First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has chaired a further meeting of the Scottish Government's resilience committee (SGoRR) to discuss the ongoing pressures on the health and social care system. The group met this morning and assessed issues including the latest situation with respiratory infections, pressures throughout the system, and ongoing work to reduce rates of delayed discharge.
The Fund has been launched with support from British Business Investments and Strathclyde Pension Fund. The Fund will support the growth of established smaller companies throughout Scotland.
Former Energy Minister Chris Skidmore publishes his Net Zero Review, outlining the opportunities offered by net zero. Chris Skidmore publishes his Net Zero Review, setting out the "historic opportunity" offered by net zero.
The Government has today confirmed the allocation of a £230 million uplift to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for investment in football facilities across the UK. As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering the grassroots facilities every community needs and levelling up access to high quality pitches, up to a further £168 million will be invested into facilities in England by 2025.
The UK and Saudi Arabia governments yesterday (Thursday 12 January 2023) discussed ambitious plans for collaboration in space and innovation. Business Secretary Grant Shapps met with Chairman of Saudi Space Commission and Minister of Communications and Information Technology, His Excellency Abdullah Al-Swaha in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on scarlet fever and invasive group A strep cases. Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to show scarlet fever and group A strep (GAS) infections remain high, although the number of notifications has fallen in recent weeks.
The 6 largest banking providers in the UK have implemented fully the standards required by the CMA to deliver Open Banking, helping provide innovative services to millions of account holders, securely. The substantive completion of the Roadmap signals the start of a new phase for Open Banking.
The NDA group calls on graduates to help deliver its mission and take part in the one of the most important environmental programmes in the world. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group is calling on graduates to help deliver its mission and take part in the one of the most important environmental programmes in the world.
Weekly national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report, COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses. Flu surveillance up until end of week 1 Swab positivity for flu* has decreased to 12.2% in week 1, compared to 25.2% in week 52.
Five poorly-justified tax reliefs, used by just 70,000 individuals, are costing other taxpayers £4 billion a year, according to new HMRC tax reliefs statistics published on Thursday 12 January 2023, and should be in the sights of the Chancellor as he approaches his Budget on 15 March, the Resolution Foundation says. The latest HMRC data shows that 105 of the country's non-structural tax reliefs cost £195 billion in the year 2020-21, up £30 billion (18 per cent) on the year before.
Taxes are going up, in large part due to big policy choices like the upcoming rise in the Corporation Tax rate and the prolonged freezing of various tax thresholds. Yet it's always possible that further tax rises will be needed sooner or later, perhaps to support struggling public services, or to raise funds to allow other taxes to be cut (it seems almost certain that the Treasury will not go ahead in the Budget with the entire 12p a litre fuel tax rise that is currently planned, for example).
Monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have grown by 0.1% in November 2022, following growth of 0.5% (unrevised from our previous publication) in October 2022. Looking at the broader picture, GDP fell by 0.3% in the three months to November 2022.
As corporations set net zero targets, they must demonstrate credible science-based strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of their activities. To do this, many companies are buying carbon credits to offset unavoidable and residual emissions on their decarbonisation journeys.
Social insights on daily life and events, including the cost of living, working arrangements and well-being from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN). From the Office for National Statistics.
Monthly construction output is estimated to have flat growth (0.0%) in volume terms in November 2022; this follows a downwardly revised increase of 0.4% in October 2022. The flat growth in monthly construction output in November 2022 came from a decrease in new work (0.4% fall), offset by an increase in repair and maintenance (0.6%) on the month.
A fifth of adults say travel plans affected by rail strikes 13 January 2023 Around 1 in 5 adults across Great Britain said their travel plans in the previous two weeks had been disrupted by rail strikes. That is according to data collected between 21 December 2022 and 8 January 2023 from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, which covers the period of industrial action on the rail network in the lead-up to, and after, Christmas.
The report published today by the Office for National Statistics. Monthly production output fell by 0.2% between October and November 2022 and is 2.5% below February 2020; this was the last month of "normal" trading conditions before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
More than 1.4 million households in the UK are facing the prospect of interest rate rises when they renew their fixed rate mortgages in 2023. Most fixed rate mortgages in the UK (57%) coming up for renewal in 2023 were fixed at interest rates below 2%.
In 2022 144,650 deaths that occurred by 30 September. (and were registered by 30 November), which is 19,986 (16.0%) more than the historical average (compared to 2015-2019).
Councils across Scotland faced significant financial challenges during 2021/22 and are now entering the most difficult budget setting context seen for many years. Increasingly difficult choices about spending priorities will need to be made.
