Tag: Scottish Government

Sally Witcher to chair new Social Security Commission

New body will provide independent and expert scrutiny

Dr Sally Witcher OBE has been appointed by Scottish Ministers as chair of the Scottish Commission on Social Security, a new body tasked with scrutinising the Scottish social security system.

Dr Witcher is currently the Chief Executive of Inclusion Scotland and has around 30 years of experience working in a range of relevant roles.

Announcing the appointment, Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (above) said: “I am delighted to appoint Sally Witcher to this new but vitally important role.  As we continue to build a Scottish social security system it is only right that we are held to account for the decisions we take.

“I know that Sally shares my desire to create a social security system based upon the principles of dignity, fairness and respect and I warmly welcome her to this position.”

Dr Witcher said: “The Social Security Act Scotland represents an historic opportunity to establish a coherent system based on dignity and respect. The challenge now will be to ensure that the positive commitments set out in the Charter are translated into the real-life experience of people claiming devolved benefits.

“The Scottish Commission on Social Security will have a key role to play in scrutinising developments and promoting accountability. It is a great honour to be appointed to the role of Chair of the Commission.”

The Scottish Commission on Social Security will provide independent and expert scrutiny of the Scottish social security system (including the benefit regulations), holding Ministers to account for delivering a system based on dignity, fairness and respect.

Dr Sally Witcher has worked, at different times and in different roles, on matters relating to social security over a period of approximately 30 years. She is currently the CEO of Inclusion Scotland, Deputy Chair of the Disability and Carers’ Benefits Expert Advisory Group and a member of the Scottish Government’s Poverty and Inequality Commission.

From 2006-2010 she was a senior civil servant in the Office for Disability Issues, DWP, and, before that, she chaired the Disability Employment Advisory Committee (a UK Government Non Departmental Public Body) and worked in consultancy and academia, based in Edinburgh.

In the 1990s she was the Director of the Child Poverty Action Group. She has been a member of many government and research advisory groups, including for the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics. Sally is herself a disabled person and A Disability Living Allowance recipient.  She was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to disabled people.

More information is available here.

The Social Security Charter is a document that sets out how you should be treated by Social Security Scotland. It will be published early in the new year.

 

 

Salmond wins sexual harassment case

Scottish Government breached it’s own rules during Salmond investigation

Statement from Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Government Leslie Evans:

Lawyers for the Scottish Government and for Alex Salmond have this morning informed the Court of Session that his action has been settled and the Court has approved that settlement. 

As part of the settlement, I have accepted that the decision reached after the investigation of two complaints made against Mr Salmond should be set aside.  

This action is being taken because it has become clear that, in one respect only (albeit an important one), the investigation was procedurally flawed. 

However, it is important to stress that this relates to the operational application of the Procedure for Handling Complaints Involving Current or Former Ministers (‘the Procedure’). The Scottish Government considers the Procedure itself to be robust and it remains in place.

After reassessing all the materials available, I have concluded that an impression of partiality could have been created based on one specific point – contact between the Investigating Officer and the two complainants around the time of their complaints being made in January 2018. 

The full picture only became evident in December 2018 as a result of the work being undertaken to produce relevant documents in advance of the hearing.

I want to apologise to all involved for the failure in the proper application of this one particular part of the Procedure. There is nothing to suggest that the Investigating Officer did not conduct their duties in an impartial way.

Unfortunately, the interactions with the complainants in advance of the complaints being made meant that the process was flawed, however impartially and fairly the Investigating Officer conducted the investigation.

All the other grounds of Mr Salmond’s challenge have been dismissed.

The Scottish Government has acted in good faith at all times and will continue to do so. It was right and proper that these complaints were investigated and I stand by the decision to carry out that investigation. 

It is also important to note that the procedural flaw in the investigation does not have implications, one way or the other, for the substance of the complaints or the credibility of the complainers. The Judicial Review was never about the substance of the complaints, but about the process that took place to investigate those complaints.

It is accordingly open to the Scottish Government to re-investigate the complaints and, subject to the views of the complainants, it would be our intention to consider this – however, this will only be once ongoing police inquiries have concluded.  

Meantime I have commissioned an internal review of the specific application of this one element of the procedure. We shall learn and apply the lessons of this case to any future complaint addressed under our internal procedure.

My priority remains the duty of care to my staff, including anyone in the organisation who brings forward any concerns about inappropriate conduct, regardless of the identity or seniority of the individual complained about. 

Finally I would reiterate that the single procedural flaw which led to this decision is deeply regrettable. In particular, I regret the distress it will cause to the two women who raised the complaints.

 

Halfway there: organ donor registrations hit new high

51.7% of Scotland’s population are now on the register.

More people than ever are signed up to the Organ Donor Register in Scotland, latest figures show. In 2018, there were 148,000 new registrations from people willing to be organ donors.

And the new registrations mean that the total number of people registered in Scotland has risen to a record high of almost 2.8 million – or 51.7% of Scotland’s population.

Meanwhile, in the last year 829 people in Scotland received a transplant. However there are currently more than 550 people in Scotland waiting for an organ transplant which could save or transform their lives.

The Scottish Government is working on a package of measures to further increase the number of potential donors. This includes legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament to move to a soft opt-out system for organ and tissue donation. A public consultation in 2017 showed 82% of respondents supporting this move.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick (above) said: “It’s great to have a record number of people on the Organ Donor Register. This increases the chance of a potentially life-saving and life-changing gift for someone this year.

“However, with more than 550 people still waiting for a transplant, I would encourage people to consider making it their New Year’s resolution and join the Organ Donor Register. One donor can save up to nine lives and transform even more by donating tissue.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families and the work of the NHS, we’ve seen great progress on organ donation over the last few years. We are working on a number of measures to increase donor numbers and save the lives of more people in Scotland.

“The move to a soft opt-out scheme aims to further increase the number of donors, while honouring the donation decision that a person has made in life.”

The figures and data below are from NHSBT:

The number of opt-in registrations (148,488) in Scotland between 4 December 2017 and 3 December 2018. The total may increase as registrations are processed.

In 2017/18, 829 people in Scotland received an organ or cornea/sclera transplant.

As of 4 December, 563 people are waiting for a transplant.

On 4 December 2018, there were 2,796,456 people residing in Scotland on the UK Organ Donor Register (area defined by the ONS NHS Postcode Directory). This is 51.7% of the Scottish population. This is based on 5,404,700 of the Scottish population, figure taken from the mid 2016 population estimates from the Office of National Statistics.

The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will change organ and tissue donation from the current ‘opt-in’ system to a soft ‘opt-out’ system. Under the proposed system, if someone has not stated a decision about donation, they may be deemed as having authorised it. This would mean that, in addition to ‘opting in’  donation could also proceed where a person had not opted-out. There would also be safeguards to minimise the risk of a person becoming a donor if they would not have wished to donate.

People in Scotland can register to become an organ donor through the Organ Donation Scotland

First Minister’s Christmas message

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has wished everyone in Scotland a very Merry Christmas and expressed her thanks to emergency services and NHS staff who are working over the festive period.

Tackling food insecurity during school holidays

More than 7,000 children from low income families will have access to healthy and nutritious food during the Christmas school holidays, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said this morning. Continue reading Tackling food insecurity during school holidays

Tackling social isolation by connecting communities

Scotland has become one of the first countries in the world to develop a national strategy to deal with the serious problem of social isolation.

To kick start the strategy, Minister for Older People and Equalities, Christina McKelvie said the strategy would be backed by £1 million over the next two years to support and expand innovative projects and approaches to bring people together.

Improvements to health and social care, more accessible transport and investment in digital connectivity will all help to create a Scotland where individuals and communities are more connected.

Actions within the strategy include:

  • Working with health and social care integration authorities to address social isolation
  • Piloting an innovative housing solution for older people to test intergenerational and co-living arrangements
  • Working with partners to raise awareness of the value of befriending
  • Engaging with older age groups to understand how digital technology can add value to their lives

Launching the strategy at Bridgend Farmhouse, a community-owned charitable organisation in south Edinburgh which provides space for learning, eating and exercising, Ms McKelvie said: “One in ten people in Scotland report often feeling lonely.

“In today’s fast paced world, with technological advancements, people can sometimes feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with rapid changes in society. This can lead to people withdrawing and losing touch with friends and family.

“People often feel afraid to admit they are lonely or isolated yet these feelings can affect anyone at any age, or stage, or walk of life. It is known that social isolation and loneliness can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing which is why we are tackling this issue with a preventative approach allowing loneliness and social isolation to be treated as a public health issue.

“This is just the beginning of work we are doing to tackle loneliness but we can’t do it alone. It is the responsibility of all of us as individuals and communities, and within the public sector, local authorities and businesses to reach out with kindness and build a country where all of us feel welcome within our communities and valued as an important part of society.”

A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness

Conservative Health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP has welcomed the announcement.

Charities such as Vintage Vibes, based in Edinburgh, and Craigshill Good Neighbourhood Network, based in West Lothian, do exceptional work tackling social isolation and loneliness in Lothian.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Lothian MSP, said: “Social isolation and loneliness is very prevalent across Edinburgh and the Lothian’s and it can affect anyone, but is particularly common amongst elderly people.

“The Scottish Conservative Loneliness Action Plan puts forward practical measures to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

“Loneliness can have a serious impact on peoples mental health, so steps to bring people together are incredibly important.

“Whilst many of us will be spending Christmas with friends and family, not everyone is so fortunate.

“I encourage everyone to think about what they can do to help, whether it is a visiting an elderly friend, calling in on an older neighbour who lives alone or inviting an older person round for a coffee or meal over the Christmas period.”

It’s also been welcomed by services charity Poppyscotland. Poppyscotland Chief Executive Mark Bibbey said: “Social isolation has been reported to affect at least 15 per cent of the Scottish ex-Service community and we need to break the stigma that surrounds this topic.

“We must then build the required practical support for our Armed Forces community to become more connected, and finally align policy, strategy, funding and resources so that our Armed Forces community receives the support they need and so rightly deserve.

“We welcome the new strategy and are particularly pleased to see that a number of aspects of our Break, Build and Align campaign have been included. We would like to thank the Scottish Government and a range of MSPs who have helped ensure the voices of veterans and members of our Armed Forces community have been heard, and that their specific needs have been recognised within the final strategy.”

A National Implementation Board is now to be established by the Scottish Government and Poppyscotland has expressed their interest in being involved and supporting the implementation of the strategy.