Funding released to help mitigate impacts of Brexit. A National Basic Payment Support Scheme providing vital financial support to Scottish farmers in advance of Brexit has been launched.
The NHS in Scotland will receive a further £32 million to help reduce waiting times. The investment is in addition to £70 million funding announced by the Health Secretary in April and brings the amount being spent on the Waiting Times Improvement Plan for 2019-20 to £102 million.
Borders area joins Leisure Link Partnership providing more Leisure access across Scotland The LeisureLink Partnership which includes High Life Highland today announced a new member to the partnership taking the total to five areas of Scotland that will see highlife members able to access free use of leisure facilities outside the Highland region at Live Borders facilities for the first time. The Leisure Link Partnership, designed and managed by High Life Highland means that when working away from home or on holiday members from participating areas can, at no extra cost, use the local facilities as part of their existing home based membership.
NHS Highland plans to open up hospital visiting times so that patients can benefit from more flexible arrangements at the end of this month (July 2019). Rather than having visiting hours at set times, the board's Welcome / Failte Initiative will see patients being able to ask friends, relatives and carers to visit at times that better suit everyone involved.
As part of The Highland Council's re-design, the Council has made three appointments to new posts of Executive Chief Officer. Taking up appointment on 13 August 2019 is Liz Denovan , Executive Chief Officer - Resources and Finance; Carron McDiarmid, Executive Chief Officer - Customer and Communities takes up post in September and Lesley Weber starts on 25 September as Executive Chief Officer - Health and Social Care.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (July, 23rd) sold 26 prime cattle. Prime Bullocks (8) averaged 203.9p (-1.1p) and sold to 220.0p per kg and £1,314.45gross.
A recent survey by The Open College has discovered more than a third of employees in Scotland would describe their job as ‘utterly dull' while 30% would even call it ‘soul destroying' as many feel unrewarded in their current place of work. One in five people living in Scotland are stuck in a ‘boring or unrewarding' job, according to a study released this week.
The Register has an interesting warning to us all as digital currencies begin to be promoted to us using apps on our phones and more. Jumping on the digital currency band wagon might cost a lot if you get your count scammed.
Report suggests new ways of working. A paper written by the think tank's co-chair, Lee Rowley, MP for North East Derbyshire, who also sits on the Public Accounts Committee.
Social security case transfer: policy position paper. The purpose of this paper is to set out our approach to transferring existing benefits cases from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to our own agency Social Security Scotland.
1. Main points In 2017, electricity generation in the UK from onshore windfarms in mountains, moorlands and heath was over 24 times larger than in 2003.
Peatlands occupy around 12% of the UK land area. This dramatic landscape provides over a quarter of the UK's drinking water and stores a significant amount of carbon making it an important habitat for providing both provisioning and regulating ecosystem services in the UK.
The stakeholder toolkit has been updated. It is designed for all public, third sector and charitable organisations who are involved in the delivery of, or providing advice on, the new social security benefits which are being devolved to the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 2016.
Major milestone met on Moray East Offshore Windfarm project. High voltage equipment containers for the offshore substation platforms to be sailed out from Thurso fabrication yard.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC EXHIBITION FOR PROPOSED WINDFARM DEVELOPMENT FORSS BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY PARK. Abbey Properties and Abbey Ecosse are exploring the potential for a wind farm of up to 5 turbines as an extension to the existing 6 turbines at the Forss Business & Technology Park approximately 7km west of Scrabster on the north coast of Caithness.
In its latest report, the Committee on Exiting the EU warns that a ‘no deal' Brexit would lead to severe disruption, pose a fundamental risk to the competitiveness of key sectors of the UK's economy and put many jobs and livelihoods at risk. It would represent a sudden rupture for the closely entwined economies of the UK and the EU 27.
Scottish economy remains resilient, but Brexit uncertainty continues to erode long-term growth prospects: Fraser of Allander Institute Economic Commentary. Risks from new Fiscal Framework likely to hit Scottish Budget in years ahead.
The Scottish Government will need to manage volatility in its Budget as the devolution of tax and spending powers becomes fully operational, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission. From next year the UK Treasury's funding of the Scottish Budget will begin to be adjusted to reflect actual income tax collected.
Changes to pension credit rules for 'mixed age couples' mean a large number have to wait many years before they can claim. Jonathan Cribb and Tom Waters at the Institute for Fiscal Studies look a the changes.
The report published this week looks at many of the risk facing the economy as at July 2019. Commissioned by Parliament in 2015, the report identifies and analyses risks to the medium term outlook for the public finances and to long-term fiscal sustainability.
