Recipients of Universal Credit in Scotland will be offered two new ways to help them manage their money. People in Scotland making new claims in full service Universal Credit areas will have the choice of changing the frequency of their payments from once to twice monthly, and to have the housing cost element of their Universal Credit paid directly to their landlord. Continue reading Universal Credit: new option for Scots claimants
The Scottish Government has announced that it will not support the development of Unconventional Oil and Gas in Scotland, meaning there is an effective ban on fracking in Scotland. The decision has been given a qualified welcomed by local campaigners Our Forth while Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson is delighted that the government is ‘putting communities first’. Continue reading Scottish Government says NO to fracking
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman and COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Kelly Parry, have joined forces to demand a halt to the full service roll-out of Universal Credit in Scotland. In a joint letter to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions David Gauke, they raise a number of ‘abject failures’ of the new UK Government system. Continue reading ‘Abject Failures’: yet another call for halt to Universal Credit roll-out
Karate is fastest growing sport for girls
The five fastest growing sports for girls in Scotland have been revealed in new statistics to mark the start of Women and Girls in Sport Week. Continue reading Minister encourages girls: get into sport
Transport minister announces another £1.4 million for green public transport initiatives
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf (above) announced the details of this latest round of funding for public bus services during a visit to Lothian Buses Annandale depot this week. It was an opportunity for the Minister to see Lothian’s new all-electric vehicles which take to the roads this weekend. Continue reading Lothian to introduce first all-electric buses to Edinburgh
A new Scotland-wide awareness-raising campaign on the dangers of sepsis has been announced by Health Secretary Shona Robison. Ms Robison made the announcement following a meeting with the sepsis awareness charity Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust (FEAT) yesterday. Continue reading Sepsis awareness: government to act
Increasing numbers of people in Scotland feel they are managing well financially and nine out of ten people rate their neighbourhood as a good place to live are just two of the key findings from the Scottish Household Survey 2016 published yesterday. Continue reading Swinney welcomes Scottish Household Survey findings
Research into how juries reach decisions, including their use of the ‘not proven’ verdict, is to be carried out over the next two years. Continue reading How do juries reach decisions? Study launched
250 health volunteers reach over 30,000 young people across 90 schools
School pupils are benefitting from the advice of their peers as part of an innovative programme aimed at reducing violent crime. Medics Against Violence is led by health professionals and was created in 2008 in response to the level of young people sustaining injuries following violent incidents. Continue reading Medics Against Violence: tackling violence in young people
Workplaces encouraged to sign up for the Daily Mile
Scotland’s children have inspired one of the biggest energy firms in the UK to help make their staff healthier, happier and more productive. ScottishPower has become the first company to sign up to “The Daily Mile”™ – the free initiative credited with making primary school pupils fitter, more resilient and more focused in lessons. Continue reading Scotland takes another step towards becoming the world’s first Daily Mile nation
