Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine – EU agrees ninth package of sanctions against Russia [December 2022]

The press release issued by the European Commission on 16 December 2022.

The Commission welcomes the Council’s adoption of a ninth package of hard-hitting sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. This responds to Russia’s continued escalation and illegal war against Ukraine, in particular as Russia is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winter.

Today’s package comes on top of the full EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil, and of the global oil price cap agreed with G7 partners, both of which apply from 5 December.

Specifically, this package contains the following elements:

Additional listings

The EU has added almost 200 additional individuals and entities to our list of persons subject to a freezing of their assets. This includes the Russian armed forces, as well as individual officers and defence industrial companies, members of the State Duma and Federation Council, ministers, Russian proxy authorities in occupied areas of Ukraine and political parties, among others. This list covers key figures involved in in Russia’s brutal and deliberate missile strikes against civilians, in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia, and in the theft of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Additional EU export bans

New export restrictions have been introduced on sensitive dual-use and advanced technologies that contribute to Russia’s military capabilities and technological enhancement. This includes drone engines, camouflage gear, additional chemical/biological equipment, riot control agents and additional electronic components found in Russian military systems on the battlefield.

Moreover, the most severe export restrictions are extended to 168 additional Russian entities closely linked to the Russian military-industrial complex in an effort to cut off their access to sensitive dual-use and advanced technology items. This brings the total number of entities sanctioned to 410. This decision has been done in close collaboration with our partners and includes military end-users working in various sectors such as aeronautics.

New export bans will extend to additional industrial goods and technology, such as toy/hobby drones, complex generator devices, laptop computers and computing components, printed circuits, radio navigational systems, radio remote control apparatus, aircraft engines and parts of engines, cameras and lenses.

An even wider array of business services can no longer be provided to Russia with the introduction of bans on market research and public opinion polling services, technical testing and analysis services, and advertising services.

Additional transactions bans for Russian banks

Three additional Russian banks have been sanctioned, including a full transaction ban on the Russian Regional Development Bank to further paralyse Putin’s cash machines.

Additional bans on Russian media outlets

Four additional Russian channels have been sanctioned in the EU.

Cutting Russia’s access to drones

The direct exports of drone engines to Russia and the export to any third countries, such as Iran, where there is a suspicion that they will be used in Russia is now restricted.

Additional economic measures against the Russian energy and mining sectors

In addition to the already existing investment ban in the energy sector in Russia, new EU investments in the Russian mining sector will also be prohibited, with the exception of certain raw materials.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : EU and Ukraine sign €100 million for the rehabilitation of war-damaged schools [December 2022]
The press release issued by the European Commission on 16 December 2022.

Exactly three months after President von der Leyen‘s announcement in her 2022 State of the Union Address, the European Commission and the Government of Ukraine have signed a €100 million support package for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schooling facilities damaged in Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Support will reach Ukraine through the EU’s humanitarian partners and partly as budget support to the Government of Ukraine.

The European Commission has allocated around €14 million from an ongoing contract with the Polish Development Bank “Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego” to purchase school buses and bring Ukrainian children safely to school. The Commission has also launched an EU-wide solidarity campaign to donate school buses for Ukraine, channelled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Overall, around 240 buses are now on the way from the EU and its member states. More are coming.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Russia’s targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially as winter grips the country, are a deliberate crime against millions of innocent people. And they are a gross violation of international law. The EU’s top priority is to bring back as soon as possible Ukrainian children back to school. Today we are delivering on our promise to support the rehabilitation of schools damaged and destroyed by Russia’s brutal war. And by early 2023, we will also deliver school buses for Ukraine so children can actually travel to school in the best possible conditions. The future of Ukraine begins with its children back in schools.”

First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska said: “I am grateful to the European Commission, and President Ursula von der Leyen in particular, for supporting the restoration of Ukrainian schools. Today, less than a third of children in Ukraine have possibility to regularly attend a school. The rest have to study online or in a hybrid format. Due to constant shelling and blackouts, it becomes increasingly difficult. For my Foundation, the restoration of the educational process is a priority. Education of our children today is our contribution to the common European future.”

The €100 million assistance package includes:
- €34 million in humanitarian aid, out of which €20 million channelled through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and €14 million through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This support will focus on light and medium repairs including repairs of windows, roofs, doors, sanitation and heating facilities, as well as providing classroom equipment in learning spaces and bomb shelters.
- €66 million to be provided directly to the Ukrainian government as budget support.
The Commission will work together with the Ukrainian government and the Olena Zelenska Foundation. The Commission expects to disburse the €66 million of budget support in the next few weeks. UNOPS and UNDP have started the damage assessment of the facilities to rehabilitate on the ground. A majority of the educational facilities that will benefit from this grant are expected to be repaired, between December 2022 and September 2023, in time for the start of the next school year.

In the case of the €14 million EU grant for school buses Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego will work with its partner on the ground, the Solidarity Fund Poland, to procure the buses in early 2023.

Background

Russian strikes have damaged or destroyed over 2,800 education institutions so far, impacting 5.7 million school-aged children. Many simply do not have a classroom to go to. Online education does not always work, with limited power nor access to appropriate IT equipment. To ensure continuity of education, the rehabilitation of school buildings and the provision of school buses have become a top priority for the EU. The Commission acted very quickly to ensure funding so that these children have the possibility to return to in-person education as soon as possible in the best possible conditions.

Support to education in emergencies

The EU has been providing humanitarian support to Ukraine in emergency education since the beginning of the war. This support aims to prevent and reduce disruption in education of crisis-affected children by promoting access to safe quality education. Through our humanitarian partners, we provide needed materials, supplies and capacity building of teachers, offering psycho-social support and life-saving messages to children and education staff. EU humanitarian aid also supports the light and medium rehabilitation of educational facilities and the establishment of digital learning centres. Through its Crisis Response Actions, the EU has been supporting the use by Ukrainian children of the Ukrainian government’s ‘All-Ukrainian Schools Online Platform’ and the needs for safe physical learning spaces and materials for children.

Support for Ukraine in the field of education

The European Commission is mobilising its instruments to support the education systems of the EU Member States receiving people that have fled Ukraine. The Commission also supports displaced students and staff, as well as those staying in Ukraine. This is done through information provision, coordination of national efforts, current European funding instruments to address immediate needs, and through new funding and policy instruments to provide medium term support. The Commission has also set up an EU Education Solidarity Group for Ukraine supporting the countries who are hosting Ukrainian school-age children by pooling available expertise in Member States and providing guidance through the existing tools and mechanisms.

Education and training intended for displaced parents, pupils, schools and teachers, as well as those wanting to contribute to solidarity efforts in EU Member States includes links to online educational resources in Ukrainian, advice on integrating displaced children in national education systems, teaching and language support, fast track practices on the integration of teachers that have fled Ukraine into national education systems, and guidance on psycho-social support.

The Commission has allowed for flexibility under the 2022 Erasmus+ programme in support of students and staff from Ukraine. Under the 2023 Erasmus+ calls, launched in November 2022, the Erasmus+ international actions – in particular the international credit mobility, the capacity-building projects and the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters – will continue to be open to students, staff and higher education institutions from Ukraine. A special competitive call of €5 million was furthermore launched to support the development of an open education digital environment for Ukraine.
December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : A statement from Buckingham Palace and Ngozi Fulani, Founder of Sistah Space [December 2022]

The press release issued by Buckingham Palace on 16 December 2022.

A meeting took place this morning, 16th December, at Buckingham Palace between Ms Ngozi Fulani, founder of Sistah Space, and Lady Susan Hussey to address the incident that took place at a Palace reception last month.

At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani.

Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.

Ms Fulani, who has unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended.

The Royal Households will continue their focus on inclusion and diversity, with an enhanced programme of work which will extend knowledge and training programmes, examining what can be learnt from Sistah Space, and ensuring these reach all members of their communities.

Both Ms Fulani and Lady Susan ask now that they be left in peace to rebuild their lives in the wake of an immensely distressing period for them both.

They hope that their example shows a path to resolution can be found with kindness, co-operation and the condemnation of discrimination wherever it takes root.

It is the wish of both parties that, at the end of the UN’s 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, attention can now return to the important work of Sistah Space in supporting women affected by domestic abuse.

Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort and other members of the Royal Family have been kept fully informed and are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Scottish Parliament – Clear view not possible on National Care Service [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Parliament on 19 December 2022.

A Committee of MSPs at the Scottish Parliament have reported their dissatisfaction with the lack of information about proposals that could see children’s health and social care services integrated into the proposed National Care Service.

The cross-party Education, Children and Young People Committee have been scrutinising the Scottish Government’s proposals. However, they have concluded that it is not possible to form a clear view as to whether children’s services should be included under any future National Care Service.

The Committee expressed concern that much of the detail of any future transfer of children’s services to the National Care Service would be delegated to Ministers, preventing the Parliament from carrying our thorough scrutiny of any changes. Furthermore, the Committee was told that research designed to help inform a decision about whether or not to include children’s health and social care services in the service, will not be ready until September 2023.

The Committee also notes the lack of information regarding the financial implications of bringing children’s services under a National Care Service. Its report urges the Scottish Government to model the cost of different scenarios where children’s services are included and excluded from a National Care Service.

Looking at children and young people’s care more broadly, witnesses told the Committee that existing services need to improve, expressing concern about an implementation gap between policy and the reality of delivering those services.

While some stakeholders spoke positively about the approaches taken in their areas, a range of other issues were identified, including challenges accessing services, poor communication and gatekeeping.

Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, told the Committee, “…there is frustration that we have all the right aspirations and good intentions but what happens is not always what was intended.”

In addition, the report calls on the Government to clarify its plans for letting young people design services at the very earliest stages of work to create a National Care Service. With a large number of children and young people receiving health and social care support, Members of the Committee agreed that it would be helpful to know how the Government plans to meaningfully engage with them.

Sue Webber, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said:

“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts with us as we scrutinised this Bill.

“The feedback we had has told us that there is not currently enough information about the Bill’s impact on children’s health and social care services for us to form a view about whether this is the right approach for children and young people.

“However, we did hear significant concerns about the way in which these services are operating at present. Therefore, our report asks the Scottish Government to ensure that work on this Bill does not delay the improvements that are needed to children’s services now. Children and young people need to be at the very heart of those discussions.”

This report will now be shared with the Health, Sport and Social Care Committee, which is leading the Parliament’s scrutiny of the Bill.

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Gender Recognition Reform Bill passed [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 22 December 2022.

Improving the legal recognition system for trans people.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill has been supported by the Scottish Parliament.

The legislation improves the system by which transgender people can apply for legal recognition through a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

Trans people aged 16 and older applying for a GRC will be required to make a legally binding declaration that they are already living in their acquired gender and intend to do so permanently.

The Bill includes safeguards against misuse of the system. It will be a criminal offence for applicants to make a false application. A new statutory aggravator and a risk‑based approach in relation to sex offences strengthen these protections.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said:

“This is an historic day for equality in Scotland with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill being approved by parliament and by members of all parties.

“It simplifies and improves the process for a trans person to obtain a gender recognition certificate – which many currently find intrusive, medicalised and bureaucratic.

“The legislation makes no change to the reserved Equality Act 2010 and that principle is enshrined in the Bill. As I have made clear, the Scottish Government continues to support the provision of single-sex services and the rights of women.

“The passing of this bill is a significant step forward in creating a more equal Scotland, where trans people feel valued, included and empowered.”

December 23, 2022

PRESS RELEASE : Funding of more than £13.2 billion for Scottish councils [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 December 2022.

New deal for local government as allocations published.

Details of how more than £13.2 billion in Scottish Government funding for 2023-24 will be distributed among local authorities have been published.

They include a cash increase in day-to-day revenue funding of 3.5% for next year, compared with the 2022-23 Scottish Budget.

The settlement represents a total cash increase of £570 million or 4.5%. This is equivalent to a real terms rise of 1.3% to support vital council services and follows the most challenging Scottish Budget settlement since devolution.

The Scottish Government has enabled local authorities to make their own local decisions, with financial flexibility on council tax, employability and homelessness services, as well as early learning and schools workforce provision.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

“I recognise the challenge which local councils face in delivering services during the current bleak economic climate.

“The 2023-24 Budget confirms that, despite the most turbulent economic and financial context that most people can remember, and the huge pressure on public finances, we are providing councils with a real terms budget increase of 1.3% next year.

“Local government had sought even more funding but – candidly – there was no way in the current climate we were going to be able to meet the request in full. The entire country is having to make difficult choices, including government and local authorities, but we have managed to find an extra £570 million for councils on top of last year’s budget allocations.

“We are building flexibility and autonomy into how budgets can be spent, but a more fundamental shift is required. We will work with local authorities to review how public services are delivered, so that they are designed around the needs and interests of the people and communities of Scotland.

“That means tackling problems through early intervention before they become acute. It means creating a more effective way of working together with local government by focusing on outcomes, not process.”

Background

LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE 2023-24: TOTAL REVENUE SUPPORT

	2022-23	2023-24	Increase	Increase
Local Authority	£m	£m	£m	%
Aberdeen City	390.6	435.9	45.3	11.6
Aberdeenshire	499.6	539.0	39.4	7.9
Angus	237.9	255.4	17.5	7.3
Argyll & Bute	219.7	232.5	12.8	5.8
Clackmannanshire	110.2	118.7	8.4	7.7
Dumfries & Galloway	329.0	354.7	25.7	7.8
Dundee City	338.0	359.9	21.9	6.5
East Ayrshire	268.7	290.8	22.1	8.2
East Dunbartonshire	217.7	232.8	15.1	6.9
East Lothian	203.6	221.0	17.5	8.6
East Renfrewshire	205.5	222.3	16.8	8.2
Edinburgh, City of	872.9	948.9	76.0	8.7
Eilean Siar	103.7	108.6	4.9	4.7
Falkirk	327.6	352.0	24.4	7.4
Fife	760.8	820.4	59.5	7.8
Glasgow City	1,407.9	1,529.3	121.4	8.6
Highland	523.6	559.7	36.2	6.9
Inverclyde	187.8	200.7	12.9	6.9
Midlothian	190.3	204.7	14.5	7.6
Moray	188.9	204.8	15.9	8.4
North Ayrshire	314.5	337.7	23.2	7.4
North Lanarkshire	719.4	774.9	55.5	7.7
Orkney	83.9	89.6	5.7	6.8
Perth & Kinross	294.8	320.4	25.6	8.7
Renfrewshire	365.2	393.2	28.1	7.7
Scottish Borders	243.0	260.1	17.1	7.0
Shetland	98.8	103.1	4.3	4.3
South Ayrshire	235.8	256.0	20.2	8.6
South Lanarkshire	651.9	702.9	50.9	7.8
Stirling	196.1	209.8	13.7	7.0
West Dunbartonshire	213.5	228.7	15.2	7.1
West Lothian	369.7	402.4	32.8	8.9
Undistributed	482.9	125.5	-357.4	-74.0
Scotland	11,853.6	12,396.5	542.9	4.6

December 23, 2022

PRESS RELEASE : Scottish Government Agreement on social rents for 2023-24 [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 December 2022.

Landlords announce plans for average increases.

Ministers have reached an agreement with social landlords on below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year.

Organisations representing social landlords have announced their members’ plans for average rent increases for 2023-24, which will keep rents significantly below private market levels.

Under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act 2022, rents are effectively frozen in the social rented sectors until 31 March 2023. Decisions on future plans for the private sector rent freeze, as well as other measures contained in the Act, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie said:

“Our emergency legislation has given people – whether they rent in the private or social rented sector – reassurance within their current tenancies through the worst of the winter, even as their other costs have been rising.

“We recognise the enormous pressures households are facing, and by making this announcement now we aim to give social tenants advance notice, and confidence that any rent increase will be well below inflation.

“The statements of intent from the social rented sector, based on consultations with tenants, will keep rents affordable while allowing social landlords to continue investing in essential services such as home improvements and maintenance.”

Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said:

“This is good news for Local Authority tenants from Scotland’s Council Leaders today.

“In balancing the wide range of competing factors, Leaders with housing stock will seek to reach agreement with tenants over any increase in rents for the year 2023-24. Councils’ consultative arrangements would normally allow them, subject to approval of local governance structures, to raise rents annually to meet rising costs.

“During these difficult times, as providers of social housing and Gypsy/Traveller pitch or site provision, we intend to keep the rental and fee increases to an average of less than £5 a week across the country.”

Sally Thomas, Chief Executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), said:

“We welcome the fact that Scottish Government has worked closely with the sector, to understand the evidence and avoid unintended consequences of this legislation, and to find a collaborative way forward. Investing in good quality, warm homes for social rent is crucial to tackling poverty in Scotland and protecting new and existing tenants from the increasing cost of living.”

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Scottish Government Call for immediate action to end UK rail dispute [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 December 2022.

First Minister and STUC urge all parties to get round the negotiating table to end disruption.

The UK Government has been urged to act to end the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on the railways that continues to disrupt services in Scotland.

The First Minister and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) called on all parties involved in the dispute to come together to seek resolution.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“The Scottish Government has maintained constructive discussions with the trades unions and settled our own pay negotiations by embracing the concept of fair work. Despite this, passengers in Scotland still face severe disruption as a direct result of the ongoing UK-wide rail dispute between Network Rail, UK Government rail operators and the trades unions and Network Rail employees in Scotland face entering the New Year still with no pay rise.

“The repercussions of this dispute, and the UK Government’s refusal to engage constructively with the trades unions, are continuing to have a major impact not only for the rail workers but for passengers, freight, businesses and the wider public in Scotland over the festive period and into 2023. The Secretary of State for Transport must intervene immediately and work with the trades unions to secure a railway that benefits users, staff and the wider public.”

Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, said:

“We all want to see an end to the rail dispute, and for workers to be awarded a fair pay offer that is not conditional on cuts to staffing and services. In Scotland workers have already agreed their pay claim, but we are still seeing widespread disruption on our railways.

“This is due to the combative approach to negotiations taken by the UK Government which has led to the protracted dispute between Network Rail and the UK Government.

“The rail unions and Scottish Government have come to a negotiated settlement and we need the UK Government to take a similar approach that results in workers at Network Rail and other UK-Government-controlled rail companies getting the deal they deserve.”

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Monthly GDP Estimates in Scotland for October [December 2022]

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 December 2022.

An experimental statistics publication for Scotland.

Scotland’s onshore GDP increased by 0.4% in October, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. Output remains above the pre-pandemic level of February 2020, by 0.5%.

In the three months to October, GDP is estimated to have fallen by 0.1% compared to the previous three month period. This indicates a slight increase in growth in Quarter 4 so far, after GDP fell by 0.2% in 2022 Quarter 3 (July to September).

Output in the services sector, which accounts for around three quarters of the economy, increased by 0.3% in October. Output in agriculture, forestry and fishing, construction and production increased by 0.6%.

Background

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/gdp-monthly-estimate-october-2022/

All results are seasonally adjusted and presented in real terms (adjusted to remove inflation). GDP growth relates to Scotland’s onshore economy, which means it does not include the output of offshore oil and gas extraction.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the output of the economy in Scotland. The monthly estimates have been developed to help track the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are designated as experimental official statistics. This means that they are still in development but have been released to enable their use at an early stage. All results are provisional and subject to relatively high levels of uncertainty.

Further information on GDP statistics is available at http://www.gov.scot/gdp

December 23, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Supporting Scottish families with cost of school [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 20 December 2022.

Budget sets out £4.85 billion investment in Education and Skills.

A range of measures to help children, parents and carers with costs around school have been set out in the Scottish Government’s budget. These include expansion of free school meals in primary schools, holiday food provision and investment to ensure the school clothing grant national minimum of £120 for primary pupils and £150 for secondary pupils.

The spending plans for 2023-24 allocates £4.85 billion of funding across the education and skills portfolio, including measures to address the cost of living crisis.

New investment will see free school meals expanded to primary six and seven pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment – the next step in Scottish Government plans to deliver universal free school meals in primary schools.

It also includes £22 million of continued support to provide meals during the school holidays to children who need them most, along with £200 million for the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

In addition, the budget allocates £50 million of funding to continue to support the Whole Family Wellbeing programme of activity, a key pillar of The Promise, to support families to thrive.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“I am committed to improving the life chances of all Scotland’s children, young people and learners. The measures set out in these spending plans are driven by our ambition to enable everybody to reach their full potential.

“We know the toll that the cost of living crisis has taken on families and households across Scotland and investment is being made in a range of important measures which will help mitigate the impact of this.

“The expansion of free school meals in primary schools continues, providing a benefit in kind of around £400 per child for families, while the ongoing investment in the school clothing grant and access to digital devices will help those who need it most.

“Our ongoing commitment to free university tuition means that, unlike elsewhere in the UK, Scottish domiciled students do not incur additional debt of up to £27,750, and average student loan debt in Scotland remains the lowest in the UK.

“In Scotland we also have the most teachers-per-pupil, along with the highest per-pupil education spend anywhere in the UK. We will continue to provide local authorities with funding of £145.5 million per year to support the teaching workforce, as part of the overall local government settlement of £13.2 billion.

“Our commitment to closing the poverty related-attainment gap remains paramount and that is why we will invest a further £200 million next year in the Scottish Attainment Challenge – as part of our £1 billion commitment in this Parliament.”

The measures set out in the budget to help reduce the cost of school include:
- Providing more than £13 million to uprate the School Clothing Grant in line with inflation.
- Investing an additional £16 million resource and £80 million capital to fund the expansion of Free School Meals for all Primary 6 and 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, as the next step in fulfilling the commitment to universal provision in primary schools
- Continuing to invest £22 million to provide meals during school holidays to the children who need them most.
- Maintaining subsidy arrangements for the provision of milk and working with partners on a phased approach to the delivery of a universal milk scheme, aligned to the expansion of free school meals.
- Investing £20 million towards the commitment to ensure every school-aged child, over the lifetime of the parliament, has access to a digital device to support their learning
- Investment of nearly £2 billion towards Scotland’s universities and colleges to support delivery of high-quality education and training. This includes a cash increase of £20 million in the Higher Education resource budget compared to 2022-23, and a cash increase of £33.7 million in the Further Education resource and capital budget.
December 23, 2022