£61m boost for Scottish colleges

Student support, including funding for childcare, will be increased through additional financial support for the college sector from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council have set out how the £61 million of additional funding added to college budgets for 2013-15 will be spent.

Focusing on improving attainment, the additional investment over the next academic year (2013-14) includes:

£1.9 million for additional student support through bursaries and childcare
£2.1 million targeted for some college regions to meet increased demand
£6.6 million for an additional learner places, including for women returning to study and part time places
£4 million to aid the successful integration of newly merging colleges.

Education Secretary Michael Russell (pictured above) said: “Earlier this year the Scottish Government showed its commitment to Scotland’s colleges by adding £61 million to the sector’s budget compared to what was originally announced for the spending review period. Since then, we have been discussing with college representatives and NUS Scotland how to allocate this funding to improve attainment so that more students gain and complete their qualifications, while moving towards a system of large, efficient regional colleges that offers courses responsive to local economic need.

“I am very pleased to be able to map out how we can further support the sector and its students. Increased student bursaries will mean more money in the pockets of our hard pressed students in times of economic difficulty. While full time courses for younger people remain a priority, there will be more learning opportunities for older and part time students, including women returning to study.

“Further funding will also help colleges with increasing demand and help institutions work closely together on a regional basis. This is a substantial investment in a sector with enormous economic importance to Scotland, and I am looking forward to working with the entire sector to ensure colleges continue to deliver for learners.”

Edinburgh to act against impact of welfare reforms

Plans to mitigate the impact of national welfare reform measures on the capital have been announced by the City of Edinburgh Council. The plans, which will see an additional investment of £350,000 in advice and support services, will be discussed by the Corporate Policy and Strategy Committee on Tuesday (16 April).

The introduction of policies such as the Housing Benefit Under-occupancy Restrictions (or ‘bedroom tax’), which are expected to affect 3,800 Council tenants, and around 2,500 Housing Association tenants, combined with national reductions in benefits will have a significant impact on some Edinburgh residents and the city’s economy as a whole.

The Council has taken steps to minimise these repercussions where possible and is considering further actions to offer support. Residents affected by the under-occupancy restrictions have been contacted to provide advice about options such as moving to a smaller home, taking in lodgers or budgeting on a lower income.

Health, Wellbeing and Housing Convener, Councillor Ricky Henderson, (pictured below)said: “The new changes to the national welfare system will have a significant impact on the city and particularly those receiving benefits. It is also expected that the introduction of the under-occupancy changes will lead to increasing rent arrears, which may have an adverse impact on the Council’s ability to deliver services and capital investment in its homes.

“We have taken steps to bolster Council and voluntary sector advice services to make sure that residents are aware of these changes and the help that is available to them. It is vital that we support our most vulnerable citizens and do what we can to minimise these repercussions where possible.”

The committee will be asked to approve an investment of £350,000 to provide additional advice services. Of this sum, £100,000 will be provided to Citizens Advice Edinburgh, £22,000 to the Community Ability Network, £15,000 to The Action Group, £15,000 to FAIR and £7,000 to COSS. Some of the extra funds will also be invested in the Council’s own Advice Shop service and Contact Centre.

An additional £67,000 has already been agreed for the Welfare Rights and Health Project, CHAI Advice Service and Granton Information Centre.

Recent Scottish Local Government Forum Against Poverty figures suggest that changes to the national welfare system will lead to a loss of income of £223 million by 2015/2016 for people in Edinburgh. These changes mainly affect individuals and families living on low wages, those seeking work and disabled people who are unable to work. This will result in a greater need for advice about benefits, debt and budgeting, as well as an increased demand on social work, housing and homelessness services.

The administration of Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants is now the responsibility of the Council, after being transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions on 1 April. Crisis Grants are available as emergency payments where there is an immediate threat to health or safety and are now paid out from Council Neighbourhood and City Centre Offices with an out of hours service also available. A new team has been recruited to deal with the assessment and processing of claims, which can be made by phone, online, on paper and in person. Community Care grants will help to enable or continue independent living by providing furniture, carpets and white goods.

Further measures will be discussed by the Health, Wellbeing and Housing Policy Development and Review Sub Committee on Tuesday 23 April 2013.

The city council’s announcement comes as new independent research by Sheffield Hallam University has shown that welfare cuts will take more than £1.6bn a year out of the Scottish economy and hit the poorest parts hardest – the equivalent to about £480 a year for every adult of working age. The biggest losses are from reforms to incapacity benefits at about £500m a year.

The report states: “The financial losses arising from the reforms will hit the most deprived parts of Scotland hardest. Glasgow in particular, but also a number of other older industrial areas, will feel the impact most. The loss of benefit income, which is often large, will have knock-on consequences for local spending and thus for local employment, which will in turn add a further twist to the downward spiral.”

The report added: “A key effect of welfare reform will therefore be to widen the gaps in prosperity between the best and worst local economies across Scotland.” Researchers note that the scale of financial loss in Scotland would have been greater if the Scottish government had chosen to pass on the cut to council tax benefit.

The report was commissioned by the Holyrood’s welfare reform committee, and while it’s findings are unlikely to come as a major surprise, committee convener Labour MSP Michael McMahon said: “Our committee wanted a detailed picture of what would happen on the ground when these reforms were fully implemented. It is obvious to all that the impact is dramatic – and more so in the areas that can least afford it.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “Sheffield Hallam have used the same publicly available data as the Scottish government analysis and reach broadly the same conclusions on the scale of the cuts. It is completely unacceptable that hard-working people and vulnerable groups will bear the brunt of the UK government’s welfare cuts.”

The UK government insists that changes must be considered alongside other measures like the increase of the tax threshold, that changes to the welfare system were necessary and that reforms will benefit the Scottish economy in the long-term.

Financial support to help cut your energy bills

The worst of winter may at last be over, but with sky-high utility bills dropping through the letterbox people across Scotland are being urged to seek assistance to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, helping to reduce household energy bills.

Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess has outlined that households can apply for financial assistance from the Scottish Government of up to £1,200 to pay for energy improvement measures such as cavity and loft insulation, double glazing, a new boiler or draft proofing.

Getting loft insulation can reduce energy bills by up to £175 per year, while replacing single-glazed windows with double glazed ones could save the average home around £165 per year. And taking simple steps to draught proof can cut £55 per year off the average property’s energy bill, while getting a new, energy efficient boiler could save a three bedroom home owner up to £300 annually.

Mrs Burgess said: “It is my belief that everyone in Scotland should live in a warm and safe home that doesn’t cost the earth to heat. In these current economic times, it is more important than ever that people take advantage of money saving opportunities like these when they can.

“Rising energy bills are a huge concern for this government, and fuel poverty is an absolute scandal in a country like Scotland. There is a wide range of financial support and offers available to Scottish households to support them when it comes to making the decision that is right for them.

“As well as perhaps being eligible for up to £400 towards the cost of a new boiler, householders could access up to £500 towards the cost of insulation measures, and up to £300 towards other measures such as double glazing or draft proofing if recommended as part of a Green Deal assessment. I would urge anyone who would like to reduce their energy bills to contact the Hotline as soon as possible to find out about how to get a Green Deal assessment and to find out about the offers available to them.”

You can find out more and apply for a Green Homes Cashback voucher by visiting

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland

or by calling the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland free hotline on 0800 512 012.

Scotland set for lower drink drive limits

Scotland is on course to adopt stricter drink driving limits than the rest of the UK following a government consultation. The vast majority of people who responded would like to see a lower drink drive limit in Scotland, with almost three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents to Reducing the Drink Driving Limit in Scotland believing that drink drive limits should be reduced.

The analysis also revealed that amongst those who want to see a lower limit, there was widespread agreement (87 per cent) with the Scottish Government’s proposal to lower the blood alcohol limit from 80mg of alcohol in every 100 ml of blood to 50 mg of alcohol in every 100 ml of blood.

The consultation responses suggested the likely benefits of a lower limit would be fewer road accidents and fewer casualties. A number of respondents also called for the Scottish Government to be given further powers to tackle drink driving.

Speaking at an event at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to highlight the harm caused by drink driving last week, Justice Secretary cKenny MacAskill confirmed that the Scottish Government will now be taking the necessary steps to bring in a lower drink driving limit in Scotland.

Mr MacAskill said: “Drink driving can shatter families and communities and we must take action to reduce the risk on our roads. On average, 30 families every year have to cope with the loss of a loved one and around 900 people are treated for injuries caused by someone who thought it was acceptable to drink alcohol and get behind the wheel and drive. We cannot let this continue. Lowering the drink drive limit will help make Scotland’s roads safer and save lives. The evidence is clear and the vast majority of those who responded to our consultation support the Scottish Government’s plans for change.

“The consultation now allows us to progress formal discussions with the police and the UK Government on the recalibration and testing of drink drive enforcement devices to ensure prosecutions are as robust as possible. Before a lower limit is introduced we will also consider issues such as how motorists driving into Scotland from England will be made aware of the lower limit. We are exploring options with Transport Scotland, police and justice and road safety partners as we move forward with our plans. Once we have progressed these issues over the next few months, I will be asking the Scottish Parliament to approve regulations to lower the limit.”

Dr Dave Caesar, Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, NHS Lothian, said: “NHS Lothian runs Scotland’s busiest Emergency Department and we are too often faced with alcohol related emergencies in our hospitals. We welcome the results of the consultation to lower the drink drive limit. Alcohol in your blood stream slows your reaction times and how long it takes to process visual information. A lower drink drive limit would prevent road traffic accidents and deaths on our roads and therefore reduce the number of people who needlessly die each year.”

Kathleen Braidwood, road safety officer for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Scotland, added: “Far too many people are being killed on our roads as a result of people who drink and drive, so RoSPA is delighted to see that a clear majority of people are in favour of the Scottish Government’s proposal to reduce the current drink-drive limit. One of RoSPA’s long-standing campaigns is for the drink-drive limit to be lowered from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK.

“People need to realise that any amount of alcohol impairs a driver’s ability to judge speed and distance while behind the wheel. Alcohol also slows reaction times and can make drivers over-confident and more likely to take risks. Lowering the drink-drive limit will not only contribute to making our roads safer but also have a wider social impact.”

Welfare cuts ‘intolerable’ – Sturgeon

The true impact of the UK Government’s benefit reforms have been revealed by a new Scottish Government analysis that shows people in Scotland could be hit with a cut of £4.5 billion in the five years to 2014-15 – £2 billion more than the UK Government originally claimed.

The report also estimates that £1 billion of the welfare cuts will have a direct impact on children living in Scotland – a situation Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today described as “intolerable”.

Ms Sturgeon (pictured below) said: “The Scottish Government’s analysis we are publishing today suggests that the true scale of the cuts on Scottish households as part of the UK Government’s welfare reforms could be much greater than previously anticipated. In 2011, the Department for Work and Pensions claimed Scotland’s benefits bill would be reduced by £2.5 billion by 2014-15. We believe that today’s new analysis shows this to be a huge underestimation, with hard working families and children among those being hit with a reduction in benefits that may will actually reach over £4.5 billion. The UK Government must urgently clarify the true scale of the impact in Scotland.

“These unfair cuts to the welfare system have been imposed on Scotland and will hit a million working age households in Scotland, weakening consumer demand and damaging economic growth. The fact that around £1 billion of the welfare cuts will directly impact on children in Scotland is particularly worrying – it is an intolerable situation that represents a devastating blow to the hard working people of Scotland.

“Our vision of an independent Scotland, is one where the welfare system will reflect our nation’s values and provide fair and decent support for those who need it most. It will encourage those people who can – and should work – into work. But it will also support people who are unable to work, allowing them to play a full and active part in society, and it will tackle poverty where this exists. It is clear that the UK Government’s agenda is completely at odds with the aspirations we have for our country. With every day the case for independence becomes even more compelling.”

Hospitals to become smoke-free

NHS grounds to be completely smoke-free by 2015 under new Scottish Government plans

In a move to promote smoke-free environments and healthier lifestyles, patients, visitors and staff will no longer be able to smoke on NHS sites. Under the plans, people who smoke will be offered advice and support to help them not to smoke during hospital visits as well as access to specialist smoking cessation services for those wanting to quit. NHS Boards will be required to implement and enforce smoke-free policies across their grounds by March 2015.

Health Secretary Mr Alex Neil (pictured below) said: “This Government has ambitious plans to reduce the number of people choosing to smoke. To this end, we want to build on the ban on smoking in public places, which was introduced seven years ago this week, by ensuring that our hospital grounds become smoke-free.

“We know that smoking is extremely harmful to health and causes in excess of 13,000 deaths per year in Scotland. The toll of smoking on our nation’s health cannot be underestimated. Creating smoke-free hospital grounds sends out a powerful message that every visit to our health service is an opportunity to promote and improve people’s health.

“We all know how unpleasant it can be to walk through a cloud of smoke in order to enter or leave a building. These measures will help to ensure that we create a healthier environment for people who use, visit and work in our health service. That is why we believe staff, patients and visitors will support and respect this decision and refrain from smoking until off-site.”

In 2005 the Scottish Government issued guidance on smoking policies for the NHS, local authorities and care providers which gave NHS boards the power to ban smoking on their premises. The new measures will not apply to mental health facilities, which have an exemption to allow the provision of designated smoking rooms under the original smoke-free legislation.

Millions pledged for social housing

Councils will receive a share of £40 million to help families into hundreds of new social homes, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. The total funding package is expected to deliver around 1,000 homes, mainly for social rent, and support up to 700 jobs in construction and related sectors, over the next two years.

Local authorities will allocate £40 million to meet the housing needs in their areas.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This funding will deliver up to 1,000 affordable homes that meet people’s needs, a central focus of our housing polices and a principle that underpins everything we do. It will help realise our ambition of 5,000 council homes as part of wider plans to deliver more than 30,000 affordable homes during this Parliamentary term.

“Quite simply, investing in new homes helps people into work by creating a jobs spin-off with the employment and training that takes place during construction. This funding illustrates that despite the 26% cut to our capital budget by Westminster, the Scottish Government is determined to continue investing in new social housing. If we want a strong economy, we must have access to all of Scotland’s resources, not just the portion of Scotland’s resources that the UK Government chooses to give us.”

Pauline Mills, Land & Planning Director for Taylor Wimpey East Scotland said: “As one of Scotland’s largest house builders delivering high-quality new homes is our area of expertise, and the provision of social housing is an integral part of our business across Scotland. The announcement today of funds for Councils to provide more new affordable homes, highlights the importance of the house building industry and the key role that it plays in creating a positive impact on the economic landscape of Scotland.”

This funding package brings the Scottish Government’s budget for housing supply to almost £860 million over three years.

Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP)

GPs to encourage patients to get active

Family doctors are set to help patients get healthier by highlighting the many benefits of physical activity. New ‘brief interventions’ will ask patients about their levels of physical activity and offer advice and follow-up support if appropriate, in the same way as already happens across the NHS for smoking and alcohol.

GPs and health professionals in six health board areas – including NHS Lothian – will encourage adults to get active in a bid to tackle a range of health problems, as physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 premature deaths every year in Scotland and can cause heart disease, stroke, obesity or depression.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns recommends five periods of 30 minutes of moderate activity a week, 60 minutes for children under 16.

The year long pilot will embed the importance of physical activity in the NHS and initially focus on those who can benefit the most from being more active, such as people with chronic ill health, long term conditions or older people.

Speaking on a visit to Strathesk Medical Practice in Bonnyrigg, Sport Minister Shona Robison said: “Getting active is easy, simple and the most effective way to better health, reducing the risk of a multitude of conditions like heart disease, obesity or depression. Any activity, like walking, gardening or cycling, is better than none and makes you feel happier, less stressed and more energised. This is not about telling people to take more exercise, but health professionals offering advice to people who can get the most benefit, most quickly, ultimately reducing the need for further treatment and improving their lives.”

Dr David White, the Scottish Government’s Physical Activity specialist, said: “Regular physical activity really is man’s best medicine, providing a far greater range of health benefits than any medication. It’s been shown internationally that GPs and their teams offering accurate assessment alongside appropriate advice or brief intervention is both cost- and clinically-effective in helping patients become more active. The National Physical Activity Pathway, developed by NHS Health Scotland along with GPs, is a simple and effective resource to make a real difference.”

John Gillies, Chair of Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, added: “Increasing physical activity is a simple, cheap and highly effective way of both staying healthy if you are well, and reducing the health risks of many chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. It works at any age. RCGP Scotland is happy to support this initiative, which will give GPs vital information on how to help patients increase activity and improve their health.”

Margaret Burns, Chair, NHS Health Scotland, said: “NHS Health Scotland know that three in five adults are not physically active enough to benefit their health and that getting active will increase life expectancy by almost a year. The cost to the NHS in Scotland alone of certain diseases resulting from physical inactivity is around £94 million every year and across the cost to the Scottish economy as a whole, far, far greater. That is why NHS Health Scotland, in partnership with Scottish Government and Royal College of General Practitioners, are supporting to staff motivate people to get active in their own way. The learning from the pilots will then be used to inform NHS practice across the country.”

The direct cost of physical inactivity to the NHS in Scotland is around £94 million per year.

The Chief Medical Officer’s latest Annual Report highlighted that the total annual costs to the Scottish economy of physical inactivity could be in the region of £660 million.

Research shows that brief advice/interventions for physical activity are a clinically proven and extremely cost effective method of improving physical activity within primary care.

The Active Scotland website provides information on local physical activity opportunities.

Health Secretary opens Royal Victoria

Health Secretary Alex Neil officially opened the new Royal Victoria building within the Western General Hospital this morning. The £43.6 state of the art facility replaces the Royal Victoria Hospital on Craigleith Road which closed last year.

The new building is all single-bed rooms – the government set out an aim in 2008 that single rooms would become the norm for new and refurbished hospitals.

Health Secretary Alex Neil said there are substantial financial and health benefits to single rooms. He said: “You have to look over the life cycle of the hospital, the building, what is going to be the savings made for example by reducing the incidence of hospital acquired infection. It’s not just the financial cost of that, what’s most important is the benefit to the patient. I think most people would want to be in an environment where the risk of hospital acquired infection was kept to the absolute minimum.”

Mixed views on latest employment figures

Unemployment in Scotland fell over the last three months, but opinion is divided on just how robust the economic recovery is looking in Scotland. The Scottish government has welcomed the latest figures, but trade union leaders believe that, with a continued rise in long-term unemployment, the lessons of past recessions have not been learnt.

According to official figures released today, unemployment in Scotland has fallen by 14,000 over the three month period from September to November 2012. The Office of National Statistics figures also show that the youth unemployment rate saw the largest annual drop since the time series began in 2006, and is now the lowest level since March to May 2011.

Youth unemployment has fallen by 23,000 over the year to September to November with the rate decreasing by 4.8 percentage points to 19.9 per cent. The UK rate decreased by 1.7 percentage points to 21.0 per cent. This is the largest annual decrease in the youth unemployment rate in Scotland since the data series began in 2006. The youth employment rate in Scotland is 55.1 per cent compared to the UK rate of 51.8 per cent.

Scotland’s headline employment rate (for those aged 16 to 64) fell by 0.6 percentage points over the three months from September to November to 70.6 per cent, but the headline employment level (for those aged 16 and over) increased by 1,000 over the year. Scotland continues to have the fifth highest employment rate of all 12 UK countries and regions.

The claimant count in Scotland decreased by 1,400 over the month of December 2012, the second consecutive monthly fall. Over the year, the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance fell by 4,400 to 137,500.

Commenting on the latest figures, Finance Secretary John Swinney said: “These figures show that unemployment in Scotland has continued to fall for the second monthly release. The strong performance in youth unemployment over the year is particularly welcome. We have lower youth unemployment, higher youth employment and lower youth inactivity than the UK. What’s more, this month’s release sees the largest annual drop in the youth unemployment rate since the data series began in 2006.

“However, we must continue to work to boost employment and the Scottish Government is taking direct action by investing in our infrastructure and maintaining the most competitive business environment anywhere in the UK. Our budget includes a tax relief package for business worth over £540m this year and bring forward a further £385 million package of economic stimulus.

“We are also targeting growth markets and growth industries and our efforts are paying off with today’s Global Connections survey showing that Scottish exports increased by by £1.6 billion to £23.9 billion in 2011. With the full fiscal and economic powers of independence the Scottish Government could do even more to strengthen our economy and create jobs.”

Youth Employment Minister Angela Constance said: “Today’s figures show that youth unemployment in Scotland is at its lowest level since March to May 2011 after falling for the second monthly release in a row. Our actions to improve youth employment rates have included a guarantee of a place in education or training for every 16-19 year old through Opportunities for All, funding 25,000 Modern Apprenticeships in each year of the current parliament and £8.5 million to create 1,400 jobs in the third sector through Community Jobs Scotland.

“This year we will continue our efforts by launching an Employer Recruitment Incentive which will give financial support to small companies willing to give young people a job. This is backed by £15 million of Scottish Government funding and by £10 million European Structural funding. Our young people’s fresh and modern thinking in the workplace will help drive our economy forward and we will continue to work hard to ensure they have the opportunity to do that.”

However Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary Grahame Smith said: “For the second month in a row, the reported fall in unemployment has been exceeded by the fall in employment and economic activity. Quite simply it is no cause for celebration if people are leaving the labour force altogether rather than looking actively for work.

“These statistics show a very weak labour market which continues to be characterised by significant falls in full-time permanent positions, rising underemployment and worrying increases in inactivity. The fall in youth unemployment over the year is encouraging although the rate has hardly shifted. The rise in very long-term unemployment across all ages confirms the STUC’s consistently expressed fears that the errors of past recessions are being repeated.”

The Scottish Greens are also warning the Scottish government against complacency. Green MSP Alison Johnstone, a member of Holyrood’s Economy committee, said: “The government’s efforts to date on training and apprenticeships are welcome but much more needs to be done to ensure young people and women in particular are not shut out of the jobs market. It is also a concern that we’re continuing to see part-time work replace full-time jobs, and that many people feel the need to take a second job to make ends meet.

“The evidence I’ve been hearing as the economy committee examines underemployment clearly shows this is a serious problem. I urge the Scottish Government to do more to help small and medium sized businesses expand so they can offer their staff more hours. I also want to see more done to provide good quality, affordable childcare, the lack of which forces many women to stay out of work. It’s also appalling that Scotland has the second most expensive childcare in Europe yet those providing it are often on very low wages.”