Record winter funding package to help increase NHS and social care capacity this winter. A substantial new investment of over £300 million in hospital and community care has been unveiled to help tackle what is anticipated to be the toughest winter the NHS and social care system has ever faced.
People who have suffered the most as a result of the pandemic will be at the heart of Scotland's Covid recovery strategy. For a fairer future sets out the next steps in Scotland's recovery from the pandemic, recognising that while the pandemic has affected every area of life in Scotland, those who were already struggling have been hardest hit by its effects.
The Prime Minister revealed yesterday only 127 overseas drivers have been granted HGV visas so far, after the Government grudgingly relented on its ban last week. Meanwhile, ParcelHero warns a fast-growing shortage of warehouse workers is escalating the collapse of supply chains.
Unscrupulous ‘essay mills' to be criminalised as part of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill in England. Services offering to provide students with essays for money, known as essay mills, are to be made illegal under plans announced by the government today (5 October).
UKAEA welcomes Fusion Strategy and Green Paper on regulation. Two key new government reports will help pave the way for the UK to lead the world in commercialising fusion.
Responding to the Scottish Government's announcement on Tuesday 5 October to uplift care workers pay to just over £10 an hour, GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said:"If we want to tackle the understaffing crisis in social care then we need to substantially increase the basic rate of pay, and for GMB that mean's a £15 an hour minimum. "Many of our frontline services are already being delivered on the back of wages of just under or over £10 an hour, and we know this isn’t nearly enough.
The new registration service will take approximately five minutes to complete and is a fully accessible customer friendly site with an instant cloud based secure payment service. It replaces a temporary service that SEPA made available earlier this year following the cyber-attack carried out on the organisation.
People across Scotland are being asked to use water efficiently this autumn to help maintain normal supplies following a record dry period and low reservoir levels. Met Office data shows that the North and West of the country experienced its driest April-September in 160 years, while for the whole country it was the second driest on record for the same period.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (October 6th) sold 1,009 weaned calves at their first annual district ballot show and sale. The show champion sponsored by Iain MacEachen Haulage Ltd and judged by Mr Cameron MacIver, Easter Strath of Auchterflow was awarded to a 260kg 7 month old Limousin cross from Mr D MacLean, 4 Bualnaluib, Aultbea realising £1,060.
The rich Pictish heritage of the Highland Council area is being highlighted this week with the launch of a new website (external link), app and leaflet encouraging local people and visitors to explore 32 Pictish sites along an expanded Highland Pictish Trail. The Picts dominated north and east Scotland from around 400AD for about 600 years, and the carved stones they left in the landscape, with their mysterious symbols, carvings of animals, and, later, intricately-carved Christian crosses and images of bible scenes, battles and hunting, have been a source of fascination for hundreds of years, along with their network of hill forts.
3,055 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 46,892 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results 6.9% of these were positive 34 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive.
Landmark children's rights legislation will go ahead, Ministers have pledged as they highlighted the limitations of the devolution settlement. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish Government remained committed to incorporating the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law to the maximum extent possible.
48 hour working week remains the long term goal post-pandemic. A report from an Independent Expert Working Group has concluded that the current structure and demands placed upon the NHS Scotland do not allow a move to a 48 hour working week for junior doctors, at the present time.
There has been widespread speculation about the side-effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, including, tragically, deaths. But how many people have died as a result of a vaccine and why do different sources of data tell a different story? Sarah Caul takes a look at what the data are showing us in her blog at the Office for National Statistics.
Any currency choice for a newly independent Scotland would require its government to bring borrowing down to a sustainable level and commit to low and stable inflation. This report, published alongside a second paper on currency options for an independent Scotland, sets out how currency choice and needing to borrow from international markets would affect an independent Scotland's monetary and fiscal policy, economic and financial stability, and trade opportunities.
Up to £50 million will be given to councils and social landlords to build housing infrastructure which will help deliver new homes across the country. Over the next five years grants from the Housing Infrastructure Fund will be used to build infrastructure to serve new housing developments and create new, stronger communities.
Competition in regulated markets requires a predictable approach from government, says Matthew Gill at Institute for Government. Climate change means energy policy matters long term.
After a year and a half, the temporary £20 increase to universal credit introduced during the pandemic is coming to an end. The adequacy of benefits has deteriorated gradually over the past decade.
The Highland Council are asking any businesses, companies or organisations who are planning to hold any type of market, including Christmas or festive type markets, to contact the Licensing Service to check if they require a market operator's licence. If a licence is required organisers will have to have applied for, and had this granted, prior to the market taking place.
Any currency choice for a newly independent Scotland would require its government to bring borrowing down to a sustainable level and commit to low and stable inflation. This report, published alongside a second paper on how an independent Scotland would borrow, sets out how currency choice and needing to borrow from international markets would affect an independent Scotland's monetary and fiscal policy, economic and financial stability, and trade opportunities.
