UK will provide $2bn to the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change
UK will provide $2bn to the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.
Uplift makes a significant contribution towards the UK’s pledge to spend £11.6bn on international climate finance, cementing our global climate leadership.
UK continues to show global climate leadership, having cut emissions faster than any other G7 country.
As a gathering of G20 leaders in India concludes today (Sunday), the Prime Minister has announced the UK’s biggest single financial contribution to helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.
The UK will contribute £1.62 billion ($2 billion) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15. The GCF is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to reduce global emissions and helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change.
Today’s pledge represents a 12.7% increase on the UK’s previous contribution to the GCF for the period of 2020-2023, which was itself a doubling of our initial funding to establish the fund in 2014.
At the G20 Summit the Prime Minister has called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ own carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change.
Addressing G20 leaders, the Prime Minister said: “The UK is stepping up and delivering on our climate commitments, both by decarbonising our own economy and supporting the world’s most vulnerable to deal with the impact of climate change.
“This is the kind of leadership that the world rightly expects from G20 countries. And this government will continue to lead by example in making the UK, and the world, more prosperous and secure.”
The UK has led international efforts to help developing countries tackle climate change, including by pledging to spend £11.6 billion on international climate finance between 2021 and 2026.
Today’s announcement marks a major contribution towards this commitment and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement at COP27 that the UK would triple our funding for climate adaptation.
Since 2011 UK climate aid spending has helped over 95 million people cope with the effects of climate change and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
This goes hand in hand with the UK’s domestic leadership transitioning to clean forms of energy. The UK has cut emissions faster than any other G7 country, with low carbon sources now accounting for more than half of our electricity.
We saw renewables generate a record 47.84% of UK electricity in the first three months of 2023 and output from wind, solar and hydro reached a record high last year. Last year, we saw the biggest increase ever in the installation of offshore wind capacity, with the UK home to the four largest working wind farms in the world.
Alongside this uplift in the UK’s contribution to the GCF, which is expected to again make us one of the largest donors to the fund, the UK Government will continue to stress the importance of the GCF delivering results with even greater speed, demonstrating value for money in all of its activities.
This includes asking the GCF to further improve its delivery for those countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
NORTHERN AND LEITH MSP URGES ADDITIONAL ACTION TO PROVIDE MORE SUITABLE TEMPORARY ACCOMODATION AND SOCIAL HOUSING IN EDINBURGH
Ben Macpherson, constituency MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, raised Edinburgh’s housing crisis during Question Time with government ministers at Holyrood today.
The local MSP welcomes actions in the Scottish Government’s newly published Programme for Government 2023/24, with a Housing Bill that will deliver a New Deal for Tenants, the introduction of a system of long term rent controls and new duties aimed at the prevention of homelessness.
However, the current pressures in the capital city are significant with around a 20% increase in homeless applications, growing waiting lists for social housing and high demand for private rented accommodation. The Council have also stated that there is a shortfall of approximately £480m in grant funding over the next five years, in their affordable housing supply programme.
The Edinburgh Northern and Leith MSP asked the Scottish Government if more can be done to assist the City of Edinburgh Council with the delivery of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan, and if more can be done to help secure the appropriate accommodation required to tackle homelessness, given the significant increase in those presenting as homeless and the continued population growth in Edinburgh.
Commenting, Ben Macpherson MSP said: “The affordability and availability of housing in Edinburgh is a very serious issue.
“The current situation is deeply worrying and I will continue to raise concerns with both the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council. Collaborative and urgent action is required to deliver more social housing, tackle homelessness and achieve new solutions.”
Question in the Scottish Parliament – General Questions, 7 September 2023:
Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan MSP: “We are investing £752 million this year through the Affordable Housing Supply programme to support the delivery of more social and affordable homes towards our 110,000 target affordable homes by 2032.
“Working with social landlords to make best use of existing homes and implementing targeted partnership plans with local authorities facing the greatest pressure. Since 2007, we have supported delivery of 6255 social homes in Edinburgh.
“I have met with Edinburgh’s Housing Convener several times to discuss the council’s proposals to improve temporary accommodation and increase housing supply, which will inform a partnership plan.”
Ben Macpherson MSP: “I am grateful for that answer and welcome all of it. However, the Minister will be aware of the severity of the situation here in Edinburgh. Shelter Scotland have called it an emergency and I am increasingly concerned about the correspondence I am receiving from constituents.
“Homelessness applications have increased by over 20%. Therefore, can the Scottish Government provide any additional help to City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant organisations to provide more suitable temporary accommodation?
“And can the Scottish Government do more to fund and prioritise building and delivering more social housing here in Edinburgh, Given the current pressures and projected population growth?”
Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan MSP: “Our aim is to prevent homelessness. However, when it does occur, we are taking housing led response to provide households with settled homes as quickly as possible.
“We provide local authorities with annual allocations of £8 million RRTP funding to support people into settled accommodation and with 30.5 million with their work to prevent homelessness with Edinburgh receiving over £3.8 million in 23-24 during this Parliament to maximise the delivery of social and affordable homes to support Strategic Housing Investment Plan priorities, we are making a record £230 million available to Edinburgh with an additional £10 million this year being allocated.”
Plans to reduce poverty, deliver economic growth, tackle climate change and provide high quality public services will be central to First Minister Humza Yousaf’s first Programme for Government, which will be published this week.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, First Minister Humza Yousaf will outline how his government will make key anti-poverty and pro-growth investments to help deliver three national missions – equality, opportunity and community – that collectively will help build a better, greener and more prosperous Scotland.
The 2023-24 Programme for Government will detail how the Scottish Government will build upon key partnerships – including the Verity House agreement with local authorities and the New Deal for Business – to deliver a wellbeing economy that boosts economic growth to provide high-quality public services, and has well-paid and fair jobs at its heart.
Speaking ahead of delivering his first Programme for Government, First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “It is the honour of my life to serve Scotland as First Minister. I am determined to make Scotland a country where people, communities and businesses can reach their full potential, creating a better future for everyone.
“This is my first Programme for Government, and in the days ahead I will outline the ambitious plans my government has for the people of Scotland – plans which are focused on reducing poverty, delivering growth, helping to tackle climate change and providing high quality public services.
“These are the areas that matter most to people, communities and businesses across the country. We are in a cost of living crisis that is impacting the most vulnerable in our society the most – communities which have been suffering at the hands of UK Government cuts for too long.
“The government I lead will continue to focus on protecting our public services and improving the support we provide to help build a stronger economy and a fairer society. That ambition is the only way we can deliver real, positive change for people right across the country.”
The 2023-24 Programme for Government will be published alongside the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 5 September.
This Programme for Government will build on the prospectus paper, ‘New Leadership – A Fresh Start’. This was published in April, shortly after the First Minister was appointed, and set out his three national missions: equality, opportunity and community.
The journey to a greener, fairer, net zero economy is accelerating as the Bute House Agreement, the shared policy programme between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party, marks its second anniversary.
In the past year there has been an 8% growth in renewables capacity in Scotland, more than one-and-a-half times the rate of growth seen in the rest of the UK, and the Scottish Government has published its draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, setting out a route to secure Scotland’s fastest possible fair and just move away from fossil fuels.
Analysis estimates that the number of low carbon production jobs could rise from 19,000 in 2019 to 77,000 by 2050, meaning there will be more jobs in energy production in 2050 than there are now.
The Scottish Government has also released an Onshore Wind Policy Statement, confirming an ambition to more than double the country’s onshore wind capacity, while the new National Planning Framework 4 will help further realise Scotland’s renewable energy potential.
To mark the anniversary, Energy Secretary Neil Gray and Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie officially opened the Greengairs East windfarm in North Lanarkshire.
Energy Secretary Neil Gray said: “Delivering on our climate obligations is an absolute priority for this Government – as is our unwavering commitment to ensuring the journey to net zero is fair and just for everyone.
“The Bute House Agreement signalled our shared commitment to working together to build a greener, fairer and independent Scotland. An unstable world needs more co-operation and more constructive conversation if governments are to effectively meet the challenges they face.
“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine triggered an energy price crisis which caused governments around the world to consider the long-term future to ensure our energy security, affordability and sustainability.
“The Scottish Government, underpinned by the principles and policies of the Bute House Agreement, has set out a very clear direction on how it can help overcome these issues and capitalise on the enormous opportunities our energy transition presents, while understanding that we need the UK Government to do more in areas which are reserved.
“It is absolutely fitting therefore, that we are marking the second anniversary of the Agreement here at the new Greengairs East windfarm.”
Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie said: “The Bute House Agreement established a shared policy programme that has tackling the climate emergency and supporting Scotland’s renewable energy industries at its core, and it’s great to see the impact that this is having.
“The energy bills crisis has hit everyone hard, particularly the most vulnerable, and has not gone away. While the UK Government needs to take urgent action in reserved areas, over the last year we have set out a very clear pathway on how we can transition to clean, green energy, to tackle the climate crisis and to capitalise on the enormous potential we have to ensure everyone and every household in Scotland can benefit.
“The Bute House Agreement is also a commitment to a constructive way of working, based on shared aims and the core principles of building trust and good faith. Our approach to delivering a just and fair energy transition – ensuring we work across parliament, with the sector and with communities – is a prime example of how this approach benefits Scotland.”
Passengers rely on good connectivity through our train network, whether it be for work or leisure (writes Lothians Labour MSP FOYSOL CHOUDHURY).
What’s more, many passengers rely on ticket offices in stations to guide them through a journey and help them with buying tickets for a stress-free experience. This is especially true of older people or those without digital connectivity, who might not have the ability to book tickets on their phone.
They are also a massive resource for tourists, such as the thousands who visit Scotland, to help them enjoy trips in what might be an unfamiliar environment.
That’s why the plans to remove, or reduce the opening hours of, ticket offices for many train operators would be so catastrophic. Not only will this affect passengers on train services leaving Scotland – for example, the Avanti West Coast services leaving Glasgow – but it will also affect the huge numbers of passengers who wish to buy tickets in England to travel up to Scotland.
Just the other week, I was travelling back home to Scotland from England and had difficulties buying tickets on my phone in the station due to connection issues, so much so that I missed the train I wanted to get on.
If this was difficult for me, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for somebody who was less able to use a smartphone or navigate the complex booking and payment process online.
Without ticket offices, passenger service could be drastically worsened due to poor accessibility, restricted access to best value tickets and a devastating lack of support for ease of journeys. This will also lead to a de-staffing of stations, which could worsen passenger safety, security and experience.
This is why we must save our ticket offices. You can have your say by responding to the Transport Focus consultation by 1st September 2023.
In June 2023, there were 116,244 attendances at major (Type 1) Emergency Departments across Scotland.
69% of patients were seen within four-hours at major Emergency Departments.
This is an increase of 1.8 percentage points from the previous month.
36,015 patients waited over four-hours in major Emergency Departments, this is a decrease of 7.7% from the previous month and an 3.8% decrease from June 2022.
It is encouraging to see performance improving but it is still well below the target to see 95% of patients in four-hours or less. This is the second worst June on record. The number waiting more than four hours was an increase of 296% compared with June 2021.
9,489 (8.2%) patients waited eight-hours or more in an Emergency Department
This is a decrease of 16.5% from the previous month, and a 0.9% decrease compared with June 2022.
2,991 (2.6%) patients waited more than 12-hours before being seen, admitted, discharged, or transferred
This figure has decreased by 24.2% from the previous month, and an increase of 30.6% compared with June 2022.
Responding, RCEM Scotland Vice President Dr John-Paul Loughrey, said:“A&E performance in Scotland is slowly trending in the right direction. Our members continue to work hard to reduce delays, mitigate dangerous overcrowding and improve patient care and these figures are in no small part thanks to them.
“To capitalise on these improvements, we hope to have continued engagement with the Health Secretary and support from Scottish Government. Now is the time to plan and prepare for winter and provide adequate resources and beds as well as measures to retain staff.
“Our #ResuscitateEmergencyCare campaign lays out the necessary steps we need to take to ensure the health service is equipped to deliver effective, high-quality care and prevent another catastrophic winter.”
UK Government will continue to top-up the Scottish Government’s tax revenues, worth £1.4 billion last year, as a benefit of strength and scale of the UK.
Boost to borrowing powers and backing of Barnett formula will build a better future for Scotland and help to grow the economy.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen hails a fair and responsible deal in line with the Prime Minister’s economic priorities.
The UK and Scottish Governments have today reached an agreement on an updated Fiscal Framework.
Holyrood’s capital borrowing powers will rise in line with inflation, enabling the Scottish Government to invest further in schools, hospitals, roads and other key infrastructure that will help to create better paid jobs and opportunity in Scotland.
The new deal maintains the Barnett formula, through which the Scottish Government receives over £8 billion more funding each year than if it received the levels of UK Government spending per person elsewhere in the UK. It also updates funding arrangements in relation to court revenues and the Crown Estate.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, said:“This is a fair and responsible deal that has been arrived at following a serious and proactive offer from the UK Government.
“We have kept what works and listened to the Scottish Government’s calls for greater certainty and flexibility to deliver for Scotland.
“The Scottish Government can now use this for greater investment in public services to help the people of Scotland prosper. These are the clear benefits of a United Kingdom that is stronger as a union.”
The funding arrangements for tax will be continued, with the Scottish Government continuing to keep every penny of devolved Scottish taxes while also receiving an additional contribution from the rest of the UK.
Under the previous Fiscal Framework, the Scottish Government could borrow £450 million per year within a £3 billion cap, as well as receiving a Barnett-based share of UK Government borrowing. Going forward these amounts will instead rise in line with inflation, which supports additional investment across Scotland and lays the foundations for economic growth.
The UK Government has listened to calls from the Scottish Government for greater certainty and flexibility to help them manage their Budget and agreed a permanent doubling of the resource borrowing annual limit from £300 million to £600 million.
Limits on how much can be withdrawn from the Scotland Reserve to spend in future years will also be removed. This will boost spending through borrowing by £90 million in 2024/25. All future limits will increase in line with inflation.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:“The renewed Fiscal Framework shows what can be achieved when there is a collaborative focus on delivering economic opportunity and why we are stronger and more prosperous as one United Kingdom.
“The deal – worth billions of pounds to Scotland over the coming years – builds upon work to support economic growth and provide more high skill jobs, investment and future opportunities for local people, such as the establishment of Investment Zones and Freeports in Scotland.
“The UK Government knows that high prices are still a huge worry for families. That’s why we’re sticking to our plan to halve inflation, reduce debt and grow the economy. As well as providing targeted cost of living support, we are directly investing more than £2.4 billion in hundreds of projects across Scotland as we help level up the country.”
As both governments continue to work together to tackle challenges like the cost of living, an updated Fiscal Framework equips the Scottish Government with the instruments for growth while protecting the wider public finances.
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: “This is a finely balanced agreement that gives us some extra flexibility to deal with unexpected shocks, against a background of continuing widespread concern about the sustainability of UK public finances and while it is a narrower review than we would have liked, I am grateful to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for reaching this deal.
“As I set out in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, we are committed to tackling poverty, building a fair, green and growing economy, and improving our public services to make them fit for the needs of future generations.
“We still face a profoundly challenging situation and will need to make tough choices in the context of a poorly performing UK economy and the constraints of devolution, to ensure finances remain sustainable.”
This morning the UK and Scottish governments have published the long-awaited update to the Fiscal Framework, following the review that has been going on for the last couple of years (writes MAIRI SPOWAGE of the Fraser of Allander Institute).
Since this was due to happen in 2021, we have been waiting for the outcome of this review. For more background, see our blog from late 2021.
For those new to it, the Fiscal Framework sets out the rules for how devolution of tax and social security powers following the Scotland Act 2016 is supposed to work in terms of finances. It sets out the mechanisms by which the Scottish block grant is adjusted to reflect the fact that large amounts of tax and social security powers are now the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament.
It also sets out fiscal flexibilities that the Scottish Government can choose to use in managing these new powers, as new tax and social security powers also come with risks that require to be managed.
In this blog, we set out the main headlines and our initial reaction to the updates.
The mechanism for adjusting the Block Grant will remain permanently as the Index Per Capita (IPC) method.
This is one of the most complex areas of the fiscal framework but definitely one of the most significant.
For tax, it sets out the mechanism for working out how much the UK Government has “given up” by devolving a tax to Scotland, given that it is a significant loss in revenue. As, following devolution, there are different policies pursued in rest of UK and Scotland, this is not straightforward. Essentially though, the mechanism agreed in 2016 was to grow the tax at the point of devolution at the rate, per person, that it grows in the rest of the UK. This is known as the Index Per Capita (IPC) method.
So, the idea is that if taxes per head grow quicker in Scotland, the Scottish Budget will be better off – conversely, if taxes per head grow more slowly, the Scottish Budget will be worse off.
In 2016, when the fiscal framework was first agreed, the IPC method was the SG’s preference, whereas the UKG preferred the “Comparable Method” (which would generally be worse than the IPC method for the Scottish Budget). SO they agreed to use IPC for the first 5 years and review it in this review published today.
They have now agreed that the IPC method will remain on a permanent basis.
Interestingly, this means that on a permanent basis, the mechanisms for adjusting the block grants for Wales and Scotland will be different, given Wales’s Fiscal Framework uses the Comparable Method, albeit with additional provisions to keep a funding floor in place.
Borrowing Powers for managing forecast error have been increased significantly
Resource borrowing powers to manage forecast error associated with tax and social security powers have been increased from £300m to £600m. This is required because when budgets are set, the tax, social security and block grant adjustment estimates are set on the basis of forecasts from both the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Office for Budget Responsibility. When the outturn data is available, if there is a discrepancy (which is very likely) then the Scottish Budget has to reconcile these differences.
This will be good news for the Deputy First Minister looking ahead to delivering her first budget in December, given that it was confirmed recently that there will be a large negative reconciliation to reflect income tax receipts in 2021-22 of £390m. As these changes are coming into effect for the 2024-25 budget year, this means she will have more flexibility to borrow to cover this.
All limits, such as resource and capital borrowing powers, will be uprated in line with inflation
When the Fiscal Framework was first agreed, the limits on borrowing for both resource and capital, and the limits for what could be put into the Scotland reserve, were set in cash terms and have been fixed ever since.
This agreement today sets out that the ones that remain will be uprated by inflation (although the exact inflation measure and timing is still to be confirmed), and that the limits on the additions and drawdowns on the Scotland Reserve will also be abolished.
The VAT Assignment can gets kicked down the road again
One thing that is a little disappointing is that there was no final decision on VAT Assignment. See our blog from 2019 to get the background in this.
VAT Assignment was included as part of the Smith Commission powers. The idea was that half of VAT raised in Scotland would be assigned to the Scottish Budget, which would mean, if the Scottish Economy was performing better than the UK as a whole, the budget would be better off, and conversely, if VAT was growing less quickly in Scotland, the budget would be worse off.
However, after almost 10 years, it has become clear that there is no way to estimate VAT in Scotland that is precise enough for this to have budgetary implications. It is a large amount of money (more than £5 billion) so even small fluctuations in how it is estimated can mean changes of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Today, the Governments have agreed to just keep discussing it. We think it is time that everyone admitted it is just not a sensible idea.
We’ll keep digging through the detail of everything published today and will provide more commentary through our weekly update on Friday.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps meets with industry leaders to discuss the Government’s energy security and business plans to invest over £100bn, including to accelerate renewables, to help grow our economy
Discussions include new powers to protect critical energy infrastructure from disruptive protest groups and maintain energy supply
Summit hosted at No10 Downing Street as part of Government push to strengthen energy security, support jobs and attract investment in the UK’s energy industry
Leaders of the UK’s energy industry will meet in Downing Street today to discuss their plans to collectively invest over £100bn and create jobs around the country, working with Government to boost energy security.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps will meet a wide range of energy companies – including EDF, SSE, Shell and BP, who collectively have multi-billion pound plans to invest in low and zero-carbon projects.
Each of these will support thousands of jobs across the country, which could help reduce household energy bills while delivering cleaner, more secure sources of energy, to deliver on the ambition to have the lowest wholesale electricity prices in Europe by 2035.
Mr Shapps will outline Government measures to protect UK energy supplies from disruption both at home and abroad. He will highlight decisions to invest in home-grown energy sources – including renewables, a revival in nuclear power, and backing North Sea oil and gas.
But he will also highlight measures to protect critical energy infrastructure from disruptive protests. This follows in the wake of protests such as those at the Kingsbury and Thurrock clusters of oil terminals and Grangemouth refinery.
The Public Order Act now includes a new criminal offence of interfering with key national infrastructure – including oil refineries – aimed at preventing protests from causing or threatening public safety or serious disruption.
It particularly addresses tactics that these protesters have used such as locking on and tunneling.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We need to send the message loud and clear to the likes of Putin that we will never again be held to ransom with energy supply. The companies I am meeting in Downing Street today will be at the heart of that.
“Energy industry leaders can see that this Government will back home-grown, secure energy – whether that’s renewables, our revival in nuclear, or our support for our vital oil and gas industry in the North Sea.
“But it is a sad reality that we also need to protect our critical national infrastructure from disruptive protests. Today I’ll be setting out what we are doing to achieve this and want to hear from the energy companies the vital work they are doing in this area.”
Energy firms have demonstrated their confidence to invest in the UK, and collectively the firms meeting at 10 Downing Street plan to invest tens of billions over the next decade in energy projects across the country.
Some of these investment commitments include:
Shell UK aims to invest £20-25 billion in the UK energy system over the next 10 years. More than 75% of this is intended for low and zero-carbon products and services.
BP intends to invest up to £18bn in the UK to the end of 2030.
SSE plc have announced plans to invest £18bn up to 2027 in low carbon infrastructure creating 1,000 new jobs every year to 2025. SSE’s plans could see it invest up to £40bn across the decade to 2031/32.
National Grid plc will be investing over £16bn in the five-year period to 2026.
EDF have outlined plans to invest £13bn to 2025.
RWE have an ambition to invest up to £15bn in clean energy infrastructure in the UK by 2030.
To provide greater reassurance and support to industry, the Energy Security Secretary will outline the range of measures the Government is taking to protect energy infrastructure from intentional disruption, as well as maintaining the network’s strong resilience.
This includes:
The Public Order Act, with specific powers coming into effect in July to protect critical infrastructure;
Working with the Police to ensure protestors cannot gain unauthorised access to sites;
The work of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, whose 1,300 officers and 300 support staff operate to protect nuclear sites across England, Scotland and Wales
The Energy Security Secretary will also discuss progress on major UK energy investment projects across renewable projects, oil and gas, new nuclear, and new technologies such as carbon capture.
They include:
Carbon capture – earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced two further projects in Humber and the North East of Scotland, which can move towards becoming clusters for this new technology – alongside eight already being considered, and two existing clusters in the North East, and in the North West and Wales.
Oil and gas – The Prime Minister has also confirmed future licensing rounds will continue for the extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea – while the North Sea Transition Authority reports they have received over 115 bids from 76 companies in the latest licensing round.
Nuclear – companies can now register their interest with the UK’s new organisation, Great British Nuclear, to secure funding support to develop new technologies including Small Modular Reactors.
Offshore wind – the UK has the world’s largest operational wind farms off its shores, with plans for further development off the East Anglia Coast and at Dogger Bank in the North East which could collectively provide enough clean energy for over 6.5million homes.
An independent Migrants’ Commissioner would stand up for the rights of people who have moved to an independent Scotland, under Scottish Government proposals.
The latest ‘Building a New Scotland’ prospectus paper, which focuses on citizenship in an independent Scotland, sets out how a commissioner could advocate for migrants, including protecting the rights of EU citizens.
The creation of an independent Migrants’ Commissioner was a key recommendation of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review and would bring Scotland into line with countries like Germany. The UK Government has declined to implement this recommendation.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Migrants are an important part of the fabric of Scottish society – enriching our culture, boosting our economy and contributing to our communities.
“After independence, this government would appoint a Migrants’ Commissioner to speak up for individuals and families, including the hundreds of thousands of EU citizens who call Scotland home, to ensure migrants’ voices are heard at the highest level.
“Unlike the UK Government, who rejected the Windrush review’s recommendation to establish this role, we are committed to protecting the rights and equality of migrants – alongside all our citizens – in an independent nation.
“Under our proposals, it will be up to individuals to decide whether Scottish citizenship is something they want to pursue, but we are clear that people from around the world will always be welcome in Scotland.”
