implement and enhance their climate commitments outlined in their Nationally Determined Contributions.

Commonwealth leaders, United Nations organisations, civil society, the private sector and young people will also discuss progress on the Glasgow Climate Pact, accessing climate finance, the desired outcomes of COP27 in Egypt and how Commonwealth Member States can work together to achieve them.

Mr Sharma will then speak at the Commonwealth Business Forum at CHOGM to outline the ambitious trajectory set in Glasgow, and the need for businesses to continue the momentum on the road to global net zero.

Finally, the COP President will visit the Kigali hub of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES). Currently seven per cent of the world’s emissions come from cooling – anything from food and vaccine storage to air conditioning to high-tech innovation – and demand for cooling will only grow as global temperatures increase.

Spearheaded by UK experts and £16 million of DEFRA funding, ACES is dedicated to generating ideas, technology and capacity building to support sustainable cooling or all that need it using renewables, climate friendly refrigerants and energy efficient equipment.

As temperatures hit record highs globally, this work will support those most vulnerable to heatwaves, accelerating the transition in Africa and other developing markets to sustainable refrigeration and reducing food waste and improving vaccine supply chains.

Ahead of his visit to CHOGM 2022, COP President Alok Sharma said: “The Commonwealth has an important role to play in delivering the Glasgow Climate Pact, and keeping 1.5 degrees alive.

“It comprises both major emitters and some of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world. So, it is clearly in our collective interest to work together to take action and tackle the challenges we face.

“We should also recognise the economic growth opportunities the green transition has for job creation and sustainable development. Our collective voice can be a powerful force and it is time to honour the promises that we made in Glasgow, and turn commitments into action.”

National Care Service Bill published

“This is the most ambitious reform of public services since the creation of the NHS” – Humza Yousaf

Legislation to establish a National Care Service for Scotland (NCS) will ensure the best possible outcomes for people accessing care and support and end the ‘postcode lottery’ of care, says the Scottish Government.

The National Care Service Bill will make Scottish Ministers accountable for adult social care in Scotland – a change strongly supported by those responding to the recent consultation on the plans.

The Bill provides the foundation for the NCS, and enables the fine detail of the new service to be co-designed with people who have direct experience of social care services.

Plans have also been published to explain how that collaboration will work.

The aims are to:

support people in their own homes or among family, friends and community wherever possible, with seamless transitions between services;
create a charter of rights and responsibilities for social care, with a robust complaints and redress process;
introduce rights to breaks for unpaid carers
introduce visiting rights for residents living in adult care homes, giving legal force to Anne’s Law
ensure fair employment practices and national pay bargaining for the social care workforce;
focus on prevention and early intervention before people’s needs escalate;
create a new National Social Work Agency to promote training and development, provide national leadership and set and monitor standards in social work.

On a visit to Aberdeen-based charity VSA, which supports people with a wide range of social care needs, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Humza Yousaf said: “This is the most ambitious reform of public services since the creation of the NHS.

“People have told us they want a National Care Service, accountable to Scottish Ministers, with services designed and delivered locally. That’s exactly what we are going to deliver.

“The design of the NCS will have human rights embedded throughout, and the actual shape and detail of how the NCS works will be designed with those who have direct experience of accessing and providing social care.

“We are going to end the postcode lottery of care in Scotland. Through the National Care Service we’re going to ensure everyone has access to consistently high-quality care and support so they can live a full life. This is our ambitious goal and while it will not be easy to achieve it is vital that we do.”

Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart said: “One of the key benefits of a National Care Service will be to ensure our social care and social work workforce are valued, and that unpaid carers get the recognition they deserve.

“When this Bill passes we will be able to have the new National Care Service established by the end of this parliament. In the interim we will continue to take steps to improve outcomes for people accessing care – working with key partners, including local government, and investing in the people who deliver community health and social care and support.”

Chief Operating Officer of VSA Aberdeen John Booth, said: “We welcome the announcement that the National Care Service Bill has been published. With this being the biggest reform since the creation of the NHS we will now take the time to properly review the bill to understand the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to co-design the NCS to ensure the voices and needs of the vulnerable people who rely on our vital services are heard.”

Local government umbrella body COSLA has issued a statement:

A massive restructuring project, limited resources, local government opposition … Now, what could possibly go wrong?

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon: ‘It’s time to talk about independence’

FIRST MINISTER FIRES STARTING GUN FOR INDYREF2

Setting out the fresh case for Scotland to become an independent country began today as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared ‘It’s time’ and published new analysis showing the prize of independence is a wealthier, fairer Scotland.

The Scottish Government analysis – Independence in the Modern World. Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland? – details how neighbouring countries such as Sweden, Ireland, Denmark and Finland use their powers of independence to achieve economic success, business dynamism and fairer societies.

The evidence shows that:

the comparator countries are all wealthier – some a lot wealthier – than the UK
income inequality is lower in all the comparator countries
poverty rates are lower in all the comparator countries
there are fewer children living in poverty in all the comparator countries
the comparator countries all have higher productivity – often significantly higher – than the UK
business investment tends to be higher in all the comparator countries

It is the first in a series of papers called Building a New Scotland that will together form a prospectus for an independent Scotland to enable people to make an informed choice about Scotland’s future before any referendum takes place.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Today, Scotland – like countries across the world – faces significant challenges. But we also have huge advantages and immense potential. The refreshed case for independence is about how we equip ourselves to navigate the challenges and fulfil that potential, now and in future.

“In their day to day lives, people across Scotland are suffering the impacts of the soaring cost of living, low growth and increasing inequality, constrained public finances and the many implications of a Brexit we did not vote for. These problems have all been made worse or, most obviously in the case of Brexit, directly caused by the fact we are not independent.

“So at this critical juncture we face a fundamental question. Do we stay tied to a UK economic model that consigns us to relatively poor economic and social outcomes which are likely to get worse, not better, outside the EU? Or do we lift our eyes, with hope and optimism, and take inspiration from comparable countries across Europe?

“Comparable neighbouring countries with different characteristics. Countries that, in many cases, lack the abundance of resources that Scotland is blessed with. But all of them independent and, as we show today, wealthier and fairer than the UK.

“Today’s paper – and those that will follow in the weeks and months ahead – is about substance. That is what really matters. The strength of the substantive case will determine the decision people reach when the choice is offered – as it will be – and it is time now to set out and debate that case.

“After everything that has happened it is time to set out a different and better vision. It is time to talk about making Scotland wealthier and fairer. It is time to talk about independence – and then to make the choice.”

Scottish Government Minister and Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “This paper sets out a detailed, evidence-based assessment of how the UK performs in comparison to a group of European countries.

“It shows how we are being held back environmentally, socially and economically by a UK Government that does not have the interests of the people of Scotland in mind. And it shows that with the powers of independence we could make different decisions than those made by the UK government, and build a more prosperous, equal and greener Scotland.

“As we seek to deliver the transition to a net-zero economy and address a cost of living crisis that is being turbo-charged by Brexit, there could not be a more important time to give the people of Scotland a choice over our future.

The Building a New Scotland papers will help ensure that choice is an informed one, and I hope that everyone will join us in a positive and constructive national debate about Scotland’s future.”

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MSP welcomes Scottish Government’s heating assistance payment

Edinburgh Pentlands MSP Gordon Macdonald has welcomed the planned introduction of the new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit to help households both across the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency and the wider city pay their energy bills.

The support is being introduced by the SNP Scottish Government and will guarantee an annual payment of £50 to around 400,000 low income households from February 2023.

It replaces the UK government’s Cold Weather payments which were only triggered during a ‘cold spell’ of seven consecutive days below zero degrees, whilst the new payment from the Scottish Government will provide a reliable, stable guaranteed payment in winter, no matter the weather.

It will be the thirteenth social security payment introduced by the SNP Scottish Government and will be only available in Scotland.

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald said: “The SNP Scottish Government is providing a guaranteed payment of £50 to low-income households across Edinburgh to help pay their energy bills every winter, starting in February 2023.

“Once again the SNP Scottish Government is stepping up to support households within its limited budget, and despite the majority of powers lying with the Tories at Westminster.

“The Scottish Government’s annual £20m investment will mean households will get an automatic payment. The UK Cold Weather payments only reached 11,000 households in 2021/22.

“As the Scottish Government continues to step up and provide support to households across Scotland, it does so with one hand tied behind its back by the UK Tory government.

“That is why it is only with the full powers of independence can we start to build a fairer, more equal country.”

Carry On Regardless!

Prime Minister vows to ‘continue delivering on what matters to the British public’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will bring together his Cabinet today and pledge to continue delivering on what matters to the British people – despite a significant revolt that saw 148 Tory MPs vote against him in a vote of confidence at Westminster last night.

He will call on Ministers to drive forward progress on the government’s priorities – easing financial pressures on families, making access to NHS care quicker and easier, making the streets safer and levelling up and uniting the country.

Speaking at Cabinet, he will set out his vision for the coming weeks, which will see government deliver new policy commitments that will continue to make a real difference to people’s lives. This will include measures to reduce childcare costs for parents and a renewed drive to get more people onto the housing ladder.

The Prime Minister will also thank dedicated NHS staff as he highlights the progress made by the biggest catch-up programme in the health service’s history.

The Health and Social Care Levy, announced by the government last year, promised £39 billion of investment over the next three years so the NHS has the funding it needs to recover from the pandemic, treat patients quickly and end spiralling social care costs.

This represents more funding for health and social care than any government has ever invested before.

This money is already making a difference, with the NHS confirming yesterday that 90 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) are now open across the country and have delivered 1 million checks and tests on patients so far.

These centres are vital to clearing the Covid backlogs because by identifying and diagnosing problems as early as possible, patients can progress to treatment and care more quickly, which will reduce waiting lists.

Speaking ahead of Cabinet, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This is a government that delivers on what the people of this country care about most.

“We have pledged £37 billion to support households with their finances, made our communities safer through hiring 13,500 more police officers, and tackled the Covid backlogs in the NHS by opening nearly 100 Community Diagnostic Centres so people can access care closer to home.

“Today, I pledge to continue delivering on these priorities. We are on the side of hard-working British people, and we are going to get on with the job.”

Beginning of the end for Johnson?

TORY MPs ANNOUNCE CRUCIAL VOTE OF CONFIDENCE AT 6pm TONIGHT

Resource Spending Review: Ambitious but realistic?

An ‘ambitious but realistic’ public spending framework has been published which outlines how more than £180 billion will be invested to deliver priorities for Scotland.

The Resource Spending Review, which is not a budget, outlines how the Scottish Government will focus public finances in the coming years to tackle child poverty, address the climate crisis, strengthen the public sector as Scotland recovers from Covid and grow a stronger, fairer and greener economy.

A targeted capital spending review has also been published to address a reduction in capital investment by the UK Government. As well as supporting the NHS and affordable housing, the capital spending review will invest around £18 billion up to 31 March 2026, with over half a billion of additional funding directed to net zero programmes compared to previous plans.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “We are of course still recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic. There is still acute pressure on the NHS, on business and the wider economy. The illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis, which is affecting the global economy. Rising energy prices and constrained supply chains have affected countries worldwide. While inflation is also impacting other countries, it is not impacting them equally.

“The UK currently has the highest inflation of any G7 country– almost twice the rate of France. Brexit has made this problem worse, with increases in food prices, hitting the poorest hardest. We are experiencing an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Inflation is at a 40-year high of 9 per cent with households facing considerable hardship.

“Today’s Resource Spending Review is not a Budget. However, it is essential to share high-level financial parameters with public bodies, local government and the third sector, so we can plan ahead together.

“Today I set out an ambitious but realistic public spending framework for the years ahead. It does not ignore the realities of our financial position, but neither does it roll back on our ambitions for change.”

Further changes to Scotland’s fiscal position and to tax and social security forecasts are expected to change the funding picture ahead of annual budgets.

The spending review however does prioritise sending in key policy areas.

These are:

Tackling child poverty and supporting households and businesses with the cost of living

£22.9 billion for social security assistance
increasing the Scottish Child Payment from £10 to £25 and expanding eligibility by the end of this year
providing universal free school meals to primary school children in P1-5 and expanding provision beyond that
uprating devolved benefits

Securing stronger public services

investing £73.1 billion in health and social care including developing a National Care Service
increasing investment in frontline health services by 20 per cent over this Parliament
spending more on primary and community care to ensure people get the right treatment in the right place
funding of £42.5 billion for local government for the delivery of services
investing £11.6 billion in the justice system

Achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis

up to £75 million per year to deliver the Heat in Building Strategy, enabling £1.8 billion investment towards decarbonisation
up to £95 million towards meeting woodland creation targets
£46 million to introduce the community bus fund and an increase in funding for concessionary travel schemes
investment of over £12 million in peatland restoration
£4 million of resource spending alongside £150 million capital and financial investment for the North East and Moray Just Transition Fund

Building a stronger, fairer and greener economy

capital investment of £581 million to support the economy, including our enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank
continuing through the Inward Investment Plan to attract high quality inward investment in areas such as energy transition and the space sector
pushing forward with the export growth plan A Trading Nation to scale up Scotland’s international reach
embedding entrepreneurship in education, to give young people opportunities to start and grow businesses

The spending review provides a platform for engagement ahead of the next budget on how best to reform Scotland’s high performing public sector to become more efficient, to deliver ambitious outcomes. That means rapidly digitalising the public sector, maximising revenue through public sector innovation, reforming the public sector estate and the public body landscape, and improving public procurement.

The annual Medium Term Financial Strategy has also been published to provide the economic and fiscal context for the Resource Spending Review and Capital Spending Review, including the fiscal challenges that lie ahead.

Read the Cabinet Secretary’s statement to the Scottish Parliament in full here.

COSLA has stated that the implications of the Scottish Government’s spending plans for the rest of the parliament are deeply concerning for communities across Scotland and fail to recognise the fundamental role Local Government has in addressing the Government’s own priorities of child poverty, climate change and a stronger economy.

The ‘Resource Spending Review’, published on 31 May, shows no prospect of an increase to Local Government’s core funding for the next 3 years, which is especially concerning in the current context of soaring inflation and energy costs.

This “flat-cash” scenario gives extremely limited scope for recognising the essential work of our staff, whose expectations around pay continue to be, quite rightly, influenced by Scottish Government’s decisions in relation to other parts of public sector. Put simply, the plans as they stand will mean fewer jobs and cuts to services. COSLA is seeking an urgent meeting with the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance to discuss this further.

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Gail Macgregor said “Every year at Budget time, COSLA argues for fair funding for Local Government to maintain the essential services our communities rely on.

“No increase in our core funding damages these services and yesterday’s announcement will see this continue for at least the next three years. Our communities are starting to see and feel the difference”

Yesterday, the Fraser of Allander Institute also immediately recognised the impact on councils – “The local government budget will decline by 7% in real terms between 2022/23 and 2026/27…….the real terms erosion of the funding allocations of local authorities represents the continuation of a longer trend”

Commenting on the resource spending review, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition commented: “The Scottish Government’s resource review, which highlights a spending gap of around £3.5 billion by 2026/27, points to highly challenging times ahead for our public services (1^st June 2022).

“The Fraser of Allander Institute noted that, within this, councils will see real term cuts of 7 per cent between 2022/23 and 2026/27, the implications of which are highly disturbing for those with additional support needs (ASN) who we support.

“Those with ASN make up around a third of our children and young people, including autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, many of whom were already facing considerable barriers to support and not receiving the care they need when they need it.

“While we have witnessed a more than doubling in the number of these individuals over the last decade, putting an immense strain on services, there has been a cut in spending on additional support for learning and a slashing in specialist educational support.

“Covid-19 has had a further major impact, denying care to many, and with these latest swingeing public service cuts we are potentially facing a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people.

“We would urge the Scottish Government and newly elected councils to work together to ensure that those children and young people with ASN are made a priority, able to access the necessary support to allow them to reach their full potential.”

The STUC have yet to comment on the Spending Review.

Worth the wait? Scottish Affairs Committee receives UK Government response on its immigration report FOUR YEARS later!

The Scottish Affairs Committee has finally received the Government’s response to its predecessor Committee’s report, Immigration and Scotland.

Since report publication in July 2018, the immigration system in the UK has undergone significant reforms, in addition to leaving the European Union, the covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on immigration.

The Scottish Secretary points out in his response that non-EEA work visa applications are back to pre-pandemic levels, and EEA work visas have been increasing since the end of EU free movement.

At the time of publishing its report – July 2018 – the Committee raised concern that the points-based immigration system was complicated and bureaucratic.

In the Scottish Secretary’s response, he states that reforms are ongoing to streamline and simplify the system. He also offers an update on the latest quarterly statistics on EU immigration, showing that as of 31 December 2021, more than six million EU nationals and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, of which nearly 300,000 are in Scotland.

Scottish Affairs Committee Chair, Pete Wishart MP, said: “I am pleased that our Committee has finally received the Government’s response to the predecessor Committee’s report on immigration.

“However, such a delayed response has made it almost impossible for the Committee to track and scrutinise the impact immigration reforms are having on the people of Scotland.

“The predecessor Committee, which I chaired, would no doubt be disappointed that the Government response failed to address recommendations that could have benefited Scotland.

“This includes helping to tailor the immigration system to the needs of Scotland, such as through a Scotland specific shortage occupation list.”