Significant capital investment in healthcare, education, transport and the environment over the next five years has been set out. The Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) and Capital Spending Review, both published today (Thursday), confirm a five year plan of investment that will support 45,000 jobs and build healthcare facilities, schools and local facilities across Scotland.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew's House, Edinburgh on Thursday 4 February 2021. Firstly let me run through the latest statistics for you as usual.
1,149 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 27,668 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results - 4.9% of these were positive.
The Scottish Government's Communities and Local Government Secretary has been urged to investigate ‘flawed’ Boundary Commission proposals for the Highlands. Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, put Aileen Campbell on the spot today asking if she had discussed with Highland Council proposals to cut councillor representation in some of the local authority’s most remote and rural locations.
The Plus A three-year project to restore confidence and resilience in Moray's tourism sector, has secured £350,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The project, by strategically important destination management organisation Visit Moray and Speyside (VMS), will deliver a series of initiatives aimed at inspiring, enabling and delivering destination recovery.
SSEN Transmission and its principal contractor for the manufacture and installation of the Shetland link HVDC subsea cable, NKT, are delighted to announce the appointment of Shetland based civil and marine engineering firm Tulloch Developments, to deliver the civil engineering works for the Shetland HVDC link onshore cable installation. The multimillion pound contract will see Tulloch Developments deliver all the cable installation civil engineering works from where the cable makes land fall in Shetland to the new switching station at Kergord.
£2 million funding was originally announced in December but has now been increased to £3 million. The funding will support snowsports centres that have been forced to close due to Level 4 restrictions to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
A blog by Bless Kuri, Head of Transmission System Planning and Investment. As we build our network for net zero emissions in the north of Scotland, we work closely with our customers and stakeholders to plan, design and deliver the strategic grid infrastructure investment that is necessary to support the further deployment of renewable electricity; transporting this clean energy to areas of demand all over GB.
Children in early learning and childcare and in primaries 1-3 are now scheduled to make a full return to nurseries and schools from 22 February 2021. In addition, very limited numbers of pupils in S4-6 will also be able to complete in-school practical work that is essential for completing national qualifications on a part-time basis from the same date Some children and young people with significant additional support needs will also be prioritised for a return to in-person provision, for those most urgently in need of support.
A series of new measures aimed at driving down coronavirus (COVID-19) rates in Scotland have been announced. Current restrictions, including the ‘stay-at-home' requirement, are set to remain in place until at least the end of February and schools will continue to be closed to most children for the rest of this month.
A new £7.75 million funding package will offer support to fishermen, seafood businesses and ports and harbours threatened by the ongoing effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU Exit. The package includes: £6.45 million for the Seafood Producers Resilience Fund which will provide support to eligible shellfish catchers and producers, in addition to trout farmers who have faced issues exporting to the EU and have lost access to domestic food markets as a result of COVID-19.
The £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant is being significantly extended to more people on low incomes. The grant will be available to workers earning the Real Living Wage or less, as well as those in receipt of a council tax reduction because of low income.
Business Secretary sets out plans for a new UK-wide subsidy control system, for providing more flexible and tailored financial support to businesses. UK to create a new subsidy control system that empowers local authorities and devolved administrations.
More than 150,000 jobseekers across Great Britain will benefit from new employment support, helping them build their interview skills, find local vacancies and quickly get back into work. New Job Finding Support service launched to benefit 160,000 people over the next year.
Highland Council Trading Standards is warning Highland residents that telephone calls claiming their property has been re-banded for Council Tax and they are entitled to a substantial refund, is a scam. The calls are known to have targeted the Caithness area but are likely to affect various parts of the community.
Fraser of Allender Institute Institute has today published an interesting review of the Scottish budget announced last week. The Scottish Fiscal Commission's forecasts accompanying the Scottish Budget last week triggered the conditions for a ‘Scotland specific economic shock'.
The national debt has topped 100 per cent of national income, and the annual deficit looks likely to stay well above £100 billion a year for the foreseeable future. That's not a recipe for fiscal sustainability.
A report "A New Future For Scotlands Town Centres" was published today 3 February 2021 by the Scottish Government. In June 2020 we launched an independent collaborative review of the progress and scope of the 2013 Town Centre Action Plan.
By the time the pandemic is over, most children across the UK will have missed over half a year of normal, in person schooling. That's likely to be more than 5% of their entire time in school.
Introducing so-called vaccination passports has been downplayed by the Scottish Government but the idea has not been ruled out The First Minister has said it is too early to be discussing the roll out of a coronavirus vaccine passport system. Pressed for her view in Parliament today, Nicola Sturgeon said there was" much still to be learned” about how the virus transmits after someone has been vaccinated.
