"The health emergency is not yet over, and the economic emergency has only just begun." With a global pandemic for a backdrop, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a short-term spending review for the year 2021. With a freeze on public sector pay, an economy declining more than it has in 300 years and no mention of Brexit, experts from across the country share their reactions.
A report considered at the Highland Council, Audit & Scrutiny Committee today on school meals income reported that there was significant level of historic debt regarding payment for school meals and that given the age of the debt further management action is required in order to reduce or write off the outstanding amounts due. However, the amounts due are also reflective of the Council's proactive approach in ensuring that no child goes hungry at school.
Scientific evidence can be difficult to understand. Normally we can rely on experts to interpret it for us, or the media to accurately report any interesting new discoveries, but the pandemic has challenged this.
The safest way to spend Christmas and the festive period is to stay within your own household, in your own home and your own local area. Whilst we are providing guidance on how people can spend Christmas time with others to help prevent loneliness and isolation, our advice is that wherever possible you should keep in touch with friends and family members from other households through technology - or, if you decide to meet in person, you should minimise the numbers and duration, and if possible meet out of doors.
A dedicated Digital Markets Unit will be set up to introduce and enforce a new code to govern the behaviour of platforms that currently dominate the market, such as Google and Facebook. Government to set up Digital Markets Unit to oversee a pro-competition regime for platforms including those funded by digital advertising, such as Google and Facebook.
Grouse shooting businesses in Scotland will need to be licensed to operate under new proposals to tackle raptor persecution. Muirburn will also only be permitted under licence, in order to protect wildlife and habitats, regardless of the time of year it is undertaken and whether or not it is for grouse moor management or improving grazing.
Two of Glasgow's leading scientists will develop cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology thanks to a £20 million UK Government cash boost. The Scottish projects, at the University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde, are among fifteen innovative projects receiving the new Turing AI fellowships as part of the UK government's ambition to establish the UK as a world leader in AI and support researchers to scale up their innovations.
Scottish consumers are being encouraged to ‘Go Local' as part of a new initiative that will transform local convenience stores into marketplaces selling more local produce. The initial phase of this initiative will see £100,000 invested in ten local shops to increase the space given to Scottish products, broaden the range of Scottish products offered and enhance consumer engagement with Scottish products.
More than 53,000 health and social care staff have received psychological support from the National Wellbeing Hub since it was launched in May. Established during the first phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the hub supports all health and social care workers, including unpaid carers, who need help due to COVID-19, alongside a new 24/7 National Wellbeing helpline.
Travellers arriving in Scotland from Estonia and Latvia must quarantine for 14 days at home or another address, from 4am on Saturday (28 November). A significant increase in cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in those countries as well as a rise in the numbers of cases testing positive, and the associated risk of importation into Scotland has led to the decisions to remove exemption status.
Don't get duped by dodgy deals this Black Friday. Follow these tips to find out whether the ‘special offer' you've got your eye on is real.
This year's Spending Review will not be the comprehensive, multi-year review we were originally promised, but will still contain a raft of important announcements. The Chancellor has big decisions to make - on funding for public services, the role of government investment in the economic recovery, the future of targets on defence and aid spending, and much else besides.
Key sectors where employment has been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will receive support through the £25 million National Transition Training Fund. The fund will support retraining projects for careers in areas particularly hit, including aviation, construction and tourism.
The company behind the world-leading tidal-stream prototype power plant in the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound is set to start manufacturing a new-style turbine that is hopes will reduce the project's generating costs. Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) and a privately-owned specialist engineering firm from Spain's Bay of Biscay coastline have jointly been conducting 'research and development' (R& D) on the project for almost a year and are now ready to give it the go-ahead.
The UK Government will provide billions of pounds in the fight against coronavirus, deliver on the promises it has made to the British people and invest in the UK's recovery, the Chancellor announced today. billions of pounds to help tackle Covid-19 next year increased funding to deliver stronger public services £100 billion capital spending including infrastructure to drive UK's recovery and support jobs Delivering the Spending Review, Rishi Sunak said his immediate priority was to protect people’s lives and livelihoods as the country continues to battle the outbreak - allocating £55 billion to tackle the virus next year.
Plans for mass testing of asymptomatic students. Students travelling home at the end of term will be able to take voluntary coronavirus (COVID-19) tests through their college or university from next Monday.
On Monday, the Prime Minister set out the action we need to take between now and the start of December to control the spread of coronavirus. Mr Speaker, Today's Spending Review delivers on the priorities of the British people.
A pricing regime has been agreed in Highland for the provision of Export Health Certificates which will be required by UK businesses from 1 January 2021 to export products of animal origin to the EU. Chair of The Highland Council's Communities and Place Committee Cllr Allan Henderson welcomed the work carried out to date by Council officers in supporting exporting businesses to the EU, he said: "The Environmental Health Team has a very important role in providing certification for Highland businesses exporting animal products to the EU.
From the Office of Budget Responsibility. 1.1 The coronavirus pandemic has delivered the largest peacetime shock to the global economy on record.
The National Infrastructure Strategy sets out plans to transform UK infrastructure in order to level up the country, strengthen the Union and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Read the papers HERE.
