News Archive

5/6/2023

 
UK Car Production Up In April As Exports Surge

British car manufacturing output up 9.9% in April with 66,527 units rolling off factory lines.   Exports surge 14.7% in the month with more than eight in 10 UK-made cars heading overseas.  

5/6/2023

Councillors Agree Funding For 2023/24 Inverness Area Winter Payment Scheme

£0.2m Inverness Common Good Funding will be used to help people most at need to heat their homes this winter in the Inverness area.   Members of The Highland Council's City of Inverness Area Committee have agreed to provide a Winter Discretionary Payments Scheme for eligible people in the Inverness area for 2023/24.  

5/6/2023

 
Global House Price Falls - Where Are Prices Falling?

Economist Tejvan Pettinger takes look at house prices worldwide.   In the past 12 months house prices have fallen 16% in Sweden but have risen 4% in the US Yet both housing markets share similarities of overvalued prices and higher interest rates.  

5/6/2023

 
Youth Worklessness Due To Ill-heath Has Almost Doubled In A Decade - And Is Heavily Concentrated Among Those With Poor Qualification Levels

Economic inactivity due to ill health among 18-24 year-olds has nearly doubled over the past decade, and is heavily concentrated among those struggling with education.  Four-in-five young people who are too ill to work having only qualifications at GCSE-level or below, according to new research published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation.  

5/6/2023

 
The Housing Market Crisis - How A National Obsession Broke Britain

Economist Tejvan Pettinger looking at UK house prices.   A look at the costs of the UK housing market on affordability, equality and the economy.  

5/6/2023

 
Commercial Vehicle Manufacturing Bounces Back In Best April Since 2010

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) latest figures show commercial vehicles sales have risen again in April.   CV production grows 33.3% to 10,504 units in April, marking the month's best performance since 2010 and an uplift after two months of successive decline.  

5/6/2023

Employee Share Scheme Shake Up To Help Boost Growth

Schemes offering people shares in their employer are set for a shake up as the government explores changes that will help boost business growth, supporting the Prime Minister's priority to grow the economy.   Simplified schemes offering people shares in their employer set to support business growth.  

5/6/2023

 
Britain's New Car Market Boosted By Battery Electric Vehicle Choice

Battery electric car choice quadruples over past five years to support Britain's world leading zero emission ambition.   Every class of vehicle now available as an electric option - from super small urban commuter runarounds to family cars and luxury saloons.  

5/6/2023

 
Tackling Food Insecurity - Introducing Cash First To Strengthen Access To Cash In A Crisis

A commitment to a ‘cash-first' approach to tackling food insecurity is at the heart of a new plan to reduce the need for people to turn to food banks.   The plan, which is the first of its kind in the UK and is underpinned by human rights, sets out nine actions which will be taken over the next three years to improve responses to food insecurity.  

5/6/2023

Thousands Of Asylum Seekers To Be Moved Out Of Hotels

More than 5,000 asylum seekers will be accommodated on vessels and in alternative sites to drive down the cost of expensive hotels.   The announcement is the latest step in the government's ongoing work to slash the number of hotels being used for asylum seekers, which currently costs the UK taxpayer £6million a day.  

4/6/2023

UK Commitment To Indo-pacific Reaffirmed As Global Summit Takes Place In Singapore

UK ministers have attended the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this week.   Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office (FCDO) Minister of State, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, met with global leaders in Singapore for the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue this week.  

4/6/2023

 
British Fighter Jets And Helicopters Train To Attack Targets At Sea, Alongside NATO Allies In Estonia

The UK has been conducting major multi-domain training activity in Estonia throughout May, exercising alongside more than 10,000 personnel from 11 NATO countries.   RAF Typhoon fighter jets and Army Air Corps Apache helicopters concluded a training exercise off the coast of Estonia on Friday, in which they practiced firing their heavy machine guns and advanced missiles at targets in the sea.  

4/6/2023

 
Scottish Prison Population Projections

The Scottish Government has published its latest projections for the Scottish Prisons Population.   The following are extracts from the report with a link to the full report at the bottom of this page.  

4/6/2023

 
Global Cyber Leaders Meet In Estonia

Events in Tallinn looked at how the cyber and electromagnetic domain plays a vital role in peacetime and crisis, including its impact on the war in Ukraine.   Cyber and electromagnetic domain experts and leaders came together in Tallinn at the Cyber Commanders' Forum and CyCon 2023.  

4/6/2023

 
Europe Minister To Forge Closer Relations In Central Asia

Minister Leo Docherty will visit Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to reinforce UK support for Central Asia as a close and valued partner.   Leo Docherty visits Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to reinforce UK support for the region.  

4/6/2023

 
Terminations Of Pregnancy Rates Rise To Record Levels In Scotland

Termination of pregnancy statistics - year ending December 2022.   The termination rate in Scotland between 2021 and 2022 rose by almost a fifth (19%).  

3/6/2023

Deadline For UK Government Rethink On Deposit Return Scheme

First Minister Humza Yousaf has written to the Prime Minister urging him to revoke the UK Government's rejection of glass in Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) by Monday next week (5th June).   The First Minister said the UK Government’s demands, including the removal of glass from DRS, would impact the environment, detrimentally affect businesses based in Scotland, and threaten the viability of the scheme.  

3/6/2023 : Advisory / Counseling Services

£5.37m Investment Approved By HIE In Caithness And Sutherland In 2022-23

Figures collated by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) show that the agency approved more than £5.37m investment across Caithness and Sutherland in the financial year 2022-23.   The funding is helping a wide range of projects to progress that will support economic growth and business diversification, community resilience and job creation.  

3/6/2023

 
New Road Duty Needed To Avoid Electric Vehicle Roll-out Putting Pressure On Britain's Public Finances And Crowded Roads

The UK must - and can - urgently reform its £32 billion of road taxes so that the welcome transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) does not put pressure on the public finances and road congestion, according to new research published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation.   Where the rubber hits the road - the 36th report of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation - notes that the UK's transition away from fossil-fuel-powered cars is proceeding faster than many experts predicted, with EVs accounting for one-in-seven new cars bought last year.  

3/6/2023

 
Four Dangers Lurking In Your Garden - And How To Protect Yourself

Many people see gardening as a relaxing pastime - an easygoing way to spend hours outdoors when the weather's nice.  But as a consultant in emergency medicine, I deal with all manner of medical emergencies and injuries arising from what may appear to be a harmless hobby.