A further £500 million will be invested in primary care by the end of this parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Continue reading Increased investment in Primary Care
Tag: Scottish Government
Quality, choice, flexibility: a childcare revolution?
Quality, choice and flexibility will be placed at the heart of Scotland’s childcare ‘revolution’ under new funding proposals unveiled for consultation by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday. Continue reading Quality, choice, flexibility: a childcare revolution?
UK steps up to support global fight against slavery and child exploitation
To mark the national day against slavery on October 18, International Development Secretary Priti Patel outlined an increase in support for women and girl refugees in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, and for vulnerable people at risk of trafficking on migration routes in North Africa and Europe. The Scottish Government also launched a consultation on human trafficking last week. Continue reading UK steps up to support global fight against slavery and child exploitation
Cash for schools to close attainment gap
More than a hundred secondary schools will receive up to £11.5 million for projects to close the attainment gap, Deputy First Minister John Swinney confirmed yesterday. In Edinburgh Castlebrae Community High School, Wester Hailes Education Centre, Holyrood High School and Craigroyston Community High School will benefit from the funding. Continue reading Cash for schools to close attainment gap
Heart condition? Get the flu jab!
One third of people hospitalised last winter had heart condition
People with heart conditions and other underlying health conditions are being urged to get their flu vaccination as early as possible this winter to protect themselves from an unpredictable virus. Continue reading Heart condition? Get the flu jab!
Young people to help shape the future of their schools
The review into the way schools are run is seeking direct input from those most affected by Scotland’s education system – children and young people themselves, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said during a visit to Broughton High School yesterday.
In September, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced the start of a major governance review, with the presumption that decisions will be devolved to school level. Underlining the commitment to involve and listen to pupils, the Scottish Government is funding work to gather their perspectives.
Young Scot, in partnership with Children in Scotland and Scottish Youth Parliament, is taking forward the engagement programme, which will secure input from a diverse range of young people with different life experiences – including those from urban and rural settings, in the care system, and who have a disability.
Announcing £60,000 to support this work over the next three months, Mr Swinney met today with some of the 90 pupils taking part in the first engagement session at Broughton High School in Edinburgh. He said: “Our review is about ensuring schools deliver the best outcomes for children and young people, with teachers empowered to make decisions about learning within schools, supported by parents and the local community.
“I’ve committed to listening to teachers, practitioners and partners. It’s also crucial that we seek the views of children and young people – on what works well with their learning and in their schools and where improvements can be made.
“The feedback gathered by Young Scot, Children in Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament will make a valuable contribution to the review process, shaping our mission to deliver excellence and equity throughout our education system.”
Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive of Young Scot, said: “Any conversation about the future of schools, education and learning needs to have children and young people at the heart. They are experts of their own experience, and it is vital they are given the opportunity to share their insight and their views about what matters so much for them today and in the future.”
Children in Scotland Chief Executive Jackie Brock said: “We believe that children and young people have the right to influence policy and legislation that has an impact on their lives. Hearing from school pupils about how their experience of education could be improved is a key part of this and we are delighted to be partners in a project with such a strong emphasis on consultation and engagement with our young people.”
Amy Lee Farioli, Vice Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Empowering children and young people to have their say in decisions that affect them is a fundamental right that all children and young people have. It is essential that they are involved in making decisions about their learning and the learning environment. We see activities like today’s event as vital for shaping the positive involvement of young people as equal, meaningful partners in decisions for the future.”
Easing the burden: funding extension for ‘crucial’ advice services
Successful projects that have helped people cope with issues such as debt, mortgage worries and benefit problems will continue thanks to £6 million of funding. Among those succesful projects is Granton Information Centre, who increased one client’s household income by a staggering £15,000. Continue reading Easing the burden: funding extension for ‘crucial’ advice services
New priorities for policing as locals call for action on joyriding
Police Scotland to strengthen community focus – and North Edinburgh calls for action on joyriders
Scotland needs an increasingly resilient, flexible, responsive and locally-focused police service to help keep communities safe. This is the message at the heart of the new Strategic Police Priorities set by the Scottish Government, which also recognise the need to tackle new and developing threats to the public, including cybercrime.
Localism, inclusion, prevention, responsiveness, collaborative working, accountability and adaptability are the seven themes that will inform policing priorities in Scotland in the years to come, launched earlier this week.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson launched the priorities in West Lothian with Chief Constable Phil Gormley, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority Andrew Flanagan and COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Councillor Harry McGuigan.
Mr Matheson said: “With recorded crime in Scotland at a 42 year low, I am confident that policing in Scotland is on the right track. We have a world class police system in Scotland, supported by a hugely dedicated and professional workforce who work each and every day to secure the safety and wellbeing of people and communities across the country.
“I believe that the new Strategic Police Priorities, developed following extensive consultation with people from across Scotland and key partners, will be key to shaping the future of policing in this country and will ensure Police Scotland remain a progressive and forward-looking service.”
Andrew Flanagan, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “In line with the new Strategic Police Priorities published today, the SPA have initiated work which will deliver a clear long-term vision and strategy for policing now and over the next 10 years. It will have a strong focus on the quality of service that Scotland needs from its policing, how we develop new capabilities, and deliver improved benefits for our communities.
“Through that we are committed to ensuring that the police have a workforce which has the skills and capability to meet the changing demands they face, within a shared direction and purpose for the single service that unites police professional and citizen alike.”
Chief Constable Phil Gormley added: “We welcome the publication of these strategic priorities for policing as we move forward with the transformation of the service in Scotland. Policing in Scotland, which is built on a really solid foundation and traditions that are the envy of many, needs to be locally relevant and have the confidence of our communities.
“We also need to ensure that the protection communities require to tackle emerging threats and risks is available where and when required. The majority of what officers and staff deal with on a daily basis, around the clock, every day of the year relates to calls for service – people calling us at a time of crisis and need and we need to make sure we respond by having the strategic priorities set out today at the heart of what we do and how we do it.”
Cllr McGuigan said: “The priorities set out by the Scottish Government are to be welcomed by all and COSLA is particularly pleased to see the clear emphasis on localism. It also gives us great encouragement to know that Police Scotland’s work will incorporate prevention, collaborative working and accountability.
“The police do not simply respond to crime, they are also there to help prevent crime and keep our communities safe along with other partners at a local level. The Strategic Police Priorities reflect that message and set a solid foundation for Police Scotland to continue their good work within our communities.”
On the day the prominent politicians and police officiers were launching their new priorities, school pupils on lunch break were watching a teenage joyrider playing cat and mouse with police in and around Muirhouse Shopping Centre. And if crime’s at a 42 year low, it certainly doesn’t feel like it to some local residents who fear letting their children out to play in case they are struck by dangerously driven motorbikes.
There’s little doubt about the most pressing crime issue in North Edinburgh just now: youths recklessly riding motor bikes. Local politicians and Police Scotland will meet community representatives next Wednesday to discuss the issue, which is causing increasing anger and concern across the area.
Stolen motorbikes being driven recklessly has been a longstanding problem in North Edinburgh and has spiked again over recent weeks. Back in June 14- year old Brad Williamson died when a motorbike he was riding collided with a car in Silverknowes, last month a stolen car driven by youths plunged into a garden on Graothill Road North in Drylaw and there have been numerous near-misses over recent weeks in West Pilton and Pennywell. In a new twist, there have been reports of pedestrians being assaulted by passing motorcyclists.
Five arrests were made yesterday but arrests alone, however welcome, will not make the problem go away.
It’s a real concern and there’s universal agreeement that something must be done to address the joyriding issue before someone else is killed or seriously injured. The problem is: just what?
UCG: Scotland says NO
The Scottish Government will not support underground coal gasification (UCG) developments in Scotland following the publication of an independent report that highlights serious environmental concerns. The announcement comes on the same day the Westminster government gave the green light to fracking at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site at Little Plumpton in Lancashire.
UCG should not be confused with hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, or coal-bed methane both of which are Unconventional Oil and Gas (UOG) technologies. Today’s announcement has no bearing on the policy on either of these technologies, which remain covered by the Scottish Government’s moratorium on UOG technologies.
The Scottish Government put in place a moratorium on UCG in October last year so that evidence on the practice could be gathered and considered.
Professor Campbell Gemmell of University of Glasgow was tasked to undertake an independent examination of UCG. Having received his report, Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse today [Thursday, October 6] updated Parliament on the Scottish Government’s response to the findings.
The report finds that it would appear logical “to progress toward a ban” of UCG, based on a variety of reasons, including:
• the UCG industry having a history of incidents of pollution and losses of containment and;
• UCG presenting a serious issue to face in reducing Scotland’s carbon/greenhouse gas emissions without an operational storage method, such as carbon capture.
Mr Wheelhouse said: “Having considered the report in detail, it is the Scottish Government’s view that UCG poses numerous and serious environmental risks and, on that basis, the Scottish Government cannot support this technology. Accordingly, UCG will have no place in Scotland’s energy mix at this time.
“In Professor Gemmell’s report he recommends it would be wise to consider an approach to UCG based upon a precautionary presumption against the technology, and that it would appear logical to progress toward a ban.
“I cannot predict what kind of clean energy technologies may be available in the decades to come, but what is certain is that this this resource will still be there. As a result of today’s announcement, our Energy Strategy for Scotland will set out an energy mix for the future that does not include UCG. The position I have announced on UCG is a clear validation of the evidence-based approach this government is taking and I thank Professor Gemmell for his work in preparing the report.”
Mr Wheelhouse has written to the UK Government, requesting that it issues no further UCG licences in Scotland and that existing licences are revoked. The Scottish Government will continue to use planning powers available to it to ensure UCG applications do not receive planning or environmental permission.
Professor Campbell Gemmell, Professor of Environment Research, Policy, Regulation and Governance at the University of Glasgow, said: “I have consulted widely, including with industry, communities, regulators, academic specialists and NGOs, and studied the available evidence on the technologies and impacts involved in Underground Coal Gasification, including the variety of international experience. It is extremely difficult to conceive of UCG progressing into use at this time. Despite there being few longer-term operations at scale to consider, and no directly comparable operations in siting, regulatory and policy terms, there is both a history of incidents of pollution and losses of containment.
“In my view, the Scottish Government has responded appropriately to the available evidence on this technology.
“Should industry wish to progress this technology at scale here or overseas at some future date, several key factors would need to be addressed, including managing the potential impact of the greenhouse gases produced. The onus would also clearly be with the industry to demonstrate and provide evidence that it can operate to the high environmental standards that the government and public should expect.”
North and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson has welcomed the announcement. He said: “Based on the evidence presented, it is absolutely right that the Scottish Government has blocked Underground Coal Gasification from taking place in Scotland.
“There are very few examples of UCG operating commercially, and where the technology has been used there has been serious environmental impacts including soil contamination and exposure to toxins. Mistakes in Australia were so bad that a number of prosecutions have been brought.
“This expert report also states that, if UCG was operated at scale, the resulting carbon and greenhouse gas emissions would make meeting our climate change targets much more difficult if not impossible.
“Carbon emissions would be particularly problematic without accompanying storage technology to mitigate its affects – while the Tories might be happy to bang the drum for UCG they should remember the utter betrayal of the UK Government who u-turned on their plans to invest in Carbon Capture in Scotland.”
Fifty actions for a fairer Scotland
£29 million programme for innovative poverty measures part of Fairer Scotland Action Plan
Fifty ‘bold and ambitious’ actions to achieve a fairer Scotland for everyone have been outlined in a landmark plan published yesterday by Communities Secretary Angela Constance. Continue reading Fifty actions for a fairer Scotland