News Archive

More Questions Asked On Chronic Pain Delays At Nhs Highland

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, David Stewart, has tabled more questions in the Scottish Parliament in his bid to see waiting times improved at NHS Highland's chronic pain clinic.   Mr Stewart, who is also Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, was approached by constituents who complained about the waiting times for first appointments in the north, advising that in some cases there can also be more than a year's wait for follow up appointments.  

Council publishes Highland Common Good Asset Register

The Highland Council has published the Highland Common Good Asset Register following the completion of a consultation process required by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.   The Register has been published on the Council's website and can be accessed from the download link on the page titled "Common Good Asset Register" or at the following link: https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20010/community_planning/840/common_good_asset_register For ease of reference, the Register has been divided in the separate former Burghs having recorded Common Good Funds - Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Fortrose and Rosemarkie, Invergordon, Inverness, Nairn and Tain.  

More Pain For Highland As HIE Budget Gets Second Year Of Cuts

According to the draft Scottish Govenment budget, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will get £58.2 million in the upcoming financial year - down from £61.1 million last year.   2018/19 the budget was £71.7 million.  

It's indestructible - but can we always believe in GOLD

It's indestructible - but can we always believe in (the UK trade figures with the disaggregated effect of the international trade in non-monetary) GOLD?.   Jonathan Athow is Deputy National Statistician for Economic Statistics writing a blog page today on the Office for National Statistics Gold, in addition to being a hit song by Spandau Ballet, is widely used as a store of value.  

Funeral Support Payment To Be Increased

Extra support will be made available for people on low income benefits to pay for the cost of a funeral.   The Funeral Support Payment's rate for expenses such as funeral director fees, a coffin, and flowers, is to be increased from £700 to £1,000 for all applications received from 1 April.  

Social Security Assistance - Effects Of Inflation: Report

Position paper sets out a range of improvements.   Applications for the new Child Disability Payment are going to be available online, face-to-face and by telephone - for the first time ever.  

Protecting Family Budgets But Will You Feel Better Off?

Protecting family budgets is a priority for the Scottish Government's spending plans for the year ahead.   Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes set out a range of measures in the Scottish Budget to help support family incomes including: giving a 3% pay uplift for public sector workers earning up to £80,000 investing £645 million for the expansion of early learning and childcare to provide 1,140 hours of childcare a year, saving a family as much as £4,500 per child investing an additional £16 million in concessionary travel and bus services £21 million for the initial rollout of the Scottish Child Payment maintaining the widest range of free‑to‑access public services in the UK including free personal care, free prescriptions and free tuition increasing the basic and intermediate rate thresholds of income tax by inflation and freezing the higher and top rate thresholds, meaning no taxpayer in Scotland will pay more income tax in 2020-21 on their current income Ms Forbes said: "Wellbeing and fairness are at the heart of this year's Budget.  

New ways to apply for children and young people disability benefits

Applications for the new Child Disability Payment are going to be available online, face-to-face and by telephone - for the first time ever.   The Scottish Government is introducing the new benefit this summer, replacing the UK Government's Child Disability Living Allowance.  

Why Payroll Deduction? - Check Out Hi-Scot Credit Union

In 2020, HI-Scot credit union's focus is on making saving and borrowing easier for our members, particularly through the use of payroll deduction with businesses across the Highlands and Islands.   Thousands of employees already have access to payroll deduction with HI-Scot, something the credit union wants to build on in the coming year, promoting the service to employees who work with existing partners and showing other businesses the benefits of offering payroll deduction to their staff.  

What's In The Scottish Budget 2020/21

To read the Scottish Government Papers on the 20/21 budget go to https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2020-21/.