News Archive

Seed Potato Brexit Concerns

Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon has written to Minister of State at DEFRA George Eustice seeking urgent clarification and assurance that Scottish seed potatoes can continue to be exported to third countries, such as Egypt, in the event of a ‘no deal' Brexit.   This is all the more urgent given that the UK will not be a listed third country for seed and other plant propagating material if the UK leaves the EU in a 'no deal' scenario and will therefore be unable to continue our exports to the EU.  

Hidden By Queen's Speech Announcements 1% Increase In Public Works Loans Board Charges

What you might say has this got to with me.   Well in a round about way it affects us all as many public bodies including councils and health boards borrow from the PWLB at low cost.  

£27m Funding For Active Travel

A new walking and cycling route in the north of Glasgow, the regeneration of Ayr town centre and green infrastructure travel links in Aberdeen, are amongst a number of active travel projects revealed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today.   The projects are amongst more than 200 across Scotland receiving a total of £27 million of funding through walking and cycling charity, Sustrans Scotland's and Transport Scotland's flagship programme providing advice, support and infrastructure for walking and cycling Places for Everyone Details of the Programme’s major projects were announced in Perth in July.  

Dounreay Hosts IAEA Meeting For 26 Countries

Dounreay shared its knowledge of nuclear decommissioning with more than 50 specialists who attended an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting at the site last week.   Drawn from industry, government, regulators and academia, the group travelled to Caithness in Scotland to take part in a technical meeting about the work needed to leave the site in a safe condition for future generations.  

Rent Arrears For Council Houses Up 14% In Scotland In One Year

The total amount of rent arrears on all council properties in Scotland has increased by 14% in a year as the number of council tenants in arrears increased by around 3% according to official figures.   Scottish Council Housing Income and Expenditure statistics for the year 2018/2019, published by Scotland's Chief Statistician, show that rent arrears on all council properties totalled £74 million in March 2019, up £9m (14.0%) on last year.  

Dunnet Bay Distillers Is Scottish Gin Distillery Of The Year At The Scottish Gin Awards 2019

The national awards programme which celebrates excellence in Scottish gin has revealed the names of the best gins made in Scotland this year, as part of its 3rd annual competition.   The Scottish Gin Awards revealed the winners last night following a rigorous judging process involving 30 leading experts from across the UK, the assessment of 104 written entries and the blind tasting of 173 gins, all distilled in Scotland.  

Wellness Tourism: A market you can't afford to miss!

Wellness Tourism is worth over £500bn worldwide, and has grown more than twice as fast as tourism overall.   Join us for the latest series of ‘TUNE INTO TOURISM', and explore how you can capitalise on this growing trend.  

CBI Scotland Responds To The Latest ONS Regional Labour Market Statistics For Scotland

Tracy Black, CBI Scotland Director, said:"The latest figures show that employment is down across Scotland, signalling a bump in the road for what has been a robust local labour market.  With huge uncertainty impacting the whole economy, this is a timely reminder to focus on the basics: boosting productivity and maintaining Scotland's competitiveness.  

New Drug Driving Laws To Be Introduced

Motorists face roadside drugs test.   Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has welcomed Police Scotland's preparations for the introduction of new drug driving laws on 21 October.  

Action On Plastics

Cotton bud ban comes into force.   Scotland has become the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds.