News Archive

15/3/2015

Births, Deaths and other Vital Events figures for 2014

Provisional figures for births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and civil partnerships registered during 2014 are published today by the National Records of Scotland.   The statistics show that the number of marriages in 2014 rose by 1,500 compared to 2013 but levels are still historically low.  

15/3/2015

 
Scotland on track for new trains

New fleet of faster, quieter and longer trains to arrive in summer 2017.   Designs for the 70 brand new faster, quieter and longer trains being built for the ScotRail fleet have been unveiled by Transport Minister Derek Mackay.  

15/3/2015

Learning lessons from overseas

£130,000 international study fund opens for applications.   Scottish students that have never studied abroad will be given the chance to learn in a new environment overseas in the coming academic year.  

15/3/2015

New shipping service reduces HGVs on Scotland's trunk roads

Over 6,300 HGV journeys to be removed from key routes in first three years.   "Corpach timber transport company Boyd Brothers is well on the way to becoming greener thanks to a Scottish Government investment of almost £1 million" said Transport Minister Derek Mackay during a visit to the Highland sawmill today.  

14/3/2015 : Educational Institutions

 
College scoops overall winner at LANTRA awards

Students and staff at the North Highland College UHI are delighted after attending the annual LANTRA awards ceremony last week in the Dunblane Hydro Hotel.   Gamekeeping modern apprentice Callum Low and NC Gamekeeping with Wildlife Management student Mary Bowman both were both nominated for Game and Wildlife Learner of the Year award.  

14/3/2015 : Advisory / Counseling Services

Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update

Week Commencing 9th March 2015.   This is a short message to update you on activities relating to the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership.  

14/3/2015

NHS Scotland pay rise

Health staff to get recommended increase in full.   NHS staff in Scotland are to benefit from an independently recommended pay rise in 2015/16, thanks to changes agreed by the Scottish Government.  

14/3/2015

Hill farm support payments begin

Less Favoured Area Scheme 2014 payments start.   Thousands of hill farmers and crofters in Scotland's most fragile and remote areas are set to receive vital support payments by the end of this week.  

14/3/2015

Female employment at record high

FM reflects on progress and challenges at International Women's Day event.   The gap between male and female employment rates in Scotland has fallen to a record low, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced today.  

14/3/2015

Online planning applications set to save £71 million

Red tape slashed for tens of thousands.   Over 100,000 people and businesses have saved an average of £241 by submitting online planning applications to the ePlanning Scotland website, since its launch in 2009.  

13/3/2015 : Local Authority

How Highland Council performs

The Highland Council members will consider ed a report on Thursday 12th March 2105 which sets out how Highland Council performs compared to other Local Authorities in Scotland.   The benchmarking framework reports on how much councils spend on particular services, service performance and how satisfied people are with the major services provided by councils.  

13/3/2015

Far North Line On Track for Improvement Progress

Highland (Scottish Labour) MSP, Rhoda Grant met earlier this week with Mike Kean, who led the successful Abellio bid for the ScotRail franchise, ahead of the formal handover from First at the beginning of April.   Mrs Grant who had sought the meeting, which took place in Parliament, focused discussion on what improvements far north rail line users could expect from Abellio, when they become the new ScotRail train operating company.  

13/3/2015

NHS Highland recalled to the Parliament's Public Audit Committee

NHS Highland is to be recalled to give evidence to the Public Audit Committee in order for MSPs to question them again on their management of NHS Highland's finances in 2013/14.   At its meeting today the Public Audit Committee agreed to recall three witnesses from NHS Highland to give further evidence on the AGS report: 2013/14 audit of NHS Highland: Financial management.  

12/3/2015 : Local Authority

Council seeks views on new sites and issues suggested for CaSPlan

The Caithness and Sutherland Local Development Plan Main Issues Report (CaSPlan MIR) was published in October 2014 as a discussion document that set out initial ideas for what the plan needs to achieve for people and places in the area and the Council's initial preferences for where new development might be located.   The consultation for the CaSPlan MIR finished on 6 February 2015.  

11/3/2015 : Marine Services

 
Pentland Firth Works Operations - Details For Mariners

James Fisher Marine Services Booths Park House Chelford Road Knutsford Cheshire Main Contact Stan Groundwater s.groundwater[AT]james-fisher.co.uk tel 01856831380 mob 07747843712 All positions to be quoted in World Geodetic System 1984 [WGS84], lat.  / long., in deg./ minutes.  

11/3/2015 : Auctioneers

Dingwall & Highland Marts - Sale 11th March 2015

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (March, 11th) sold 2,194 sheep of all classes.  Lambs (903) averaged £55.31 and sold to £94 gross for Swaledale crosses from Leys Castle, Inverness.  

11/3/2015

Scotland's fiscal position improves in 2013-14 but this is set to stall as oil price falls bite

David Phillips, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies writes for the Institute of Fiscal Studies.   Today, the Scottish Government published the latest version of its annual Government Expenditure and Revenues Scotland (GERS) publication covering 2013-14.  

10/3/2015 : Auctioneers

 
Dingwall & Highland Marts - Rare Breeds Sale

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts (March, 7th) sold 20 cattle, 1 donkey, 3 goats, 76 sheep, 527 lots of poultry, eggs and poultry equipment at their poultry, rare & traditional breeds of livestock sale.  Cattle (20) sold to £770 gross for a Highland cow with heifer calf at foot from Mains of Inkhorn, Auchnagatt.  

10/3/2015 : Local Authority

Opportunity for taxi and private hire car operators to have their say

Taxi and private hire car operators (PHC) and drivers in Highland are being invited to meet with The Highland Council's Taxi/PHC Sub Group to provide Members with their views on a number of issues relating to the trade.  There will also be an opportunity for the trade to raise any issue which they wish with the sub group.  

10/3/2015 : Auctioneers

Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd - Sale 10th March 2015

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (March, 10th) sold 53 prime cattle.   Prime bullocks (34) averaged 205.3p (-6.7p) and sold to 212p per kg and £1,452.55 gross.