The transition to a low carbon economy offers huge opportunities for the town of Grangemouth – but work must be done to ensure that local people and businesses aren’t left behind.
That’s the verdict of a Holyrood committee, which yesterday released the result of its inquiry into a Just Transition for the Grangemouth Area.
The Economy and Fair Work Committee took evidence from local residents, representatives from industry, trade unions and the Scottish and UK Governments as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into how the transition should be managed.
The report makes several key recommendations ahead of the Scottish Government’s own “dedicated and focused Grangemouth just transition plan.” These include a call for the plan to map the transition for the whole area rather than just the industrial site.
Committee Convener Claire Baker MSP said: “Scotland’s just transition to a low-carbon economy presents significant opportunities – not just for the economy, but also for our communities. Nowhere is that clearer than in relation to the Grangemouth Refinery.
“It is clear from the response from the local community that any just transition must maximise opportunities for the town itself, and ensure that the benefits are felt widely.
“The potential for significant regeneration and improvement is on the town’s doorstep, and it is now down to the UK and Scottish Governments, as well as INEOS, to make sure it is fully realised.”
The Committee wants the Government to meaningfully engage with the community and co-design its plans, allowing the community to have a direct impact in the future direction of their town.
The report also stresses the importance of the Acorn Project for carbon capture, which aims to capture and store up to one million tonnes of CO2 by 2027. The Acorn Project is a “critical enabler” for INEOS’ ambitions for the Grangemouth site, according to the report.
Funding for carbon capture lies with the UK Government. Minister Graham Stuart MP told the Committee that while the project was not selected to receive funding in the first round in October 2021, Grangemouth was in “pole position” for future rounds. An update is expected in the summer.
Claire Baker MSP continued: “While the Committee welcomes the sentiment that Grangemouth is well placed to receive funding for carbon capture, these warm words must now be backed up with a commitment. Funding the Acorn Project will truly unlock the potential of the site and must be a priority.”
The British Dental Association has warned MSPs the pandemic has had an unparalleled impact on NHS dentistry, that leaves the service facing an existential threat.
As the professional body prepares to give evidence to the COVID-19 Recovery Committee inquiry into NHS dentistry today (22 June 2023), it has published new analysis showing the scale of the backlogs.
Initially closed to routine care, and then facing exacting Infection and prevention control guidelines that reduced patient throughput, lost capacity on the high street exceeds general medical practice and secondary care, resulting in backlogs that will take many years to clear:
Dentistry has lost over half (52%) of its capacity since lockdown, when comparing examinations delivered since March 2020 with typical levels pre-COVID.
For GPs, that figure is just over 30% (when looking at lost face-to-face appointments). It is just over 6% for hospital outpatients and in terms of volume, inpatient care appears to have already recovered lost ground.
By any measure captured in official data, whether it is examinations or Statement of Dental Remuneration (SDR) activity claims, Scotland has lost more than a year’s worth of NHS dentistry.
Ongoing access problems are fuelling backlogs, with patients presenting with higher levels of clinical need. In recent BDA surveys over two thirds (67%) of dentists cite higher needs patients requiring more clinical time as a key issue on return to ‘full’ capacity. The only comparable problems are those concerning recruitment and retention of dentists (61%).
Dentist leaders say it will be impossible to restore pre-pandemic activity without radical change. The low margin/high volume model the service works to was incompatible with working through the pandemic and cannot form the basis for a meaningful or sustainable recovery.
This leaves the service at a crossroads: with a contract that is unfit for purpose, underfunded, overstretched and facing the challenge of deep and widening oral health inequalities. BDA Scotland fear that an exodus of dentists from the NHS is already in motion. This shift is going unseen in official data, that counts heads not the amount of NHS work dentists do. These workforce statistics give an NHS full-timer the same weight as a dentist doing one NHS check-up a year.
Recent BDA surveys indicate only 1 in 5 (21%) of practices have returned to pre-COVID-19 capacity. The professional body say hard limits on restoring capacity, and the existential threats to NHS dental services require a proportionate response from the Scottish Government.
David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said:“COVID hit dentistry like no other part of the NHS in Scotland.
“We’re not asking for special treatment, just a proportionate response. One that recognises the scale of the backlogs and the existential threat to this service.
“NHS dentists are already walking away from a broken system. There can be no recovery without reform.”
TODAY – RALLY OUTSIDE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT from 12.30 – 1.30pm
The Abortion Rights Scotland campaign will be joined by Engender and representatives of other organisations to call for decriminalisation of abortion care in Scotland.
MSPs have been invited to come outside to talk with us.
Abortion healthcare has been in the headlines again. In Scotland, although the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 does not apply, our abortion services are framed by the 1967 Abortion Act.
Audrey Brown, retired NHS abortion care consultant said: “Abortion care in Scotland is delivered through the NHS. It is time for abortion care to be regulated by healthcare organisations and providers.
“No-one needing an abortion, or indeed the NHS staff providing abortion healthcare, should be at risk of imprisonment.’
The World Health Organisation, along with all the relevant professional health bodies in the UK, and other organisations such as the STUC, all support decriminalisation.
The removal of criminal sanctions and oversight for abortion will shift abortion care clearly into being managed and regulated within healthcare provisions more generally.
In Scotland the vast majority of these services are provided by the NHS. The WHO recommends that nurses and midwives oversee abortion care.
The 1967 legal requirements for signatures from two doctors for every termination carried out, can cause delay for both staff and patients.
The First Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, indicated during the SNP leadership campaign that he supported decriminalisation and would bring forward proposals on this within a year.
It’s time to decriminalise abortion care in Scotland.
An inquiry seeking to find out the key issues facing healthcare services in Scotland’s remote and rural areas has been launched by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee.
The Committee wants to hear from members of the public and staff about their experiences of remote and rural healthcare services. They are keen to find out what specific challenges people in these areas face and what can be done to improve services in these areas.
National Records of Scotland data has revealed that the areas with the greatest population growth over the last decade were accessible rural areas. 10.6% more people lived in these areas in mid-2021 than in mid-2011.
Rural areas also tend to have specific demographic challenges when it comes to demand for healthcare, with often a lower proportion of people aged 16 to 44 but a higher proportion of people aged 45 and over (particularly those 65 and above).
Launching the inquiry, Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said:“Scotland’s geography means much of its healthcare is accessed and delivered in remote and rural areas and that’s why the Committee is keen to hear of the specific issues impacting healthcare services in these locales.
“We want to hear the experiences’ of individuals and representatives from remote and rural areas, and from those who work or have worked in remote and rural healthcare, on what they think the particular challenges facing the sector are.
“Our inquiry aims to provide a platform for the views of those in remote and rural areas to be heard and our Committee is keen to hear from as wide a range of organisations and individuals as possible.
“Sharing your views will help the Committee better understand the varied and particular issues facing rural and remote healthcare services and help our scrutiny of the Scottish Government and other key stakeholders in their approach to delivering healthcare in these areas.”
A Bill which would see most 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland referred to the Children’s Hearing System, rather than the adult justice system, could help address underlying issues and stop young people from reoffending.
This is one of the findings from a report by Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People Committee on the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill.
Stakeholders told the Committee they were broadly in favour of the changes the Bill would introduce, which include raising the age at which a young person can be referred to the Children’s Hearing System to 18.
This change would lead to more young people being referred to the Children’s Hearing System. To account for this, the Committee is urging the Scottish Government to work with Children’s Hearings Scotland to set clear targets and timescales to recruit and train more of the panel members who make legal decisions with and for children and young people.
The Committee also expressed concern that the Bill effectively establishes the age of 17-and-a-half as the cut-off date for referrals to the Children’s Hearing System. The Committee believes that this is not in the spirit of the Bill and needs to be addressed.
The Bill will still allow for a young person’s offending to be handled by the adult justice system for the most serious crimes and where it is assessed to be in the public interest to prosecute.
The Committee supported this, but has called on the Scottish Government to ensure safeguards and measures are put in place to help young people better understand and participate in proceedings, whether they are attending a Children’s Hearing or a court.
Furthermore, the Committee has insisted that updated and full costings are provided ahead of the Stage 1 vote. Social work teams in local authorities will play a key role in delivering the reforms in the Bill. However, the Committee repeatedly heard about the financial pressures that local authorities face, and the Bill does not have enough information about how the additional work they will need to do will be funded.
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said:“We welcome the changes in this Bill that will ensure that 16 and 17 year olds would have access to the Children’s Hearing System.
“As we heard time and again, where a child has committed an offence it’s important to consider why this has happened and we believe, if properly resourced, this Bill will help. It will protect children from harm and help find solutions to the problems that may have led to them offending in the first place. But improvements are needed before the Bill becomes law.
“We are alarmed that referral to the Children’s Hearing System seems to have an effective cut-off at 17.5 years old. This cut-off seems to be based on the length of time it might take for a case to be processed. We want the Scottish Government to address the delays the system appears to face and ensure that support is provided up to 18 years old, as was intended.”
Another change the Bill introduces would ensure that under-18s are sent to a secure accommodation provider, instead of a Young Offenders Institution, or prison.
There was strong support from witnesses, including Gerry Michie, Governor of YOI Polmont, and Sue Brookes of the Scottish Prisons Service, who told the Committee that: “16 and 17-year-olds, as children, should not be with us. Even if the rest of the establishment was empty, those children should be somewhere else.”
However, the Committee also heard about concerns with the financial sustainability of secure care providers. Given how vital secure care is to the delivery of the reforms within the Bill, the Committee has called on the Scottish Government to urgently investigate how the changes will affect their finances ahead of the Government’s planned release of a report on secure care in 2024.
Glittering Ceremony Celebrates Success of UK’s Top Talent
Young people across Britain gathered at the Scottish Parliament (Tuesday 6th June) to attend the Inspire Awards which celebrate the talents of young people aged 5 to 17 who excel in whatever they love to do.
The local youngsters from Edinburgh are:
Taran Vignesh, aged 9, who attends Kirkliston Primary School, won the Young Trailblazer Award,
Anoushka Kinalekar, aged 10, who attends George Watsons College, won the Martial Arts Champ Award, and
Anaya Malpur, aged 10, who attends ESMS Junior School, who won the Energy Conservation Award.
The Inspire Awards 2023 is a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which was founded in 2015 by Glasgow-based academic and educator Dr Rashmi Mantri to help young people learn and improve their abilities in maths.
In total, 37 awards were given out and after the awards, the winners, their families, judges and all other attendees, were treated to dinner at nearby German Donner Kebab, one of the sponsors of the event.
“I am so proud of all these marvellous young people and the range of abilities in the room is truly humbling. We had so many high-quality entrants that the judges had a very tricky job picking the winners.
“We wanted to create a special night to celebrate diversity and inclusion and recognise young people from all backgrounds who are making all of our futures’ brighter by learning and excelling in whatever they choose to do.
“We’ve had everything from solar powered fans to content creators on YouTube and outstanding singers and dancers, not to mention the STEM stars. Well done to everyone who won as you have set the bar very high for next year’s awards.”
A Rubik’s Cube ace as well as a talented young writer, Taran crafts short stories from his vivid imagination and narrates the stories to his friends in school and enacts them to his sister.
At just nine years old, he has mastered the Rubik puzzle and can solve it in record time. Not only that, but he has also shown a real talent for mathematics.
Anoushka participated in World ITF Taekwion-DO Council’s World Championship in Glasgow in 2022, where she won the Bronze Medal in Sparring under Blue Tag Belt. She also participated in her club – United Kingdom Taekwondo Club, winning Silver Medal in patterns for Blue tag belt and Bronze medal for Sparring under Blue tag Belt in 2023. She has also registered for participating in European Taekwon-Do Championship to be held in Dublin in June 2023. Anoushka would like to encourage girls to take up sports.
Anaya take parts in lots of environmental activities and regularly conducts small science projects in her free time. Her experiments include a solar cat, solar turbo air and an electric bell.
She recently made a solar fan using recyclable materials which works well and helps to conserve energy. Anya believes it’s every individual’s responsibility to save energy by turning off the lights when they are not needed, and putting solar panels around your house if you can.
Her mantra is: “Save Energy for a better future!”
The awards were overseen by a high-profile judging panel including Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, Associate Principal of the University of Strathclyde, and entrepreneur Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, Chief Executive of PG Paper, an international paper company based in Inverclyde, Scotland.
Dr Mantri said: “I would like to thank all the judges for their time and commitment to the awards and also to the sponsors – Whitebridge Financial Limited, Poddar Care Homes, Dupont Associates and Solicitors, and German Donner Kebab who were kind enough to invite all attendees to its Leith restaurant for dinner afterwards.
“I have seen first-hand how achievement in learning and skills can fill young people with confidence and show them how amazing they really are. Through BYITC, we have helped thousands of students excel in maths, English, programming and cyber security.”
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Member of the Scottish Parliament, Anas Sarwar, said: “It is a great privilege to welcome all of these high-achieving young people to the Scottish Parliament on this special occasion.
“The Inspire Awards are in themselves an inspirational concept that highlight the outstanding achievements of young people in their chosen specialities across the United Kingdom and I congratulate each and every one of them on their awards.
“I would like to congratulate especially the work of Dr Rashmi Mantri and BYITC in conceiving, organising, and bringing to a magnificent conclusion the Inspire Awards 2023. Dr Rashmi’s is a wonderful achievement for which she deserves high praise.”
Inspired by the success of the College, the BYITC Inspire Awards recognises young ‘Super Achievers’ from all backgrounds who have excelled in fields including the environment, sports, media, art and creativity, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
There were nine categories and 37 prizes in total. The winners were:
ENVIRONMENT
Global Warming Crusader – Samarth Raghu Badoni, Linlithgow, aged 8, who attends Springfield Primary School, Linlithgow.
Planet Ranger – Varesh Karthik, Dudley, aged 7, who attends Russell’s Hall Primary School.
Energy Conservation – Anaya Malpur, Edinburgh, aged 10, who attends ESMS Junior School.
Young Philanthropist – Jevindu Senyuth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, aged 5 who attends Darras Hall Primary School.
Young Trailblazer – Taran Vignesh, Edinburgh, aged 9, who attends Kirkliston Primary School.
High Flier – Mitali Peecha, Glasgow, aged 11, who attends Kelvinside Academy.
Powerhouse Performer – Advik Mittal, Glasgow, aged 11, who attends St. Patricks Primary School.
Wonder Kid – Vishruth Sai Keshettivar, Basingstoke, aged 9, who attends Oakridge Junior School.
Young explorer – Eivaan S Lamba, Jersey, aged 7, who attends St. Saviour Primary School.
The other award judges were Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, Professor of Applied Cryptography at Edinburgh Napier University; Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant; Derek Timpany, Education Management Consultant; Jai Aenugu, Founder of Aberdeen-based cyber security consultancy TechForce, and Harminder Berman, a former Arts Development Officer with culture and sports charity, Glasgow Life.
Dr Mantri set up BYITC after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic. The college now runs global franchises, including Dubai and Sri Lanka, and recently launched its first UK franchise in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Further UK franchises are anticipated in the coming months.
TORIES ‘FAILING’ VULNERABLE UNACCOMPANIED ASYLUM-SEEKING CHILDREN
Deidre Brock MP will use a House of Commons debate today to call on the UK government to devolve immigration powers to the Scottish Parliament so Scotland can create an asylum system based on fairness and dignity.
Leading a Westminster Hall debate, the Edinburgh North & Leith MP will argue that the Tories are failing to protect vulnerable, unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK.
She will also outline how the Illegal Migration Bill will make the situation even worse for children who have been separated from their parents and how it significantly encroaches on devolved powers.
Commenting, Deidre Brock MP said: “The Tories have utterly failed in their duty to safeguard the wellbeing of vulnerable unaccompanied children seeking safety and refuge in the UK.
“Hundreds of children have gone missing from Home Office run-hotels, sparking condemnation from the UN that the UK Government is failing in its obligations to prevent the trafficking of children.
The Illegal Migration Bill will make the situation even worse as the door will be slammed in their faces when they arrive in the UK to seek sanctuary.
“I am proud that Scotland has played its part in welcoming refugees who are desperate to rebuild their lives. However, powers still lie with the UK government and their hostile environment policies. Creating safe and legal routes is the only realistic way to disrupt the business model human traffickers use to exploit already vulnerable people.
“Power over immigration should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament so we can build an immigration system that works for Scotland and an asylum system with compassion and respect.”
This week the doors reopened to Holyrood’s crèche facility.
The crèche offers pre-school childcare provision for MSPs and staff who work in the building. It is also available to people with childcare responsibilities who are engaging with parliamentary business or with their MSPs, or who are visiting Holyrood, giving them the opportunity to have their children looked after in a safe and fun environment.
The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, visited the crèche to meet staff and children.
The Presiding Officer said: “The Scottish Parliament was one of the first parliaments in Europe to offer childcare facilities of this kind for young children and I’m delighted that we’re once again able to offer this.
“The crèche is there to provide childcare to MSPs carrying out their duties, to all staff working in the Parliament, and to visitors giving evidence to our committees, touring the building or meeting their MSP.
“It’s important that the Parliament challenges itself to do all that we can to enable those with childcare responsibilities to work in, engage with and visit the Parliament.”
Thousands of people each year experience severe financial difficulties. If you have ever been in that situation, a Scottish Parliament committee wants to hear from you to find out how the process could be improved.
The Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill will, among other provisions, create a “mental health moratorium”, meaning enforcement action against someone with serious mental health problems can be stopped.
The Bill will also make changes to the process for recovering money for creditors, including a requirement for creditors to provide a debtor with information about debt advice before enforcement.
Now the Economy and Fair Work Committee wants to hear your views on this Bill – especially if you have lived experience of the issues it covers.
Committee Convener Claire Baker MSP said: “The stress and worry of severe financial difficulties is something that all too many people are facing. The Bill aims to make changes to the bankruptcy process, but we want to know what impact these changes will have on those people affected.
“By sharing their insights, people from across Scotland can help shape a fairer and more compassionate system that addresses the challenges faced by individuals in financial distress.
“We particularly want to hear from people who have been in this situation and experienced significant mental health challenges on the difference the proposed moratorium would have made.”
Scottish Conservative & Unionist MSP Miles Briggs is supporting calls for ‘Hugo’s Law’ to pass in the Scottish Parliament, making it law that drivers must contact a vet, the police and the RSPCA in the event that they hit a cat.
The calls come after Hugo, a much-loved cat that stalked the streets of Edinburgh’s West End, sadly died last month after being struck by a car. Those who loved Hugo are now leading the calls for a change in the law.
At present, motorists are obliged to inform the authorities if they hit dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, foxes, badgers, mules, cows and goats with their vehicle, under a section of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales. A vet must also be contacted to look over the animals and treat them for injuries, however this section does not apply to cats.
Mr. Briggs has already written to the Scottish Government requesting a meeting so that discussions around the law change can begin.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggssaid: “I wholeheartedly support the campaign for ‘Hugo’s Law’ to change the law on stopping for animals to include cats.
“A cat’s life is worth no less than a dog’s and a change in the law would increase the chances of survival for cats who are struck by vehicles.
“It is imperative we include cats so that more people are not left bereft like Hugo’s family.
“A change in the law would bring comfort to Hugo’s family and other cat owners who will be safe in the knowledge that tragic incidents such as Hugo’s passing can be avoided, and that is why I am seeking a meeting with government officials to push this through”.
