More than £45 million will be provided to primary and secondary schools in 2017/18 to help close the poverty-related attainment gap, Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced today. Nine local authorities and an additional 72 individual schools have been allocated funding from the Scottish Attainment Challenge, for education initiatives and projects targeting Scotland’s most deprived children. Continue reading Schools: £45 million to close attainment gap
Have your say on road repairs
A consultation on proposals to raise standards and improve the quality of road works has been launched. The consultation, announced by Transport Minister Humza Yousaf on Thursday, aims to develop the regulation of road works in Scotland.
The Scottish Government wants to hear the views on proposals to raise standards and improve the quality of road works, enhance enforcement and provide additional powers for the Scottish Road Works Commissioner.
The consultation includes recommendations from Jim Barton’s independent review in 2016 of the Office and Functions of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner.
Mr Yousaf said: “The planning and coordination of road works in Scotland, is already streets ahead of the rest the UK. We have a single register for all utility road works which covers the whole of Scotland. We are unique in having the Scottish Road Works Commissioner to oversee the planning and coordination of road works, promote good practice, and ultimately consider enforcement action.
“However, despite having many strengths, we recognise there is still room for improvement.
“Road works are often where our busy lives intersect with our reliance on utility services. Our expectation is that where there is an unforeseen interruption to our water, electricity, gas or broadband services, the necessary repairs will be carried out quickly, and disruption to road users will be kept to a minimum.
“Our road network is an important national asset and we need to be confident that we have the right measures in place to ensure that those digging up the road, reinstate the road properly and get it right first time.
“We have worked closely with key stakeholders including Angus Carmichael the current Scottish Road Works Commissioner, to develop these proposals and I would like to thank Angus, those representing road authorities and utility companies for their input.”
Angus Carmichael, the Scottish Road Works Commissioner said: “During my 21 months in post, I have been particularly welcoming of the opportunity to work in partnership with roads authorities, utility companies and the Scottish Government on input to this important consultation on improving the regulation of road works in Scotland.
“This process provides a rare opportunity for the road works community to help further improve the regulatory framework and ultimately the management of road works across Scotland.”
Members of the public can access the consultation via the Transport Scotland website until 12 October 2017.
Keith Brown: ‘Ambitious’ city deal will deliver opportunities across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders.
Continue reading ‘Ambitious’ City Deal to bring 21,000 jobs to Edinburgh
In a UK first, public bodies in Scotland will be required to put reducing poverty and inequality at the heart of their decision making. Continue reading Angela Constance: Tackling inequalities is core to everything we do
Scotland continues to be a destination for people applying to study at university, Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn said today. Continue reading Scotland welcomes students from overseas
Scottish NHS Boards commit nearly £8 billion to tackle mental health services over decade
Latest figures have revealed that NHS Lothian spending on mental health services has totalled over £1 billion since 2007. Local MSP Ben Macpherson says the figures show the SNP’s commitment to supporting those with mental health issues since the party came to power a decade ago. Continue reading NHS Lothian mental health spending tops £1 billion since 2007
Businesses across the country are being encouraged to recognise the many benefits of employing people with disabilities. Continue reading Businesses reminded: disabled people have a wealth of skills and talents
A new law will make it easier to prosecute people who share intimate images without consent. Those convicted of the new offence of ‘disclosing, or threatening to disclose, an intimate photograph or film’ could face up to five years imprisonment under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016. Continue reading ‘Revenge Porn’ law comes into force in Scotland
New report examines evidence of impact in Scotland
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman says that women, disabled people and young people would be those disproportionately affected by damaging UK Government welfare cuts.The Minister was commenting on a Scottish Government report detailing the impact of UK Government welfare cuts on people across Scotland published yesterday.
The statutory report, which was submitted to the Scottish Parliament, estimates the impact of all welfare measures passed by the UK Government between 2010 and 2017 drawing upon independent analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Based on the latest forecasts, it is expected that the UK Government annual social security spend in Scotland will reduce by £3.9 billion by 2020/21. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have lost or will lose some of their benefit payments.
Local authority level analysis suggests that West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Dundee, Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire will see the most significant falls in welfare spending by 2020/21 relative to their working-age population size.
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman said: “This report presents the stark reality of the UK Government’s austerity programme which imposes unjust welfare cuts that not only continue to cause misery and push more people into poverty, but also directly affect local economies across Scotland and attract international criticism.
“These cuts are damaging our people and they are harmful to our communities. Every pound taken away from those entitled to financial support not only affects those individuals and their families, it is also a pound less that is spent locally.
“Shockingly, with many of the harshest cuts still to come, the reforms will reduce spending on welfare in Scotland by nearly £4 billion a year by the end of this decade. This is in addition to the 9.2% (or £2.9 billion) real terms cuts between 2010-11 and 2019-20 that the Scottish Government will see in the day-to-day budget that pays for public services – and that is before the further £3.5 billion of cuts that are expected to be applied to public spending across the UK in 2019-20.
“That will obviously have an impact on the amount of money the Scottish Government has available within its budget to spend. And while we have used over £350 million since 2013/14 to mitigate against the worst damage, it is simply not possible to for us to mitigate all of the UK Government’s welfare cuts without major reductions in our expenditure in other vital public services, in growing our economy and in providing real opportunity to our young people
“The UK Government is responsible for all of this damage to individual lives and local communities and we will continue to use every opportunity to press the UK Government to reverse these unjust policies. They need to recognise that social security is the foundation of a just and decent society and that everyone, no matter their social or economic status, deserves to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect. ”
Yesterday the Scottish Government laid regulations in the Scottish Parliament to help people by making their Universal Credit payments more flexible.
The regulations, which represent the first use of the new devolved social security powers, will give Universal Credit claimants in Scotland the option of :
Welcoming this, Ms Freeman continued: “We have consistently said the new social security system in Scotland will treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect. Introducing this flexible approach to Universal Credit demonstrates this and I look forward to the new regulations coming into force and making life that little bit easier for a number of people.”
The flexibilities will come in to force on 4 October 2017 and, because Universal credit remains a reserved UK Government benefit, will be delivered by the DWP on behalf of the Scottish Government.
This year the Scottish Government will spend around £454 million on measures that either directly mitigate the changes introduced by the Act or are part of wider measures tackling poverty in Scotland.
Scottish Ministers are required by the Scottish Parliament to report annually on the Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Act 2012.
The report is published here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/6808
Following this publication, a series of shorter reports will be published later this year focusing on groups who are particularly affected by UK Government welfare cuts. The reports will cover the impact on children and families, people with disabilities and the impact of welfare reform on homes and housing.
Universal Credit remains a reserved benefit. In January the Scottish Government committed to introducing flexibilities for Universal Credit. More detail can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/news/scottish-flexibilities-for-universal-credit
The Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 can be viewed here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
The Scottish Government’s also today published its response to the Consultation on Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017, which can be viewed here: http://gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/8512
Continue reading Westminster welfare cuts ‘damaging our people’
