First Minister Humza Yousaf travelled to London yesterday (Monday, 29 January) to take part in a number of events in partnership with the City of London Corporation, including agreeing an enhanced framework to promote Scotland and London as centres of excellence for financial services.
The latest evolution of the partnership will ensure the benefits of a thriving financial services industry are shared across the UK. It is rooted in the ethos that financial sectors in Scotland and London have much to gain from cooperating and coordinating.
The framework complements ongoing activity to double assets under management in Scotland’s financial services sector to £1 trillion by 2030, thus supporting more jobs, as outlined in Scottish Financial Enterprise’s Growth Strategy.
It will ensure benefits are maximised for Scotland as the Corporation pushes for the UK to be a global centre for nature finance, and targets other shared priority areas including green and sustainable finance, financial inclusion and social mobility.
Long-standing annual engagements will continue – including the annual Burns Supper, hosted on rotation between Scotland and the City of London Corporation since 2020 – ensuring regular promotion of Scotland’s financial sector to UK-wide and international investors in London.
It is part of broader work between the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International, global investors and partnerships – including that with the City of London Corporation. It allows the Scottish Government and City of London Corporation to work together to support the aims of businesses in their respective financial sectors.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Scotland has much to gain from strengthening our relationship with the City of London – by providing access to global investors and collaborating on shared initiatives, we can reap the benefits of a thriving financial services industry for our centres of excellence.
“Outside of London, Scotland both has the UK’s largest financial services centre and is the most attractive location in the UK for foreign direct investment. By working with the City of London Corporation towards shared goals, we can continue to drive that investment, and grow our economy.
“This latest partnership agreement is enhanced in terms of the scope and focus of our ambition, and will ensure our priorities continue to align with those of businesses in the financial sector.”
City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said: “The twin financial and professional services sectors of London and Scotland represent a critical part of the UK economy.
“We’ve been delighted to partner with the Scottish Government on a range of issues where we have alignment and shared challenges: in sustainable finance, technology, talent and growth.
“Today’s meetings and Burns Supper represent an opportunity to really explore these areas; to identify areas of complementarity; and determine how we can work together for the benefit of our shared sectors, economies and people.”
Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK as part of ambitious government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health
Ban on disposable vapes which have driven alarming rise in youth vaping
New powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops so they don’t appeal to children
New law will make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge to create a smokefree generation
Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK as part of ambitious government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health, the Prime Minister has announced today [Monday 29 January] on a visit to a school.
The measure comes as part of the government’s response to its consultation on smoking and vaping, which was launched in October last year.
Recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled. Use among younger children is also rising, with 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds now using vapes. The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches. While vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, children should never vape.
Disposable vapes have been a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping, with the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old vapers using disposables increasing almost ninefold in the last two years.
As part of today’s package, new powers will be introduced to restrict flavours which are specifically marketed at children and ensure that manufacturers produce plainer, less visually appealing packaging.
The powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them like sweets.
To crack down on underage sales, the government will also bring in new fines for shops in England and Wales which sell vapes illegally to children. Trading standards officers will be empowered to act ‘on the spot’ to tackle underage tobacco and vape sales. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose.
Vaping alternatives – such as nicotine pouches – will also be outlawed for children who are increasingly turning to these highly addictive substitutes.
The government has again reiterated its commitment to bring about the first smokefree generation and introduce legislation so children turning fifteen this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.
Smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer – causing around one in four cancer deaths and leading to 80,000 deaths per year – so stopping young people from ever starting to smoke will protect an entire generation, and future generations, from smoking harms as they grow up.
To help ensure the success of the smokefree generation plan, £30 million new funding a year will be provided to bolster enforcement agencies – including Border Force, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Trading Standards – to implement these measures and stamp out opportunities for criminals.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.
“The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable.
“As Prime Minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops.
“Alongside our commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term.”
There was overwhelming support among responses to the government’s consultation for a disposable vape ban, with nearly 70% of parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and the general public supportive of the measure.
The government has a duty to protect children’s health, which is why it is taking bold and decisive action on smoking and vaping. This is the responsible thing to do to protect children for generations to come.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease. And its costs society £17 billion each year – putting a huge burden on our NHS.
“That’s why we are driving the way forward through our smokefree generation plan, which will prevent our children from starting this dangerous habit.
“The health advice is clear, vapes should only ever be used as a tool to quit smoking. But we are committed to doing more to protect our children from illicit underage vaping, and by banning disposable vapes we’re preventing children from becoming hooked for life.”
Vapes should only be used by adults as a tool to quit smoking. They contribute to an extra 50,000-70,000 smoking quits a year in England.
As part of the government’s Swap to Stop scheme, almost one in five of all adult smokers in England will have access to a vape kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit and improve health outcomes.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “Smoking damages and cuts short lives in extraordinary numbers.
“Stillbirths, cancer, asthma, dementia, stroke and heart failure – smoking causes disability and death throughout the life course. If passed, this legislation would have a major public health impact across many future generations.”
Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “We are in the midst of a worrying rise in young people vaping. I want to stop youth vaping in its tracks – and a ban on disposable vapes is central to that.
“Nicotine is highly addictive – and so it is completely unacceptable that children are getting their hands on these products, many of which are undeniably designed to appeal to young people.
“Along with tougher enforcement measures, we are making sure vapes are aimed at the people they were designed to help – adults who are quitting smoking.”
As well as benefitting children’s health, the ban will have a positive impact on the environment. Five million disposable vapes are thrown away each week, up from 1.3 million from last year. Over a year this is equivalent to the lithium batteries of 5,000 electric vehicles.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Not only are disposable vapes often targeted, unacceptably, at children – they also represent a huge and growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste, with nearly 5 million thrown away every week.
“This historic announcement will be a powerful tool in support of our efforts to crack down on waste and boost recycling, as well as helping to create the first smokefree generation.”
Scotland’s Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Smoking damages lives and kills more than 8,000 people a year in Scotland and is burden on our NHS and social care services. Research also suggests that almost one in five adolescents have tried vapes.
“We want to do more to achieve our goal of being tobacco-free in Scotland by 2034 and after collaborating on the UK-wide consultation, we have worked closely across the four UK nations on next steps and now intend to act on taking forward its recommendations, either on a UK-wide basis or through legislation in the Scottish Parliament.
“I have worked closely with Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater on disposable vapes. These are a threat to both public health and the environment – from litter on our streets, to the risk of fires in waste facilities – that’s why we will act on our Programme for Government commitment and move to ban them.”
Smoking is responsible for one in five deaths – more than 8,000 a year – in Scotland. It causes preventable ill health, is a significant burden on our NHS and social care services, is the leading preventable cause of health inequalities and costs the economy millions each year in lost productivity.
In Scotland, 82.3% supported restrictions on single-use vapes (79.3% UK-wide), and 73.4% favoured an outright ban (68.1% UK-wide).
The 10-week public consultation on ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping’, closed on 6 December.
Over 25,000 responses were analysed, and the government response sets out plans for upcoming legislation which will be introduced in Parliament shortly.
Creating a smokefree generation goes beyond the harm to public health. The trade in illicit cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco and other tobacco products has far reaching implications. HMRC estimates that the illicit tobacco trade costs the UK economy around £2.8 billion a year in lost revenue – money that should fund our public services.
Today, HMRC and Border Force will publish a new Illicit Tobacco Strategy, ‘Stubbing Out the Problem’, which:
sets out their continued commitment to reduce the trade in illicit tobacco, with a focus on reducing demand, and to tackle and disrupt organised crime behind the illicit tobacco trade
highlights the cost to the UK in lost tax revenue and the burden to taxpayers, the undercutting of law-abiding businesses, and the funding of wider organised crime through illicit tobacco sales.
There has been widespread support for the ban:
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England: “As Children’s Commissioner, I want all children to grow up healthy and well, which is why I have been calling for disposable vapes to be banned, to protect children and prevent them from becoming addicted.
“I am absolutely delighted that the Government has listened to the appeals that I, and many others, have made to ban disposable vapes. I also welcome the decision to create far tighter restrictions on marketing and flavours of vapes so they aren’t so appealing to children and young people.
“When I asked children a couple of years ago about all aspects of their health and wellbeing, I was shocked and concerned to hear from children as young as 12 who told me that vaping was normalised among their peers – even on school premises. This announcement will help tackle that issue and I know that many children and parents will be extremely relieved.”
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Vice President for Policy, Dr Mike McKean, said: “We’re delighted that the Westminster Government has heard our calls and is rightly prioritising the health and well-being of our children and the planet.
“Bold action was always needed to curb youth vaping and banning disposables is a meaningful step in the right direction. I’m also extremely pleased to see further much needed restrictions on flavours, packaging, and marketing of vapes, which RCPCH has repeatedly called for.
“As a respiratory consultant it is not lost on me that smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and disease in the UK. We know this because we have 60 plus years of research and data on cigarette use on a population level. But the research and data around widespread e-cigarette use is still very much in its infancy. The long-term impacts, especially for children and young people, remain unknown.
“Government must swiftly lay the legislation to ensure it can be fully considered in this Parliament. We look forward to seeing more details about these landmark plans, especially in terms of implementation, enforcement, and monitoring.”
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Community Wellbeing Board said: “We’re delighted that the Government has listened to the longstanding concerns of the LGA and councils and are taking decisive action to ban single-use vapes.
“Disposable vapes are inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban remains the most effective solution to this problem.
“Single use vapes blight our streets as litter, are a hazard in our bin lorries, and are expensive and difficult to deal with in our recycling centres. Their colours, flavours and advertising are appealing to children and are a risk to the health of young people.
“We look forward to working with the Government and others to enforce this ban as well as ensure plans for a smokefree generation are a success.”
Henry Gregg, Director of External Affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “We welcome this robust approach to protecting young people from vaping.
“Disposable vapes, with their pocket money prices and brightly-coloured packaging have contributed to the increase in under-18s taking up vaping, and we support a well thought-out, properly enforced ban on disposable vapes.
“Immediate action to restrict flavours, packaging, and the display of vapes to reduce their appeal and availability to children and non-smokers is also much needed.
“If you’re a smoker and you want to quit tobacco, vaping can be a helpful way to give up smoking. But for children and those who don’t smoke, starting to vape isn’t a good idea, especially if you have a lung condition.
“The plan to create a smoke-free generation is a landmark decision that really shows the Government is putting the health of young people first. It’s one of the most impactful things the Government can do to protect future generations from developing lung conditions caused by smoking.
“Smoking is the biggest cause of lung disease deaths and today’s decision will save thousands of lives. Now these measures must be implemented as quickly as possible, with sufficient funding, to ensure they can be fully enforced.”
Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of cancer, and research shows that vapes are far less harmful than smoking and can help people to quit.
“If this legislation is passed, the UK Government should ensure local smoking cessation services are adequately funded, and those trying to quit are given as much support as they need to help them do so.
“We are also pleased to see that the Government is moving forward with the tobacco age of sale legislation, applying to all tobacco products, taking us one step closer to creating the first smokefree generation.”
Libby Peake, Head of Resource Policy, Green Alliance : “This ban can’t come soon enough, not only for the health of future generations, but also for the health of the planet.
“The government has followed the science, and this decision will have many environmental benefits. Valuable lithium ion batteries will stop going to waste or winding up as litter, along with all the casings that have been blighting our environment for too long.
“This means critical raw materials will be preserved for uses where they’re much needed – like renewable energy. The risk of fire from mishandled batteries will be minimised and dangerous plastic pollution will be prevented.
“This bold move by the government is nothing but good news.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said: “The announcement of a ban on disposable vapes is great news for the environment.
“Our surveys show that disposable vape litter has doubled in the past two years alone and last year more than 16% of the sites we surveyed were blighted by these single-use items, posing a significant risk to wildlife and polluting our streets, parks and beaches.
“An estimated 260 million are thrown away in this country every year, wasting precious scarce resources, including lithium.”
Gavin Graveson, Veolia Senior Executive Vice President, Northern Europe, said: “When faced with an environmental crisis, every product that enters the market should be designed for recyclability.
“Disposable vapes are a clear example of when products have been designed with no thought for their environmental impact and should be subject to an extended producer responsibility scheme that incentivises the right eco-design.
“Millions of disposable vapes have been littered causing environmental damage or thrown in bins where they cause weekly fires in recycling and waste trucks as well as treatment facilities.
“We can’t afford to allow more pollution. Veolia’s recycling scheme has already recycled over one million vapes and we support policies that will curb products with no end of life treatment.”
Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, raised concerns about maintaining pressure in this area following an event at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow earlier this week, which marked the Scottish Government’s response to the recommendations made in the report by the Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums Steering Group.
The Scottish Government accepted the six recommendations from the group, which include amongst others that ‘Museums should ensure anti-racism is embedded in their workplaces and public spaces’ and that the ‘Scottish Government should demonstrate their support for restitution and repatriation of looted or unethically acquired items in Scottish collections’.
Mr Choudhury said the move is most welcome, but added that the acceptance of the recommendations should only be the beginning and that the hard work to implement the recommendations is still to come.
Following the event, which was held on Monday (22nd January ), Mr Choudhury said: “I am glad that the Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations and I congratulate the Steering Group and Sir Geoff Palmer for leading the important work.
“However, the Scottish Government should act on their words and, to facilitate these recommendations, they must ensure sustained funding and a focus on anti-racist education and culture.”
Professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE, who Chaired the Steering Group which provided the recommendations, said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government initiated this project and has accepted the recommendations.
“Museums and education go together and the recommendations are based on the education and actions required to improve inclusion and equality in our diverse society.”
After the event, Mr Choudhury visited Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, facilitated by Museums Galleries Scotland, to see a brand-new exhibit from Curator Nelson Cummins entitled Glasgow: City of Empire.
Mr Choudhury, Scottish Labour’s Spokesperson for Culture, said that this exhibition is a great example of how museums could, in practice, implement the recommendations of the Steering Group.
Mr Choudhury said: “One of the recommendations of the Steering Group, which the Scottish Government accepted earlier that day, was to ‘research, interpret, and share the histories of Scotland’s links to empire, colonialism, and historic slavery’, with another recommendation being to ‘involve the people of Scotland in shaping their work through co-production, to promote cultural democracy and participation for all’.
“This exhibition at Kelvingrove is an excellent example of how this can work in practice-it has been developed alongside local communities and youth to tell the stories of empire, and uses interactive education as a way to address the effects of this past, such as racism in Scotland today.
“This should be used as an example of what Museums across Scotland could achieve, highlighting the importance of sustained funding from the Scottish Government so that the Steering Group’s recommendations could be put into practice.”
Mr Choudhury said that he will continue to work alongside the cultural groups and campaigners who work towards implementing these recommendations, to share their work at Holyrood and hopefully help to facilitate partnerships which Mr Choudhury hopes will see more Museums around Scotland adopt exhibitions in line with the recommendations.
Edel Harris OBE, former chief executive of the charity Mencap, has been appointed to chair the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment.
The Independent Review – a Programme For Government commitment – will consider people’s experiences of the Scottish benefit to ensure it continues to meet the needs of disabled people.
Adult Disability Payment is paid to disabled working age adults in recognition of the extra costs of being disabled or having a long-term health condition. It is currently supporting 137,490 disabled people in Scotland and has provided £461.8 million in payments since it was launched in August 2022.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Edel Harris brings a wealth of experience to this important position, both from her leading roles in third sector organisations and her personal experience as a family carer.
“A year on from the national launch of Adult Disability Payment, we are fulfilling our pledge to have an independent review to ensure it is meeting the needs of disabled people both now and in the future. Ms Harris will ensure the views of disabled people and groups that represent them are heard throughout the review.
“I am committed to continuing to improve the experience of people receiving this benefit – to ensure they are supported in line with the principles of dignity, fairness, and respect at the heart of our social security system.”
Adult Disability Payment was introduced in August 2022 as a replacement for the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment. It is paid to disabled working age adults in recognition of the extra costs of being disabled or having a long-term health condition.
An initiative which will support low income families to take part in community action and advise on improvements in local services is being funded as part of a wider programme to help develop new approaches to child poverty.
The project, led by Midlothian Sure Start in partnership with Midlothian Council, is one of nine successful applicants to the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund – which was set up to explore promising approaches or redesign services to maximise their impact on child poverty.
A Cash First Fund, which aims to reduce the need for emergency food parcels and food banks, will also fund eight partnerships to provide help to low income families. Six of these will provide new sources of cash-first support.
This morning Social Justice Secretary @S_A_Somerville announced two new funds to deliver cash first support for people in need, and develop new approaches to tackling child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said yesterday: “These two funds exemplify the innovative approach the Scottish Government is taking to tackling poverty and delivering for the people of Scotland.
“The Midlothian partnership will give local families the opportunity to get involved in and influence local services. It will aim to identify improvements which will ensure help on offer is joined-up and people are supported in a dignified way to reduce stigma.
“Other projects will help to accelerate progress in tackling poverty, including by making it easier for people to access cash in a crisis and by connecting people with advice to prevent future hardship.
“We are investing £3 billion this financial year to tackle poverty and protect people from the cost of living crisis. We are taking all the action we can to support people within our limited powers and fixed budget.”
Cash First Fund: successful proposals
Area
Lead partner
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Voluntary Action (TSI)
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire Council
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership
Fife
Fife Council
Glasgow
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire Council
Orkney
Voluntary Action Orkney (TSI)
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire Council
Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund: successful proposals
Area
Project
Aberdeen City
Data driven identification of households experiencing child poverty to inform and direct intervention and support.
Argyll and Bute
Evaluating the usefulness of third-party datasets for identifying communities in need of financial support.
Edinburgh
Income Maximisation Outreach
Inverclyde
Parent Centred Early and Intensive Intervention – supporting parents with children and babies under 5 years
Midlothian
Midlothian Peer Research – A Case for Change through a Place Based Approach Building Skills and Influencing
Moray
Improved identification of families affected by disability and delivery of support to maximise income
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire Single Shared Assessment (NASSA)
Perth & Kinross
Beyond Emergency Support to Sustainable Livelihoods – Capacity Building Programme for Local Communities
South Lanarkshire
Paths out of Poverty’ – empowering parent/carers of disabled children through innovative, holistic, strengths-based approach.
MODERN ‘FIT FOR PUPOSE’ FACILITY AT VICTORIA QUAY?
EDINBURGH Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson is urging the Scottish Government to consider siting a new police station in Victoria Quay.
Writing to Justice Secretary Angela Constance yesterday, the local MSP said: “As you are aware, Leith Police Station in my constituency is one of those being considered for closure, as part of Police Scotland’s estate review.
“In terms of the current building in Leith, this is understandable as the current location is within the old Leith Chambers which, while being a remarkable historic building, is not optimal for twentieth century policing or meeting shared aspirations like net zero.
“However, there is a very strong case for retaining a police station in Leith – especially given recent and projected significant population growth in the locality and surrounding areas! This could be realised in the form of a new Leith Police Station within a colocation premises, which would enhance public service provision and make financial sense.
Therefore, I am writing to state that I think Victoria Quay could potentially provide an ideal location for a new Leith Police Station, collocated with other public services.
“The under-utilisation of Victoria Quay is well known and I have previously liaised with the Permanent Secretary about how it could be used going forward, to potentially provide more for Leith and the wider needs of the public and local economy.
“I would be grateful if the Scottish Government and Police Scotland could consider the creation of a new Leith Police Station to be established in Victoria Quay?
“I have copied the this correspondence to the Edinburgh Commander (Police Scotland) and the Permanent Secretary. “
Projects worth around £500m move closer to completion
Strategic investment to help unlock Scotland’s green energy revolution has moved a step closer, First Minister Humza Yousaf announced yesterday.
In a significant milestone for Scotland’s offshore wind sector, three projects have been invited to move to Stage 2 of the Strategic Investment Model (SIM) process.
Collectively the projects – which represent a mix of local and inward investment into ports, port infrastructure and manufacturing – have a capital expenditure of around £500 million.
The SIM will help to deliver transformational offshore wind supply chain growth in Scotland through innovative collaboration between offshore wind developers, the Scottish Government, enterprise agencies and Crown Estate Scotland.
Making the announcement at the Scottish Renewables and Offshore Wind Conference in Glasgow, First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “There are moments when certain industries can stand confident that when they look ahead, they will see a future in which they play a pivotal role in securing the wealth and wellbeing of a nation – Scotland’s offshore industry is at that moment.
“Together, we can create the right conditions to attract investment, build the supply chain, recruit and deliver the infrastructure needed to ensure that these projects will thrive.
“A select group of three initial projects have been invited to move to Stage 2 of the SIM process, in a significant milestone in our offshore programme. They represent a mix of local and inward investment opportunities into ports, port infrastructure, and manufacturing – collectively, they have a capital expenditure of just under £500 million.”
Due to commercial sensitivity specific projects cannot be named while undertaking the SIM process but details will be made available in due course.
Culture Minister responds to experts’ recommendations
The recommendations of an independent group set up to advise on how Scotland’s museums and galleries can better reflect the country’s role in empire, colonialism, and historic slavery have been fully accepted by the Scottish Government.
Established following a motion in the Scottish Parliament and commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government, the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums (ESSM) Steering Group published six recommendations in 2022, for the recognition of Scotland’s colonial and slavery history.
The recommendations include the creation of a dedicated space to address Scotland’s role in empire, colonialism and historic slavery, that museums involve the people of Scotland in shaping their work, and that the Scottish Government demonstrates support for restitution and repatriation of looted or unethically acquired items in Scottish collections.
Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “I warmly welcome the steering group’s report and recommendations, which we have considered very carefully.
“Following in-depth discussion with the steering group, I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government fully accepts all six recommendations, including the creation of a dedicated space to address Scotland’s role in empire, colonialism and historic slavery.
“While budgetary pressures mean we are not currently able to commit to the group’s suggestion of £5 million for this work, the Scottish Government has provided funding of £200,000 in 2023/24 to enable the steering group and Museums Galleries Scotland to begin work addressing the recommendations, including scoping out the format of a new organisation to progress the creation of a dedicated space and national guidance around the repatriation of objects from Scottish institutions.
“The Scottish Government wants everyone to feel safe, welcome, and represented in our cultural spaces. Though we cannot change the past, it is within our power to learn from it and use that to improve the experience of all people who live, work in and visit Scotland, whilst celebrating the wide ranging and positive contributions that ethnic minority communities have made and continue to make to our society.”
Jatin Haria, elected Chair of the Steering Group and Executive Director at the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights said: “The ESSM recommendations came from widespread stakeholder involvement, including the largest national study of attitudes to museums and racism undertaken in Scotland.
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s acceptance of all six of our recommendations, as well as the acknowledgement of all the previous work that has got us to where we are today.
“The Steering Group is determined to work with the wider museum sector to bring the recommendations to fruition.
“We understand that finances are tight, and although more will be needed, the money that the Scottish Government has committed will be useful to kick start a long term process that will finally allow Scotland to properly tell it’s story of involvement in empire, slavery and colonialism in a coherent way.
“We can’t expect to resolve the racial inequalities that persist today without a better understanding of the history which brought us to this point.”
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said: ““MGS welcomes this significant announcement by the Scottish Government and the recognition of the importance of undertaking the work recommended by the Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums Steering Group.
“Since their publication in 2022, the recommendations have not just shaped MGS’s work, but how we work as an organisation to collectively support the sector to engage with, and tell the stories of, all of Scotland’s people.
“We are already seeing brilliant work by museums and galleries across the country collaborating with local communities impacted by the legacies of slavery and empire to create more inclusive heritage spaces.
“I am excited about the future of a museum sector that is truly inclusive, trusted and engaged with by all of Scotland’s people, and the role that MGS can play in supporting this work.”
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) has met to consider the impacts of Storm Isha and preparations for Storm Jocelyn.
The meeting was chaired by First Minister Humza Yousaf and attended by members of the Cabinet, including the Transport Minister, the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
While today’s Met Office yellow warning for wind has now been lifted, some rail and ferry services have resumed and all trunk roads have reopened. Power companies are working to restore supplies to more than 15,000 properties, and 17 regional flood alerts and 32 local flood warnings remain.
An amber warning for wind has been issued for the Western Isles, western Highlands, northern coast, Orkney Islands and part of the Moray Firth coast from 1800 tomorrow until 0800 on Wednesday.
A yellow warning for wind covers the rest of Scotland – except the Shetland Islands – from 1600 tomorrow until 1300 on Wednesday. A yellow warning for rain for parts of west and southwest Scotland is also in place from 0700 to 1800 tomorrow.
ScotRail will suspend services from 1900 tomorrow, and there will be no rush hour services on Wednesday morning,
People are urged to continue to check all relevant safety advice issued by the police and other agencies.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Tragically, Storm Isha has led to lives being lost and I send my sincere condolences to the families affected.
“The strong winds and heavy rain have impacted communities across Scotland. I want to thank all those who have worked throughout the night and today to keep the public safe and respond to those impacts and restore normality.
“But the exceptional weather conditions are not over. Storm Jocelyn is on its way to the UK and is likely to cause more disruption, with another period of strong winds further buffeting our infrastructure and rain falling on already saturated ground.
“Travel is likely to again be difficult, particularly heading into Wednesday’s rush hour, so I urge everyone to follow guidance from Police Scotland and check updates from transport providers, Transport Scotland and the Met Office.”
Martin Thomson, National Operations Manager for Resilience at Transport Scotland, said: “Focus is now shifting onto the next named storm, Jocelyn, for tomorrow into Wednesday, and preparations are already underway with rail, aviation and ferries colleagues to ensure we are as ready as we can be.
“The public can play its part and plan ahead by visiting www.traffic.gov.scot. Staff from our trunk road operating companies will be patrolling the network and undertaking inspections to respond quickly to any further treefall or blocked drains. Their proactive efforts in terms of branch cutting and drain clearing at vulnerable locations has helped minimise disruption in the past.
“Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Please check with your public transport operator for the latest information and your local authority and Police Scotland for the latest information on local roads.”
Increasing exemptions to additional properties tax
Legislation enabling councils to increase their affordable housing stock without having to pay a tax on additional properties has been introduced in the Scottish Parliament.
Under changes to the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS), paid as part of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, the length of time a buyer moving between properties has to sell their original home in order to be able to reclaim ADS would also be extended from 18 months to 36 months.
Other changes include an exemption for people buying a new property to live in after divorce or separation if they are required by court to keep their previous home. Further amendments will exempt buyers from paying ADS on a property for which missives have been signed when a separate property has been inherited in the meantime.
Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: “The Additional Dwelling Supplement is an important source of revenue and in 2022-23 raised £163 million to support vital public services. The tax works well in most cases but we have taken on board feedback about the way it operates in certain circumstances.
“We want everyone in Scotland to have an affordable home that meets their needs, which is why we’re extending the scope of relief for councils to help them increase their affordable housing stock without having to pay tax on additional properties.
“The amendments also take on board feedback that it can be tricky for people moving house to sell their original home within 18 months due to differences in supply and demand in the housing market across Scotland.
“I am grateful to everyone who responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on these changes and look forward to working with MSPs as the legislation progresses through Parliament.”
