People with learning disabilities will be supported to reach their full potential through a £1.6 million fund.
The Learning Disability Support Fund will be available to third sector organisations to enable them to promote equality and inclusion and improve access to health services and social activities for people with learning disabilities.
The fund will run for 30 months from October 2025, with a total of £325,000 available for the first year and £650,000 per year for the following two years. Organisations can apply for grants of between £75,000 and £250.000.
Minister for Wellbeing, Social Care and Sport Maree Todd said: “The last 30 years have seen enormous changes in how people with learning disabilities are supported in society, however we recognise there is more work to be done.
“We know the third sector plays a crucial role in improving the lives of people with learning disabilities and this fund will support organisations to enable those they work with to lead fulfilling, independent, and active lives as equal citizens.
“The grants will be used to provide people with education and information on matters such as accessing health services and developing safe relationships.
“In developing the fund, we have taken into account the views expressed by people with learning disabilities in recent consultation and research and we will work closely with the third sector to ensure it makes a difference.”
Celia Tennant, Chief Executive Officer at Inspiring Scotland said: “We are pleased to be managing the application process for the new phase of the Scottish Government’s Learning Disability Support Fund.
“We know from the past few years managing the Inspiring Inclusion fund the positive impact that empowering third sector organisations can have to deliver support for people in Scotland with learning disabilities to lead happy, healthy lives and create a more inclusive society.”
Scottish Government calls for closer energy links with Europe
The Scottish Government is calling for closer co-operation with Europe to help lower energy bills and boost investment.
Ahead of upcoming UK Government talks with the EU the Scottish Government has published a report, identifying a number of opportunities to more closely align with the European Union on energy matters.
These include:
accelerating the adoption of more efficient UK-EU electricity trading arrangements to bring down energy costs for consumers
linking the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) to help reduce costs and barriers to trade
Estimates from the UK energy industry predict that unless the UK moves toward closer cooperation with the EU on energy and climate, it may lead to additional costs of up to £10billion in 2024-25, through higher energy bills and lower Treasury revenues.
The Scottish Government’s wants Scotland to be an EU member state, however the report published today sets out immediate actions which would rebuild closer collaboration with the EU on energy and climate matters and offset some of the damage caused by Brexit.
Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said: “As we approach the fifth anniversary of Brexit, the costs to the people of Scotland are becoming ever clearer.
“The best future for Scotland is to be a member state of the EU. But we will always be a voice for closer co-operation with our fellow Europeans – in particular around issues which impact us all such as lowering energy bills and driving up investment in renewables.
“This paper highlights the key areas where working together is vital for achieving our shared ambitions – driving economic growth, reducing costs, strengthening energy security and substantially contributing to our shared climate goals.
“We have a pivotal role to play and stand ready to work collaboratively with the UK Government and wider partners to re-build a closer relationship with Europe in this space.”
Wrap-around support delivering improved outcomes for families
Lessons learned from innovative work with families in Inverclyde are helping deliver new approaches to eradicating child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville will visit Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde in Greenock today (Wednesday 29th January) to see work funded under the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund, which is helping to reshape services locally and elsewhere in Scotland.
The Social Justice Secretary will meet staff at the project as well as parents who have benefited from the work which focuses on providing early intervention to support families, particularly those with children under five and those affected by poor mental health.
Learning from the project is supporting Inverclyde’s Fairer Futures Partnership, which is supporting local services to test and improve how they deliver services to promote family wellbeing, maximise incomes and support people towards education and into sustained employment.
Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.
“I’m keen to hear more about how whole family, person-centred support is being developed in Inverclyde through the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund and the Fairer Futures Partnership.
“Through close partnership between Home-Start and Inverclyde Council, this project provides holistic support so that families can maximise their household incomes, and parents can improve their employment prospects through upskilling and volunteering. Putting this kind of vital support in place means that we don’t just help families in a crisis but enable them to thrive in the longer term.
“The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund was set up to support local areas to test new ideas and innovate to improve local approaches to eradicating child poverty. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to learn more about how this funding is informing Inverclyde’s overall approach to supporting families out of poverty.”
People across Scotland will have better access to NHS treatment through increased capacity, expanded primary care services, enhanced use of digital innovations and a range of other measures, First Minister John Swinney announced yesterday.
Speaking to representatives from across the health and social care sector, the First Minister set out action to drive down waiting times and reduce pressure on frontline services.
The First Minister was joined by Health Secretary Neil Gray and announced a range of actions including:
A substantial increase in capacity, with 150,000 additional appointments and procedures per year
Increased investment in primary care, making it easier for people to get appointments with their GP
Improved use of data and new digital innovations including the roll-out of a Scottish health and social care app – a ‘Digital Front Door’ to the NHS for patients
The First Minister said: “Protecting, strengthening, renewing our National Health Service – that is a goal I think we can all get behind. A real focus of common purpose.
“That requires action from me, as First Minister, from my Health Secretary Neil Gray, and from my Government. We can offer the leadership and direction – as the measures outlined today seek to do.
“So, today, we commit to a substantial increase in capacity in order to significantly reduce people’s waits.
“Our plan will ensure that a greater proportion of new NHS funding goes to primary and community care. GPs and services in the community will have the resources they need to play a greater role in our health system.
“This increased investment will result in GP services that are easier for people to access. That is important in terms of people’s confidence in the health service – but equally, it will make it more likely that health issues are picked up quickly and dealt with earlier.
“Our National Health Service is there when we need it. No other public institution supports us with so much care through life’s biggest moments. We must support it in return.
“The approach I set out today charts our course to do that. It addresses both the challenges and the opportunities. It sets the NHS on a path of modernisation and renewal.”
LAST WEEK the Scottish government confirmed that plans for a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland have been scrapped in favour of an advisory board and smaller, more targeted reforms (write FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The decision came after months of declining support from key organizations and stakeholders including COSLA, key trade unions and representative bodies for social care providers in Scotland.
Beyond the wavering support for the NCS plans, there is clear support for social care reform, particularly in enhancing access to and the quality of services.
Our interest in the National Care Service, and wider social care reform stems back to 2022, in which we conducted analysis of the NCS bill published in June of that year. Following this work, published in August 2022, we engaged with a number of stakeholders across the private, public and third sector.
Among concerns around governance and funding of the NCS, one of the key concerns from stakeholders we engaged with was the lack of good quality and timely data that is crucial to ensuring that any reforms to social care are well informed. In particular, the need to better understand what future levels of social care demand might be, the workforce requirements to accommodate this, and the associated expenditure on social care.
Our concerns about the lack of investment in social care research were highlighted in our response to the Wave 2 consultation. The Scottish Government has not commissioned any work in this area, and we have not been able to find independent funders willing to fund work of this nature in Scotland.
It is our view that projections of demand and cost of the current service, and any future reforms, is urgently required.
New labour market data published
The latest data on the labour market in the UK was published last week. There are many documented issues with the data at the moment due to the challenges faced by the Labour Force Survey, which means the headline figure are no longer considered accredited Official Statistics.
If you can set that aside for a moment, the headline results show on the surface a strong Labour market in Scotland, with high employment (74.1%) and low unemployment (3.8%). Inactivity rates remain slightly higher than the UK at 22.9%.
There are a number of other data sources published alongside the LFS data which is used to supplement our understanding of what is going on in the Scottish economy. One of these is the payrolled employment data, known as the PAYE Real-Term Information, which is published every month by the ONS. This draws on administrative records, and so is likely to be more reliable in terms of employment (although, of course, tells us nothing about unemployment or inactivity).
This data shows that payrolled employment is almost 3% higher in Scotland than pre-pandemic levels. However, we had a look at replicating the sectoral breakdowns in this interesting piece by think.ing, which looks at government-dominated sectors vs the rest.
Chart:Payrolled employment in all sectors, government dominated sectors (public administration, health and education, and total excluding government, Scotland, January 2020=100
Source: ONS
This shows that once the government dominated sectors are excluded, payroll employment has been falling since March 2024, and is now almost back at the levels seen in January 2020. In contrast, government dominated sectors are 8% about pre-COVID levels.
Given some of the challenges facing the private sector in the first half of 2025, including large increases in employer National insurance contributions which will come in in April, the trend in private sector employment is concerning, and points to a weakness masked if we just look at employment in total.
However, it is worth emphasising again that this is just payrolled employment, and does not cover self-employment.
The Westminster Government has today (Monday 27 January) pledged to end the throwaway society and clean up Britain, as it implements legislation for the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.
Once the scheme launches in October 2027, consumers will have a financial incentive to return empty containers to a collection point, such as at their local supermarket, so that the bottle or can will be recycled.
Used in more than 50 countries worldwide as a common-sense means of encouraging people to recycle more single-use bottles and cans, a DRS sees people being paid back for returning the container.
Countries such as Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland have successfully implemented schemes, ensuring valuable materials are collected, recycled and made back into new drinks containers – a truly circular approach easily grasped by the public. The average return rate for European countries with a DRS is 90%, according to global eNGO Reloop, with Germany showing the best results at 98%.
Introducing such a scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a simple yet hugely effective way of addressing problems with rubbish building up on our streets and in our rivers and oceans, while also ensuring the public gets money back on their bottle.
Across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, consumers buy an estimated 30 billion single-use drinks containers each year – including 12 billion plastic drinks bottles and 13 billion drinks cans. An estimated 6.5 billion single-use drinks bottles and cans per year go to waste rather than being recycled, with many ending up littered. Research from the Marine Conservation Society shows 97% of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items in 2023.
Encouraging everyone to get involved in recycling, the DRS will be introduced in October 2027, with 150ml to three-litre single-use drinks containers made from plastic and metal included in the scheme.
Delivering these reforms and driving investment in the recycling sector delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change through kickstarting growth, ensuring economic stability, greater efficiency, and jobs fit for the future.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said:This Government will clean up Britain and end the throwaway society.
“This is a vital step as we stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our streets, rivers and oceans and protect our treasured wildlife. Turning trash into cash also delivers on our Plan for Change by kickstarting clean growth, ensuring economic stability, more resilient supply chains, and new green jobs.
Northern Ireland’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said:“I have ambitious goals to protect our climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste. The creation of a Deposit Return Scheme plays a key part in delivering those goals.
“The introduction of the new parliamentary regulations is a significant step in that process and signals our commitment to move forward together to make those ambitions a reality.
“New legislation for England and Northern Ireland has now come into force, enabling the appointment of the scheme administrator – known as the Deposit Management Organisation – in April 2025. This will be a not-for-profit, industry-led body responsible for the administration and day-to-day running of the scheme.
With Scotland’s own regulations also progressing, this marks a major step forward for the introduction of the scheme across the three nations.
The three governments will ensure the scheme is implemented effectively, working closely with businesses to provide the infrastructure and investment to make it a success.
The Scottish Government first announced it’s intentions to introduce our own Deposit Return Scheme back in September 2017, but plans were scuppered. Holyrood has yet to comment on the UK Government’s announcement this morning.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said:“A Deposit Return Scheme really is a silver bullet that will get plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans out of our parks, off our streets and away from our rivers and seas.
“Depressingly we litter, burn or bury millions of drinks containers each and every day. This legislation will end all that, save the taxpayer millions in clean-up costs and give recycling a real shot in the arm.
“Backed and paid for by producers, this method of retrieval and recycling is tried and tested the world over so at Keep Britain Tidy we are putting out the bunting that this government is committed to make it happen, for us all.”
Stephen Moorhouse, Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB Business Unit, said:“We’ve been supportive of launching a DRS across the UK for a number of years as they are a proven way of increasing recycling, reducing waste and tackling litter.
“Therefore, we welcome the clarity provided by the regulation for England and Northern Ireland and are encouraged by recent developments that will ensure an aligned scheme with Scotland, despite wider challenges around a UK-wide approach.
“Delivering to the timelines will be challenging but achievable, and now is the time for industry to roll up its sleeves to create a well-designed system that works for businesses, shoppers and the environment.”
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We are pleased to have certainty on the DRS regulations so local shops can start to prepare for October 2027 and our communities can realise the benefits of reduced litter and higher quality recycled materials.
“Now the real work begins to make the deposit return scheme a success through cross-industry partnership and a planned network of return points that work for customers.”
Sandy Luk, Chief Executive at the Marine Conservation Society, said:“Today marks a fantastic win for our seas, as MPs voted in favour of a deposit return scheme in England and Northern Ireland.
“With plans already in motion in Scotland and the Welsh Government exploring an ambitious scheme to include reuse, this is a great step towards schemes starting across the UK in October 2027.
“Last year, 97% of surveyed UK beaches were polluted with bottles and cans, posing threat to marine life like seabirds and seals. Deposit return schemes will not only boost recycling and move us towards a circular economy where nothing is thrown away but also significantly reduce this kind of beach pollution.
“We’re excited to support governments and industry in launching these schemes as soon as possible.”
Hitting this milestone is another big step forward for the Government’s collection and packaging reforms, which together will support 21,000 new jobs and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling over the next decade.
The action to clean up Britain doesn’t end there – there is more to come as the Government moves to ensure the throwaway society is ended for good.
Legislation has been laid to ban the sale of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025 and prevent the waste of precious resources – eNGO Material Focus estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in 2023.
The Government has also announced that a £15 million government fund will help deliver thousands of tonnes of food from farms which would otherwise go to waste to those who need it most.
At 8pm tonight – 27 January – join us to Light the Darkness for #HMD2025.
On Monday, people will light candles and place them safely in their windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were, and stand against prejudice and hatred today.
First Minister thanks people for patience as recovery operation continues
A further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) was chaired by First Minister John Swinney last night to coordinate the recovery response to Storm Éowyn.
Due to the severity and impact of the storm, there is significant disruption to parts of the country. This includes around 35,000 properties without power and continued transport disruption with road closures and rail, bus, flight and ferry cancellations. It is expected to take some time to get all services fully restored.
Utility companies, national agencies and local authorities are working at pace to restore power and assess the impact, including responding to significant damage, removing fallen trees and debris, to ensure services can fully resume in the coming days.
The First Minister joined a Ministerial COBR meeting chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden earlier on Saturday evening. The First Minister also spoke with the Prime Minister to discuss the ongoing response to Storm Éowyn and the impact on Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney said: “I want to thank everyone who followed Police Scotland advice not to travel and express my sincere gratitude to the emergency services and to those working in the public, private and third sector who are continuing to support people and communities across the country.
“With yellow warnings in place for wind, snow and ice over the weekend, it is clear the severity of Storm Éowyn will continue into next week and this will have an impact on the speed at which utilities and local services can fully resume.
“Given the damage and disruption facing the network across the United Kingdom, utility companies are under significant pressure and are working in challenging conditions.
“I have stressed the importance of getting power restored as quickly as is practically possible and have been assured that assessments are being made at pace to ensure power is restored to affected properties in Scotland as soon as possible.
“Alongside our partners, Ministers are being updated regularly and ensuring all steps are being taken.
“I am pleased at the progress made to restore power to many communities over the course of today however a significant number of properties remain without power. Utility companies are continuing to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.
“I want to thank people for their continued patience and encourage them to take extra care and look out for each other, particularly those who are supporting vulnerable neighbours and family members.
“As we look ahead to Monday, partners are working at pace to ensure services can resume next week. Local authorities – who are responsible for school closures – will be working to ensure all buildings meet the required safety standards to reopen safely to pupils. We would expect decisions on schools to be clearly communicated by local authorities to parents, pupils and staff, with as much advance warning as possible, and would encourage all parents to follow that advice.
“People should prepare for continued disruption, especially in areas that have been impacted by a loss of power, and I encourage everyone to follow advice being issued by local authorities, as well as continuing to follow updates from national agencies.”
SGoRR was attended by the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Contance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin and Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website.
Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website.
Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on SP Energy Website.
During a power cut firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters. For advice on how to stay safe during a power cut visit Scottish Fire and Rescue Website.
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met again last night to co-ordinate the response to Storm Éowyn.
First Minister John Swinney chaired the meeting and has asked people to continue to follow Police Scotland advice and avoid travel in areas covered by the amber weather warning, which ran to 2300 in the southern half of Scotland and 0600 in the northern half.
Current impacts include:
Around 106,000 properties without power
Continuing transport disruption with road closures and rail, bus, flight and ferry cancellations
First Minister John Swinney said last night: “Storm Éowyn continues to cause significant impacts on transport and power networks. Amber warnings for wind remain in place for much of the country, while there are warnings for wind, snow and ice tonight and tomorrow.
“Across the area covered by the red warning road usage has been about 85% less than normal, and that is thanks to so many people heeding the advice not to travel.
“Police advice remains to avoid travel in areas covered by amber warnings, with wind particularly challenging for HGVs, and given the level of fallen trees and debris it will take some time for roads to fully reopen.
“Similarly, rail and air travel has been heavily impacted and people should check their planned journeys before setting off. This will not be a quick return to normal.
“Power cuts are affecting a significant number of properties, and while utilities companies are working hard to reconnect supply in the face of challenging conditions, this will undoubtedly take some time to complete. Companies are focused on supporting their most vulnerable customers and I’d urge everyone to be patient, take extra care and look out for each other.
“Given the levels of damage I expect the recovery and clear up operation will take some time, and I thank all of the emergency services and workers who are supporting people and dealing with this difficult situation.”
SGoRR was attended by the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray; Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin and Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie.
They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website.
Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website.
Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on SP Energy Website.
During a power cut firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters. For advice on how to stay safe during a power cut visit Scottish Fire and Rescue Website.
A dedicated advisory board, support for unpaid carers and enshrining care home residents’ rights to see loved ones are at the heart of revised plans for the National Care Service.
Social Care Minister Maree Todd outlined the next steps for reform to Parliament yesterday after plans to progress the National Care Service Bill were paused for further consideration in November 2024.
A new non-statutory advisory board – comprising of people with lived experience of accessing care, social care workers, care providers, trade unions, the NHS and local government – will be established to provide guidance and drive improvement within the sector. It is expected to meet for the first time in the spring.
The introduction of Anne’s Law, which upholds the rights of residents in care homes to be visited by families or friends, will remain in the legislation to reform social care, alongside a right to breaks for unpaid carers.
The Scottish Government Bill will also improve information-sharing across health settings and the ability for individuals to access and manage information about their care, while progressing plans for a national social work partnership.
Ms Todd said: “We want to deliver a National Care Service that improves the experience of everyone who relies on social care, social work and community health in Scotland.
“Change is urgently needed to reform the social care sector in Scotland but it has to be meaningful and sustainable change. That’s why we paused the Bill for further consideration, to fully capture the views expressed by all stakeholders, members of the public and the Parliament.
“The advisory board will include people with lived experience of social care, ensuring it has those who access services at its heart. It will allow us to drive forward vital reform more quickly than our original proposals.
“The Bill gives adult care home residents a legal right to see their loved ones with the implementation of Anne’s Law and recognises the significant contribution of unpaid carers to Scotland’s communities by introducing a right to breaks.
“There will be enhanced information-sharing to improve the coordination of individuals’ care, and we will work in partnership with the sector to bring forward reform that future-proofs the social work service in Scotland.
“People need sustainable change to social care and these actions will allow that to happen as quickly as possible.”
COSLA Leaders will meet at the end of January to take a position on the National Care Service Bill.
