DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (December 14th) had a catalogued entry of 143 MV accredited pedigree females at its annual Highland Ladies show and sale. Judging proceedings this year lay in the capable hands of Mr Gary Morrison, Bush of Muldearie, Keith.
A pathway to help make Scotland a world leader in hydrogen production has been published. The Hydrogen Action Plan sets out steps to help the emerging hydrogen sector in Scotland achieve an ambition of 5 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen - equivalent to a sixth of Scotland's energy needs - by 2030.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 14 December 2022, the MPC voted by a majority of 6-3 to increase Bank Rate by 0.5 percentage points, to 3.5%.
This weekly release by Public Health Scotland presents data on COVID-19 across NHS Scotland. Main Points • In Scotland, in the week ending 24 November 2022, the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 88,500 (95% credible interval: 71,000 to 106,800), equating to 1.68% of the population, or around 1 in 60 people (Source: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK - Office for National Statistics).
Those eligible for the free COVID-19 and flu vaccinations are being urged to get their jabs as winter sets in and hospitalisations increase. The reminder comes as Public Health Scotland (PHS) data shows in the week ending 11 December 2022, there were on average 735 patients in hospital with COVID-19, an 18.2% increase from the previous week.
Views sought to strengthen democracy. Expanding candidacy rights to 16 and 17 year olds is one of a number of electoral reforms being considered in a consultation launched today.
Income tax increased for higher rate payers. Deputy First Minister John Swinney has confirmed those earning more than £43,662 will pay more.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney laid out "a different, more progressive path for Scotland" as he presented the Scottish Budget 2023-24. He promised to strengthen the social contract with the people of Scotland and pledged to do everything possible to shield families from the welfare cuts and austerity policies of the UK Government Supporting sustainable public services through the cost of living crisis is a priority - including more than £13.7 billion for NHS boards and £2 billion to establish and improve primary healthcare services in communities, as well as £1.7 billion for social care and integration, paving the way for the National Care Service.
14 December 2022 by John Sloman The costs of Brexit: a clearer picture. At the time of the 2016 referendum, the clear consensus among economists was that Brexit would impose net economic costs on the UK economy.
The Scottish fiscal commission has today published a full review of the budget for 2023/24 as outlined by Finance ministerMr Swiney today. "Our report, Scotland's Economic and Fiscal Forecasts December 2022, was published on 15 December 2022 setting out our five-year forecasts of the Scottish economy, tax receipts, social security expenditure and an assessment of whether the Scottish Government's projections of borrowing are reasonable.2 "The summary of our report sets out the forecasts produced and the main assumptions and judgements that underpin them.
The European Central Bank has raised its main interest rate to 2.5% as it seeks to slow inflation in the eurozone. The US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and others all made similar moves this week.
The CWU has formally notified Royal Mail they plan to call on their members who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to take national strike action on Wednesday 14 December, Thursday 15 December, Friday 23 December and Saturday 24 December 2022. Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but we cannot fully replace the daily efforts of our frontline workforce.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (December 13th) sold 403 Prime Sheep. New Season Lambs (247) averaged 221.3p (-3.3p) and sold to 235.6p per kg and £120 gross.
Senior figures at Highland Council met on Monday 12 December 2022 with NatureScot CEO Francesca Osowska to underline its commitment to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and mark the official signing of the Edinburgh Declaration. Highland Council Leader, Cllr Raymond Bremner signed the declaration on behalf of the local authority following a recommendation by Members at the inaugural Climate Change Committee earlier this month.
The Financial Stability Report sets out our Financial Policy Committee's view on the stability of the UK financial system and what it is doing to remove or reduce any risks to it. Global economic growth is slowing and borrowing costs have gone up Since our July Financial Stability Report (FSR), the outlook for growth and unemployment in the UK and globally has deteriorated further.
Older people will spend a higher share of their income on energy bills this winter than other age groups - with the over-75s expected to spend 8 per cent of their total household income on bills, even with significant government support. But younger households are most at risk of being unable to pay bills or falling into arrears, according to new research published in November by the Resolution Foundation.
The Scottish Government Resilience Room has met to discuss the impacts of power outages in Shetland. Justice Secretary Keith Brown, lead Minister for resilience said, "The challenging circumstances facing parts of Shetland have been declared a major incident and, while SSEN is making every effort to restore supplies, it is clear that many properties will face days without power.
Prices continued to rise in November, with CPI up 0.4% in the month, however annualised inflation slowed to 10.7% from 11.1% in October. The slowing rate of annual inflation reflects stability of motor fuel prices, previously a major inflation driver, partially offset by higher prices in restaurants, cafes and pubs.
Negative equity problems have faded from many people's minds, because the last negative equity crisis was in the late 2000s, and the one before that was in the early 1990s. Around 345,000 homes were repossessed during 1990 and 1995 as a result.
The Fraser of Allender review of Scottish fianaces Ahead the budget on Thursday 15th December 2022. The outlook for Scotland's budget in 2023-24 has undoubtedly been made more challenging due to factors wholly outwith the control of the Scottish Government, but there are decisions that Deputy First Minister John Swinney can make to ease the path ahead for Scotland, according to a report published today by the Fraser of Allander Institute.
