Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance says progress being made on the implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards is "neither good enough nor quick enough". MAT standards ensure safe, accessible and consistently high-quality treatment for drug users to help reduce drug deaths and other harms and promote recovery.
A new monitor will help inform policy decisions to reduce Scotland's vulnerability to future financial and environmental shocks, helping build a more prosperous, resilient, equal and sustainable economy. The Wellbeing Economy Monitor will complement traditional metrics like Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and include measures such as child poverty, levels of greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity, and fair work indicators to consider Scotland's economic success.
Initiatives to deliver greater equality for women in agriculture and help young farmers become the boardroom leaders of the future will benefit from additional funding. The future Women in Agriculture Business Skills Training project will receive £100,000 per year for the next three years, while funding to the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs will see board members develop their leadership skills to create greater diversity in the boardrooms of the future.
UK to join Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition (SPG) to share knowledge of best practice on green agriculture and food production. The UK has signed up to a global coalition which works to speed up the move towards more sustainable food production, Environment Secretary George Eustice announced on Thursday 23 June 2022.
The Bank of England will be withdrawing legal tender status of paper £20 and £50 banknotes after 30 September 2022. After this date, paper £20 and £50 banknotes will no longer be legal tender.
UK very dependent on rail freight. Food distribution one of the big users of rail freight.
Visitors to this week's Royal Highland Show can enjoy a glimpse of the Highlands and Islands few get to experience. Utilising immersive 360-degree films inside a specially created immersive portal, the experience is thanks to the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project.
The UK's decarbonisation drive will involve major change across the economy, particularly for the 1.3 million workers in carbon-intensive ‘brown' jobs who will need to adapt to cleaner technologies and processes. It will not destroy jobs in the way that episodes of structural change have done in the past, according to new Resolution Foundation and LSE analysis published on Monday 20 June 2022.
The number of people ending their working lives by reaching the State Pension Age (SPA) is set to reach a record high over the coming decade. It will be more than be matched by record numbers of people starting their working lives by turning 22, leading to the UK workforce get younger even while the population ages, according to new research published by the Resolution Foundation.
Brexit has not had the expected effect of narrowly reducing exports to the EU, but has instead more broadly reduced how open and competitive Britain's economy is. This will reduce productivity and wages in the decade ahead, according to new joint Resolution Foundation and LSE research published today (Wednesday 22 June 2022).
From the Office for National statistics published today 22 June 2022. Inflation and cost of living article collating and updating analysis of different price measures.
High inflation is causing real pay packets to shrink at their fastest rate in a decade, while the slowdown in growth may be causing the tight labour market to cool as unemployment ticks up, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. With CPI inflation hitting a 40-year high, real (CPIH-adjusted) regular pay fell by 2.2 per cent - the fastest fall since 2011.
The Office for National Statistics published its monthly report today 22 June 2022. The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 7.9% in the 12 months to May 2022, up from 7.8% in April.
A meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) has been told of the impact of UK-wide rail strikes on Scotland. Deputy First Minister John Swinney was joined by Ministers including Transport Secretary Michael Matheson and Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth to hear of the latest situation.
Inflation increased slightly in May, but soaring petrol prices will drive a bigger rise in June, while low-income households continue to face the greatest cost-of-living pressures, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday 22 June 2022) in response to the latest ONS inflation data. CPI inflation increased from 9 to 9.1 per cent, while CPIH rose from 7.8 to 7.9 per cent, driven primarily by household services (such as rising energy bills), transport costs and food prices, the latter of which has seen the 12-month inflation rate rise 9.9 percentage points over the past year (going from -1.3 to 8.6 per cent).
Increased long-term worklessness among young men risks putting progress into reverse. The share of young people who are workless has fallen by over a quarter since the mid-1990s, when it was a major social and economic problem, but this decline is predominantly down to falling inactivity among young women, with inactivity among young men now rising, according to new research published by the Resolution Foundation.
New law provides fairness for ratepayers. Proposals to ensure the effect of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on rateable values can only be considered at revaluation have been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
Notification of a potential scam using the Office of Tax Simplification logo. We have been made aware of people receiving correspondence using the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) logo and signatures to request payment of ‘tax'.
The landmark deal is expected to add at least £270 million a year to the Scottish economy, with food and drink and renewable energy businesses set to benefit. Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is launching free trade negotiations today (Wednesday 22 June 2022) between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that could provide a huge boost to hundreds of Scottish businesses.
Latest house price data from Registers of Scotland published on 22 June 2022. £187,954 - The average price of a property in Scotland 16.2% - The annual price change of a property in Scotland 3.0% - The monthly price change of a property in Scotland.
