Tag: Scottish Government

‘A social contract with Scotland’

A Scottish Budget which goes further to support the vulnerable and deliver greater benefits than provided in the rest of the UK will be voted on in Parliament tomorrow.

Ahead of Tuesday’s final debate and vote on the 2023-24 Scottish Budget Bill, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has set out the “social contract with every citizen of Scotland” – supporting people through the cost of living crisis with the groundbreaking Scottish Child Payment, the expansion of free school meals and free bus travel to more than two million people.

Against a background of high inflation and the cost of living crisis, record funding of more than £19 billion is committed to the Health and Social Care portfolio – an increase of over £1 billion. Other measures include more than £350 million for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme which sees 370,000 households paying no council tax, and for business the lowest non-domestic rate poundage in the UK will mean more than 95% of properties are liable for a lower property tax rate than elsewhere.

Investing in Scotland’s future with more than £4.6 billion for the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Portfolio, the Budget also includes £467 million to protect the natural environment.

Mr Swinney said: “This Budget strengthens our social contract with every citizen of Scotland who will continue to enjoy many benefits not available throughout the UK.

“In one of the most challenging budgets since devolution, we are prioritising our limited resources to protect public services, invest in the transition to Net Zero and take decisive steps to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.

“Supporting people most in need in these difficult times is the foundation of this Budget. As a Government we are doing all we can to support people and families.

“We have chosen a distinctive, more progressive path where people are asked to pay their fair share to create the fairer society in which we all want to live. Progressive choices on Scottish Income Tax mean that next year this Government will deliver record funding of more than £19 billion for health and social care.

“While none of us should underestimate the scale of the ongoing financial challenges, I am confident that this Budget package offers stability and certainty for Scotland.”

Read the Scottish Budget 2023-24 .

Funding to help nature projects grow

Supporting and scaling up responsible investment in nature

Environmental organisations, community groups, land owners and farmers will be eligible to apply for a share of £1.8 million funding to help grow their nature projects.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot, working in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and with support from the Green Finance Institute, are launching a new programme of support to help scale up private investment in Scotland’s natural capital.

Grants of up to £240,000 will be offered to organisations and partnerships to help develop a viable business case and financial model, to attract investment in projects that can restore and improve the natural environment, such as, but not limited to, woodland creation, marine enhancement and peatland restoration. Successful projects will also demonstrate the means to engage and share benefits with communities, contributing to a just transition.

The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland programme also aims to ensure that investment in, and use of, Scotland’s natural capital creates benefits that are shared.

Minister for Environment and Land Reform Mairi McAllan said: “The Scottish Government has already significantly increased public investment in nature restoration through, for example, our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.

“But public investment can’t do it alone. The finance gap for nature in Scotland for the next decade has been estimated to be £20 billion – that’s why we are working to find ways to bridge this finance gap through leveraging responsible private finance. 

“The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland programme will enable swifter, easier and scaled up development of nature-based investable projects across the country. It has the potential to grow natural capital markets that reach across rural, urban, terrestrial and marine settings, and to support a wide variety of natural assets and ecosystem services.”

NatureScot’s Director of Green Economy Robbie Kernahan said: “Scotland’s nature is in crisis: its unique habitats and ecosystems will only continue providing the benefits to our wellbeing if we act now to value it and invest in it.

“The new Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland is a vital opportunity to stimulate that investment and will help us halt nature loss – we must grasp it with both hands.”

Heritage Fund Director for Scotland Caroline Clark said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are delighted to support this programme which will ensure more of Scotland’s natural capital can be unlocked for the benefit of the environment and communities.

“FIRNS offers an exciting opportunity to explore ways of diversifying income for Scotland’s nature sector and building skills, capacity and resilience for the communities and organisations who are caring for the future of our natural world in a time of immense change.” 

250,000 Baby Boxes delivered

Supporting parents with cost of living

A quarter of a million Baby Boxes have been delivered to expectant parents – providing them with more than £400 worth of essential items for their newborn.

The milestone was reached ahead of the popular scheme’s sixth anniversary in the summer.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “The Baby Box is part of our commitment to ensure every child has the best start in life, and I am heartened that so many families have benefitted from this fantastic scheme.

“Clearly household budgets remain under extreme pressure from the cost of living crisis, so it is reassuring to know that all expectant parents in Scotland, regardless of their circumstances, have access to essential items needed for the first six months of their newborn’s life.

“The Baby Box also contains items to support positive parenting, benefitting infants as well as parents.”

One Parent Families Scotland Chief Executive Satwat Rehman said: “With rising costs, single parent households are under increasing pressure to meet the costs of looking after their children.

“Having just one income, with costs associated with a newborn, is very difficult and the essentials contained within the Baby Box go a long way to easing that for single parents. We have seen first-hand how much difference this has made to the families we work with.”

Fatigue wake-up call for Scotland’s drivers

Road safety campaign highlights the dangers of driving tired

A powerful campaign by The Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland goes live today, reminding drivers about the dangers of driver fatigue.

It follows an increase in serious incidents on the A9 trunk road in 2022, with 12 fatal collisions and 18 fatalities reported. Of this total, 13 deaths occurred on the Perth to Inverness section of the road during the second half of the year1.

Fatigue is a contributory factor in collisions which kill or seriously injure around 50 people every year in Scotland2 and as many as 25 per cent of all fatal and serious incidents on the A9 between Perth to Inverness3.  

Many of the counter measures used by drivers to combat tiredness (opening a window, turning up the radio or pinching themselves) have been shown to be ineffective. Instead, the campaign urges driver to take regular breaks, stop to rest and have a coffee, and plan ahead to avoid driving tired.

Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth, said: “Driver fatigue is a serious issue that causes too many serious and fatal road collisions each year. Drivers often experience early signs of feeling tired such as yawning, eyes drooping and head-nodding, and should stop for a rest as soon as it’s safe to do so.

“We’re reminding people to plan their journeys well in advance, ensure they are well-rested before setting out and take regular breaks. It’s simple yet powerful advice which can help save lives on Scotland’s roads.”

Sleep-related collisions are around 50 per cent more likely to result in death or serious injury as they tend to be high-speed impacts.

Michael McDonnell, Director of Road Safety Scotland and a member of the A9 Safety Group, said: “Sadly we have seen a rise in serious and fatal collisions on the A9 trunk road in the last year and many of them involve an element of driver fatigue – something that can be prevented. A tired driver is a danger not only to themselves but to everyone on the road.

“If you feel tired while behind the wheel, opening your window or turning up the music isn’t enough. Stop for a rest and a coffee before you get back on the road to help keep you and others safe.”

A two second micro-sleep at 30 mph can result in complete transition from one lane to the next and you will be unable to notice or react to a child stepping out on the road5.

The new multi-media marketing campaign will run on multiple channels including TV, digital, outdoor, radio, PR and social media.

The thought-provoking advertising, features a striking close-up of a tired driver’s eye, with the road ahead reflected in it. After a long blink, the road reappears in the eye, however the car drifts towards the centre of the road as the eye droops further and finally remains closed, resulting in a head-on collision with another car and devastating consequences.

Watch the ad here: https://youtu.be/r-KtjJlrQHk

For more information visit roadsafety.scot/fatigue or the Road Safety Scotland Facebook and Twitter (@roadsafetyscot) pages.

Record Pay offer to Scotland’s NHS staff

£568 million for Agenda for Change (AfC) pay deal in 2023/24

Healthcare staff across Scotland have been offered the largest pay package in the history of the NHS, with a £568 million increase in investment.

160,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff – including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others – will be offered an average 6.5% increase in pay in 2023/24.

This pay offer includes the commitment to deliver the most progressive package of terms and conditions reform in decades. 

The offer also includes the commitment to modernising Agenda for Change, which was introduced nearly 20 years ago, to support workforce recruitment, sustainability and retention.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We have engaged extensively with trade union representatives over recent weeks, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff. Our healthcare staff have shown how dedicated and hardworking they are time and again and I cannot thank them enough for their commitment, particularly over the last few challenging years.

“Over the two years of this £1 billion of increased investment in NHS Agenda for Change, a newly qualified nurse would see their pay increase by 15.8%, and experienced nurses at the top of band 5 would see their pay improve by over £4,700.

“This ensures that Scotland’s NHS Agenda for Change staff are, by far and away, the best paid anywhere in the UK. In fact, for NHS England to catch-up with Scotland the UK Government would need to offer increases in 2023/24 of over 14% at the top of band 5, over 13% at the top of band 6, and over 12% at the top of band 7.

“We have taken difficult decisions to find this money within the health budget because we know that our staff are the very backbone of the NHS and we are committed to supporting them, particularly during a cost of living crisis. I am grateful for the continued efforts around the table and that the trade unions will now put this to their members.”

£27 million to tackle disadvantage

Community projects tackling poverty and disadvantage will receive £27 million funding over the next three years.

Food pantries which help lower food bills and cost of living advice services are among the 100 initiatives developed by local people set to receive grants from the Investing in Communities Fund.

Among the successful Edinburgh bids are Community Renewal, who receive funding for Our Neighbourhood: A new hyperlocal Community Wealth Building partnership, Dr Bell’s Family Centre (Start Well, Live Well: Wellbeing Support for Families in Leith programme), Fresh Start (Fresh Connections) and North Edinburgh Arts (Link Up).

Other Edinburgh projects to receive funding include The Broomhouse Centre, The Venchie Children and Young People’s Project and WHALE Arts Agency in Wester Hailes.

Final details of the grants allocated will be made public after letters of acceptance have been received.

Supported projects are delivering multiple activities, including:

  • debt and benefit advice to avoid electricity and gas disconnection or eviction for rent arrears in South East Glasgow
  • a furniture reuse scheme in Inverness and a swap and repair shop in West Lothian
  • community food growing in South West Glasgow
  • school uniform exchanges and supporting parents into employment in South Lanarkshire
  • help for mothers establishing micro businesses in South West Edinburgh
  • training for jobseekers and counselling to address mental health and substance abuse issues in the Borders

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said: “This fund will help directly address issues facing disadvantaged communities, such as unemployment and food insecurity.

“We have been clear that the Scottish Budget is prioritising our limited resources to tackle child poverty, invest in our transition to net zero, and protect public services. And the projects supported through Investing in Communities speak to these priorities.

“Many will help ease immediate challenges from the cost of living crisis but also support communities in delivering longer term plans to address poverty.”

Investing in Communities

communities-fund-awardsDownload

Teachers reject latest offer: planned strikes to go ahead

A special meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee, held online today, has unanimously rejected the latest revised pay offer from the Scottish Government and COSLA.

The new offer, announced in the media yesterday before it was given to teaching unions, offers only a marginal improvement on previously rejected offers. As a result, the EIS will reject the offer and continue with its current programme of strike action until a more credible offer is put onto negotiating table.

Commenting this afternoon, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “This is another inadequate offer to Scotland’s teachers, which was unanimously rejected by the EIS Salaries Committee earlier today.

“The 6% value of the offer for 2022-23 is insufficient, with CPI inflation currently sitting today at 10.5%. The 6% offer for this year is only 1% less of a pay cut than that previously offered, twice, by the Scottish Government and COSLA.

“Teachers have already lost more than 1% of their salaries through being forced into strike action so, essentially, teachers already more than paid for this revised offer themselves. This is just yet more smoke and mirrors from the Scottish Government and COSLA in attempting to make this offer appear more generous than it actually is.”

Ms Bradley continued, “The suggested year two component of 5.5% hasn’t been negotiated via the appropriate forum, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), at all. Indeed, teaching unions haven’t even submitted our pay claim for 2023/24 yet, as a consequence of the current dispute.

“In attempting to tag on next year’s pay settlement, without any negotiation at all, the Scottish Government and COSLA are attempting to tie the hands not just of teacher trade unions but all public sector unions – and this is unacceptable to the EIS.”

Ms Bradley added, “The conduct of the Scottish Government and COSLA in this process has been equally unacceptable. From dragging the process out interminably, to seeking to create divisions both between different grades of teachers and different groups of workers, to seeking to bypass the agreed negotiating processes and sharing information on pay offers with the media before sharing them with the trade unions representing teachers – these have not been good-faith actions.

“Their emphasis throughout has been on spin rather than genuine attempts to reach an agreed pay settlement through proper negotiation.”

Ms Bradley went on to add, “As a result of the clear decision to reject this offer, taken by our Salaries Committee today, our Executive Committee has also unanimously agreed that the current programme of strike action will continue as scheduled.

“The EIS remains, as ever, willing and available to engage in further discussions with both the Scottish Government and COSLA, through the appropriate forum within the SNCT, to attempt to reach a resolution to this dispute.”

The EIS has emailed its members this afternoon, advising on the decisions to reject the offer and continue with strike action and the reasoning behind those decisions.

A copy of this email can be viewed here.

Campaigners say Deposit Return Scheme must start without delay

DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME: INDUSTRY AND UK GOVERNMENT MUST SUPPORT SCOTLAND’S ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS

Environmental campaigners have said that Scotland’s deposit return scheme should be delivered without any more unnecessary delay.

After 5 years of planning, Scotland’s deposit return scheme is due to launch on 16 August 2023. With the UK Government recently announcing its plans for DRS in England and Wales and calls for more clarity from the industry led scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland, there have been calls to delay Scottish plans.

The deposit return scheme will work by people paying a 20p deposit when they buy a drink in a single-use container made of plastic, metal or glass. When the containers are returned, this provides a guaranteed source of high-quality materials for recycling.

The scheme also makes sure producers take full financial and environmental responsibility for the proper collection of their packaging. The Scottish Government has engaged with businesses of all sizes and addressed many of their concerns throughout the development of the scheme.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme must start on time in August 2023.

“Businesses in Scotland have had five years to prepare for DRS and many of them will already be familiar with how these schemes operate in other countries. It’s time for Circularity Scotland, the industry-led scheme administrator, to deliver the planned DRS to the people of Scotland without delay.

“While it is encouraging that the UK Government has committed to its own scheme, it should not be seeking to slow down environmental progress in the devolved nations. Politicians should be seizing this opportunity to take urgent action to combat waste and move to a more circular economy.

“Suggestions that DRS will cost consumers are irresponsible – like existing deposit return schemes in other countries, it will be simple for customers to claim their 20p deposit back from any shop participating in the scheme.”

Dr Kat Jones, Director of APRS, which has been running the Have You Got The Bottle? campaign since 2014, said: “We have seen the support among the Scottish public for deposit return since the outset of the campaign.

“This scheme works well in other countries where it has reduced the litter we see in our towns and countryside, cut carbon emissions, and resulted in savings for local authorities. However, the scheme has been delayed twice in response to industry foot dragging.

“We are all trying to do our bit to reduce waste, but the onus should be on the large companies creating the issue. Deposit return schemes work to shift responsibility for waste back to the companies creating it and away from the environment and society. We need industry to work with the Scottish Government in order to create a scheme that works for businesses, communities, and the environment.”

Catherine Gemmell, Scotland Conservation Officer for the Marine Conservation Society said: “Scotland’s seas cannot, and should not, be paying the price for our waste.

“Marine Conservation Society volunteers have been picking up cans and bottles for decades on beaches, but we need to put a stop to them getting there in the first place. During last year’s Great British Beach Clean, 93% of Scottish beaches surveyed found drinks-related litter.

“We know Deposit Return Schemes have huge potential to turn the tide on this kind of pollution. Circularity Scotland need to implement the Scheme in August, for the benefit of both people and planet.”

THERE ARE ONGOING CONCERNS, HOWEVER …

FIRST MINISTER TO RESIGN

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to resign as First Minister

The First Minister told a press conference this morning: “Being First Minister of Scotland is, in my opinion, the best job in the world. It is a privilege beyond measure – one that has sustained and inspired me, in good times and through the toughest hours of my toughest days.

“Since my first moments in the job, I have believed that part of serving well would be to know – almost instinctively – when the time is right to make way for someone else. And when that time comes, to have the courage to do so. In my head and my heart I know that time is now.

“Today, I am announcing my intention to step down as First Minister and leader of my party. I will remain in office until my successor is in place.

“I have been First Minister for over eight years, and I was Deputy First Minister for the best part of eight years before that. These jobs are a privilege but they are also – rightly – hard. And, it is only possible to give absolutely everything to a job of this nature for so long.

“Given the nature and scale of the challenges the country faces, I feel that duty, first and foremost, to our country – to ensure that it does have the energy of leadership it needs, not just today, but through the years that remain of this parliamentary term.

“We are at a critical moment. The blocking of a referendum as the accepted, constitutional route to independence is a democratic outrage. But it puts the onus on us to decide how Scottish democracy will be protected and to ensure that the will of the Scottish people prevails.

“I am firmly of the view that there is now majority support for independence. But that support needs to be solidified – and it needs to grow further if our independent Scotland is to have the best possible foundation.

“To achieve that we need to reach across the divide in Scottish politics, and my judgement now is that this needs a new leader.

“It has always been my belief that no one individual should be dominant in any system for too long. But, as a leader, while it’s easy to hold that view in the abstract, it is harder to live by it.

“I consider this decision to be the right one for me, my party and the country. I hope it can also be the right one for our politics. If all parties were to take this opportunity to try to de-polarise public debate just a bit, to focus more on issues, and to reset the tone and tenor of our discourse.

“There will also be time in the days to come for me to say thank you properly to a very long list of people without whom I wouldn’t have lasted a single day in this job, let alone eight years. For now let me say thank you for all you have done for me, the government and the country.”

TRIBUTES:

£130m for disabled children since launch of benefit

Minister urges those eligible to apply

More than £130 million has been distributed to thousands of families with disabled children since the launch of a Scottish Government benefit.

The latest official figures show the families of over 54,000 children and young people were receiving Child Disability Payment in December last year.

Just over 13,000 of these are from new applications. More than 41,000 children and young people have had their award transferred from Disability Living Allowance for children from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Child Disability Payment.

Social Security Scotland are on course to have transferred the awards of almost everyone still receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for Children in Scotland by Spring.

Child Disability Payment helps cover the extra costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “Child Disability Payment helps parents to support their children and assists young people to live their lives to the fullest. Therefore, it is welcome news that so far more than £130 million in Child Disability Payments has been distributed to thousands of families with disabled children, to help cover extra costs.

“New applications are increasing, and Social Security Scotland is working to process these as quickly as they can, while seeking to ensure that right decisions are made first time. We are only being asked to look again at decisions in a very small proportion of cases.

“The process of transferring people’s awards from the DWP’s DLA for children to our Child Disability Payment is also continuing at pace, and on course to be almost entirely complete in the Spring.

“The Scottish social security system has been designed in partnership with those who have experience of applying for benefits previously. This has helped us to build a system that is easier to access, and where people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

“I urge anyone who thinks they, their child or someone they know may be eligible for Scottish Government benefits to check and apply.”

Jamee Killin, from Edinburgh, applied for Child Disability Payment for her daughter who has ADHD. She said: “The process of applying was straightforward and the staff were extremely helpful.

“I have already recommended it to people and would urge anyone who thinks they might be eligible to apply.”