An update on next steps following the Growth Plan which the Chancellor set out on 23 September. On Friday 23 September, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, set out how the government would fulfil its commitment to cut taxes for people and businesses and announced wider supply side policies to grow the economy.
Consumer price inflation in the UK slowed for the first time in nearly a year in August. A fall in petrol prices helped slow the overall rate but food prices continue to rise rapidly.
Innovation projects to make heat pumps cheaper and easier to install have been backed by more than £15 million in funding. More than £15 million awarded by government across 24 innovation projects to make low carbon heating like heat pumps cheaper and easier to install.
Scottish small businesses started 2022 in optimistic mood, however, there has been a sharp fall in Scottish businesses predicting growth for their business this quarter, according to new research by Novuna Business Finance. In Q1, 35% of small businesses in Scotland predicted growth rising to 37% in Q2.
While most people in the UK were still in bed in the early hours of Monday morning, the pound dived. It fell over 4% during Asia trading to reach its lowest ever level against the dollar of US$1.035, while also hitting €1.079 against the euro.
The CMA has imposed fines totalling over £2 million on Elite Sports, JD Sports and Rangers FC after they admitted to fixing the prices of certain Rangers FC merchandise. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that Elite Sports and JD Sports broke competition law by fixing the retail prices of a number of Rangers-branded replica kits and other clothing products from September 2018 until July 2019.
Three representatives from the Highlands and Islands will be attending the Social Enterprise World Forum in Australia this week to promote the region's social economy and attract inward investment. Scottish Government has sponsored a small delegation to attend the event, which takes place in Brisbane on 27-29 September.
Record green energy investment plans confirmed in 2022. 19 renewable energy projects secured in first six months - totalling more than 9GW.
The Serenity field was discovered by well 13/23c-10, drilled by i3 (100% WI) in late 2019. The well encountered a 20ft thick oil-bearing sand (11ft true vertical thickeness, TVT) unit at the top of the Lower Cretaceous Captain sequence.
The underwater discovery of a distinctive wrought iron anchor found at the bottom of the southern North Sea during survey works for ScottishPower Renewables' East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm has been hailed as an "incredibly rare" find. Believed to be a rare example from the Roman or possibly late Iron Age - somewhere between 1,600-2,000 years old – the anchor could provide material evidence of ancient Romans seafaring and trading in the southern North Sea, off the coast of the East of England.
Life Sciences Innovation Centre is scheduled to open at the end of the year. A new facility in Inverness is on track to start generating new commercial opportunities from early 2023, including creating high value career opportunities.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health Scotland (PHS) provided accurate, timely and relevant information that has played a key part in enabling people to make informed decisions during this challenging time. As part of our continuous review of the information we share on COVID-19, we are changing how we present information on the virus, including the statistics on COVID-19 hospital admissions.
The UK budget with tax rates reduced and increases cancelled may have been good news for some but the markets disagreed. The pound fell to a fifty year low when trading in Asia opened this morning.
New fusion energy experiments on UK Atomic Energy Authority's record-breaking Joint European Torus (JET) started this month. A new wave of fusion energy experiments on the UK Atomic Energy Authority's record-breaking Joint European Torus (JET) started this month.
This new Innovation Focus Area aims to find novel ideas that will shine a light on the future of Directed Energy Weapons across Land, Sea and Air domains. DASA has launched an Innovation Focus Area called, Making Science Fiction a Reality: Future Directed Energy Weapons Funding provided by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Older COVID-19 survivors, 69% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, within 1 year of infection Medical records of 6,245,282 65 years and older Medical visits but no previous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease February 2020 to May 2021 410,748 participants tested positive for COVID-19 5,834,534 did not test positive COVID-19 survivors had a 69% higher risk of a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease within 1 year of infection than their uninfected peers. Hazard ratio 1.69; 95% (1.53 to 1.72).
As at 18 September 2022, 15,702 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS). In the week 12 to 18 September, 40 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, the same as in the previous week.
Main Points from Public Health Scotland. In Scotland, in the week ending 05 September 2022, the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 113,500 (95% credible interval: 93,900 to 136,000), equating to 2.16% of the population, or around 1 in 45 people (Source: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK - Office for National Statistics).
Small areas of woodland classed as Ecological Focus Areas. Small areas of woodland on farms and crofts will soon attract funding supporting sustainable agriculture under planned changes to legislation.
Consultation on devolved tax to support Scotland's circular economy. A new devolved tax will encourage greater use of recycled and other sustainable materials by the construction industry.
