Chancellor must listen to growing opposition to austerity measures
The Scottish Government has consistently demonstrated that the UK’s deficit and debt can be brought down without the need for huge public spending cuts as set out by the UK Government, Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary John Swinney said today. Continue reading Swinney urges Osborne: do the right thing
‘A significant cut to lottery funding, coupled with increased demand from people affected by welfare cuts and unemployment would represent a perfect storm for many Scottish charities’ – SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour Trust. Continue reading Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding
“The terrorists seek to divide us, and to destroy our way of life. But theirs is an empty, perverted and murderous ideology. They represent no one. And they will fail.” – Home Secretary Thesesa May
The Home Secretary made this statement on the Paris terrorists attacks to the House of Commons yesterday: Continue reading “France grieves. But she does not grieve alone”
Minister praises Beyond Gender’s ‘fantastic work’
UK Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky Morgan MP (above) met with transgender young people in Edinburgh last week. Speaking to young people from Beyond Gender youth group – recently awarded Youth Group of the Year at the Equality Network’s LGBTI Awards – the Minister heard young people’s stories and learned more about the issues affecting their lives.
The Minister’s visit is timely, given that The Women and Equalities Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry into equality for transgender (trans) people. LGBT Youth Scotland works with LGBT young people across Scotland, and supports two trans specific youth groups – one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow.
LGBT Youth Scotland, Beyond Gender and Scottish Transgender Alliance all raised the importance of the Equal Recognition Campaign to reform the Gender Recognition Act, in particular the importance of legally recognising people who do not identify as men or women and lowering the age of gender recognition to 16 years old.
Fergus McMillan, Chief Executive of LGBT Youth Scotland said: “We were delighted to welcome Nicky Morgan (Minister for Women & Equalities) to LGBT Youth Scotland to visit the Beyond Gender youth group. It was a great opportunity for young people to have their views heard directly by a Government Minister. Young people spoke about their experiences of education and health services: they asked for more teacher training in order that transgender young people feel safe and supported in their education; recognition of non-binary identities; and work to reduce the waiting lists for gender specialists.
“Our research shows that 67% of transgender young people self-identified as having a mental health problem or condition due to experiencing prejudice and discrimination; 37% of transgender young people had left education as a direct result of homophobia, biphobia or transphobia; and less than half of transgender young people would be confident to report a hate crime. It is clear that more needs to be done – we hope the visit has been valuable in getting trangender young people’s stories heard and will go some way to improve the lives of transgender young people across the UK.”
Nicky Morgan MP said: “It was a pleasure to visit the Beyond Gender youth group in Edinburgh. The young people I met were truly inspirational, and it is clear that the organisation is doing fantastic work to tackle discrimination and raise awareness of the issues affecting LGBT young people.”
On young person from Beyond Gender youth group added: “It was nice to be heard by someone who has power to make changes and we hope that the minister acts on the issues we raised with her today. Beyond Gender is a lifeline for us – it’s a place you will always be accepted as yourself. We want to live in a Scotland and UK where trans people are accepted and respected for who they are and can grow up safe and happy.”
Government fury over Lords revolt
Chancellor George Osborne has said he will act on concerns about the impact of tax credit cuts after peers forced the Westminster government to think again last night – but he has vowed to press on with changes designed to slash billions from the country’s welfare bill.
In a dramatic night the House of Lords defeated the government in two votes over the controversial legislation, forcing the government climbdown.
The Chancellor has now agreed to offer ‘transitional help’ for those hundreds of thousands of people affected by cuts – but the government was angered by the defeats in the unelected ‘other place’ is now considering a review of Lords conventions to address what is sees as ‘constitutional issues’.
The proposed cut to tax credits is the most controversial piece of legislation introduced since the Conservative government’s election in May.
Tax credits were introduced by the last Labour government to help low-paid families. There are two types: Working Tax Credit for those in work, and Child Tax Credit for those with children.
Tax credits are gradually being included within Universal Credit, which is currently being rolled out across the country. Under the government’s plans, the income threshold for receiving Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credit is due to be cut from April next year.
4.5 million people are currently eligible to claim tax credits.
Campaigners and respected think-tanks argue that the proposed tax credit cuts would deprive low-income workers of up to £1,300 a year but the Westminster government says the cuts are essential to tackle the UK’s massive deficit. It says most claimants will be better off when other changes, such as the introduction of the new national living wage, are taken into account.
Tax credits were worth around £2 billion to Scottish households in 2013/14, with two thirds of support directed at low income working families.
Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil called for for the UK Government proposals to be ditched in a letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions earlier this week.
Me Neil said the UK Government should urgently rethink tax credit changes which will punish families and push even more children into poverty and urged the UK Government to rethink its plans to cut tax credits which mean households with the least money will face the biggest losses.
Mr Neil said: “Cutting tax credits is a thoughtless approach which may save the Treasury money in the short term but will have heart-breaking long-term consequences that could rebound on other public and charitable services.
“Tax credits can be a lifeline for families on low incomes that rely on them to get through daily life, put food on the table, heat their home and pay their bills.
“Removing this vital support from thousands of families will widen the gap in inequalities and push even more people into poverty.
“The UK Government’s plans are a clear attack on low income working families and those families must be protected as a matter of urgency.
“The Scottish Government has made clear its opposition to these changes and I urge the UK Government to reconsider the severity and timing of these changes and make changes before the Welfare and Work Bill reaches its next legislative stage, so that the poorest households in receipt of tax credits can be protected from this fall in their incomes.
“This shows why we need more social security powers through the Scotland Bill and why, we will ensure our approach to social security will be based on fairness and that people are treated with dignity and respect.”
‘ … not only are these cuts ideologically driven, they are also unnecessary’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set out an alternative option for a UK wide fiscal mandate that would ensure sustainable UK public finances while releasing additional investment in public services and infrastructure compared to the UK Government’s planned cuts.
The illustrative figures show that the austerity proposed by the UK Government is not required to secure a current budget balance.
Under an alternative fiscal plan, the UK’s current budget could be balanced from 2019-20, with public sector net investment increased to 2 per cent of GDP over the same period.
As an illustration of the scale of unnecessary reductions being pursued by the UK Government, this would allow an additional £150 billion in cumulative investment in public services across the UK between 2016-17 and 2019-20 compared to the UK Government’s current plans – which could see Scotland receive around £12 billion.
In contrast, the fiscal targets set out by the UK Government in its summer budget require a significant reduction in public spending, with cuts of £12 billion to welfare and potential cuts of around £20 billion to public services expected by 2019-20. UK Government reductions in spending go beyond what is necessary to balance the budget.
The work, published by the Scottish Government yesterday, shows that UK Government plans, which would see a significant reduction in public spending, with cuts of £12 billion to welfare and potential cuts of around £20 billion to public services expected by 2019-20 are not required.
The Scottish Government example would ensure that public sector debt and borrowing were on a downward path every year from 2016-17 to 2019-20. Net borrowing would continue to fall each year from 4.9 per cent in 2014-15 to 2 per cent in 2019-20 – below the average deficit of 3.6 per cent seen in the UK over the past 40 years.
The First Minister said: “This week, the UK Parliament will vote on the Chancellor’s proposals for what are unnecessary and ideological cuts to public spending.
“The pain of the UK Government’s austerity agenda is already having an impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society, and is beginning to bite across the country. But the UK Government’s latest fiscal targets mean even more painful austerity is ahead for people across the UK, with further cuts to public services and welfare planned over the next four years.
“As our alternative proposals demonstrate not only are these cuts ideologically driven, they are also unnecessary.
“Our paper published today – which updates our fiscal mandate proposals following the UK Government’s summer budget – outlines an alternative to ensure the debt and deficit are put on a downward path while allowing up to an additional cumulative £150 billion of investment across the UK by 2019-20 – with around £12 billion in Scotland.
“The Scottish Government has consistently demonstrated that the deficit and debt can be brought down without the need for the huge public spending reductions that have been set out.
“As this alternative option shows, not only could we maintain investment in public services and protect the poorest and most vulnerable in society, the UK current budget would be balanced by 2020, with limited borrowing set aside for capital investment to increase the country’s productive capacity.
“There is a different path to austerity available – as our alternative option shows, it is a viable path and it is an opportunity that the UK Government should grasp.”
The alternative options are set out in the paper –http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/Publications/Options-for-the-UK-Fiscal-Mandate
Prime Minister hosts first meeting of new Community Engagement Forum today
The Prime Minister will today host the first meeting of the new Community Engagement Forum to discuss countering extremism. He will announce that for the first time, police forces in England and Wales will be asked to record anti-Muslim hate crimes as a specific category in the recorded crime statistics, bringing them in line with reporting of anti-Semitic attacks.
In 2013-14 police recorded crime statistics showed religious hate crimes increased by 45% and race hate crime by 4%. New statistics being published by the Home Office this morning are expected to show further rises. Creating a separate category will enable police, prosecutors, local authorities and the communities they serve to have a better understanding of the prevalence of anti-Muslim hate crime and allocate resources accordingly. It will provide the first accurate picture of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales.
The Prime Minister will also say that new funding will be made available for the security of all faith establishments, including mosques.
This issue will be covered at today’s meeting in Downing Street, which the Prime Minister announced he would convene in his speech in Birmingham earlier this year. The Forum will principally discuss the themes and objectives of the forthcoming counter-extremism strategy including mobilising a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremism in all its forms. It will also consider what more government can do across the board to help support young British Muslims to reach their full potential.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
As I said last week, I want this government to be as bold in delivering social reform as we have been in economic – and a big social problem we need to tackle to rebuild Britain as an even greater country is extremism.
We all have a role to play in confronting extremism. That’s why I have invited important Muslim and non-Muslim figures to join the new Community Engagement Forum so I can hear directly about their work in our communities, the challenges they face and so that they can be part of our one nation strategy to defeat it.
I want to build a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremists and the poison they peddle. I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British. And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion.
Home Secretary Theresa May said:
Hate crime has no place in Britain and I am determined to make further progress to ensure we can eradicate this deplorable act.
Working with police to provide a breakdown in religious-based hate crime data will help forces to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account.
Our counter-extremism strategy will be published later this month and will introduce a wide range of measures to defeat all forms of extremism. These will empower communities to confront extremist ideologies, and build more cohesive communities where everyone feels able to succeed.
The Forum will initially include around 30 multi-faith representatives from across the country and is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to hear directly from those taking a leading role challenging extremism in our communities. They will also be consulted on how best to improve the security of faith institutions and their recommendations will be considered as part of the wider work of the Prime Minister’s Extremism Taskforce.
Next week sees the return of Colin Keir MSP and Michelle Thomson MP for their surgeries (writes James McGinty). Both attract large amounts of people with their general inquiries.
Colin is on the first Monday of the month whilst Michelle is on the first Friday of the month. We would encourage people to use these services.
To visit their websites click HERE for Colin and HERE for Michelle
‘More Scots voted to keep our kingdom united than have ever voted for any party in any election in Scottish history’ – Prime Minister David Cameron
Speaking one year after the people of Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister today said he is focussed on delivering devolution so that the debate can move on from what powers the Scottish Parliament should have, to how they are used to better the lives of the people of Scotland.
He added that the UK government will shortly table an amendment to the Scotland Bill to put beyond doubt that Holyrood is here to stay.
The Prime Minister said:
One year ago Scotland’s majority spoke.
More Scots voted to keep our kingdom united than have ever voted for any party in any election in Scottish history.
They voted decisively for a powerful Scottish Parliament within a strong and secure United Kingdom. We listened.
So let me be crystal clear: Scottish devolution is woven into the very fabric of our United Kingdom.
We will table an amendment to the Scotland Bill so there is absolutely no doubt: Holyrood is here to stay.
Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and I signed the Edinburgh Agreement which pledged we would all respect the outcome of last year’s momentous vote.
We all agreed – as do the Scottish public – that the independence referendum should be a ‘once in a generation’ or a ‘once in a lifetime’ event.
So now it is time to move on.
Some may want to obsess about separation.
But I am focussed on delivering devolution so that the debate can move on from what powers the Scottish Parliament should have, to how they are used to better the lives of the people of Scotland.
And today, on the anniversary of that historic vote, let me repeat: we are delivering a new, accountable and permanent Scottish Parliament. Holyrood will be one of the most powerful devolved Parliaments in the world.
UK aid contribution reaches £1 billion
Prime Minister David Cameron will visit Lebanon today to see first hand how UK aid is helping the most vulnerable people who have been driven from their homes in Syria.
While there, as the UK’s aid contribution reaches £1 billion, he will outline the details of the extra £100 million package to help Syrian refugees, including £40 million to be used in the region surrounding Syria.
The £40 million will be allocated to the UN and NGO (non-governmental organisation) partners working in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, including British aid agencies like Save the Children, providing shelter, food, relief packages, health and protection services, as well as cash assistance – giving individuals the freedom to decide how best to cover their needs.
what the government is doing to help Syrian refugees.
Up to £29 million will go to Lebanon – host to 1.1 million Syrian refugees, or over a quarter of Lebanon’s population. The aid will help refugees and impoverished host communities cope, helping to reduce tensions between those communities and lower the risk of conflict in Lebanon which, if it broke out, could lead to more displacement of people who may look to come to Europe. Some of the aid assistance will also focus on Palestinian refugees (via United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), and support to Lebanese municipalities (via United Nations Development Programme).
The new support to Lebanon will provide:
Up to £6 million will help Jordan – host to over 629,000 refugees, or over a fifth of its population – to meet essential needs and reduce the incentive for refugees considering routes to Europe.
Up to £5 million will also support the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey, providing food and healthcare for those situated outside of the camps. This aid comes in addition to the £4 million announced for Turkey by the Development Secretary in February, bringing the UK’s total contribution to Turkey this year to £9 million. This support will be channelled through UN and NGO agencies who are best placed to respond to the crisis, alongside the Turkish authorities.
The additional £100 million, announced by the Prime Minister last week in Madrid, will be used to provide food, water, health care, education and shelter to people in Syria as well as in neighbouring countries, helping them to meet their basic needs where they are, rather than taking the desperate decision to risk their lives by attempting to get to Europe.
Nearly 12 million people have been displaced by violence in Syria and nearly 8 million of those remain in the country, including many tens of thousands in informal camps near the Turkish border. Millions more suffering from the violence – who are yet to leave their homes – also need assistance.
In Syria itself, working with the International Rescue Committee, World Food Programme and UN agencies, £60 million will be spent to provide thousands of internally displaced people with a range of support including food, water, urgent trauma care and first aid. British funds will also help to provide essential drugs, medical supplies and equipment, as well as training for hundreds of dedicated health specialists and workers in the region.
Of those funds:
The Prime Minister said: “As the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian crisis in Syria our aid effort is supporting thousands of people to rebuild their lives, providing protection, counselling and schooling, alongside the provision of basic food and water.
“Investment in health, education, jobs and stability is the most effective way to help people overseas, and it is clearly in Britain’s interests.
“Around 3% of the 11 million Syrians forced from their homes have sought asylum in Europe, and without British aid hundreds of thousands more could be risking their lives seeking to get to Europe, so these funds are part of our comprehensive approach to tackle migration from the region.
“For thousands of refugees this money means a meal for their families, the security of a home with basic sanitation and clean water, and for children it means an education so we don’t lose a generation to the Syrian conflict.
“Our goal remains to support the development of a secure, stable and peaceful Syria. Without our investment in international development, the numbers of people seeking to embark on a perilous journey to Europe would be far greater.”
