Tag: 2022

PRESS RELEASE : Short-term ‘Winter Plan’ cold comfort for frontline healthcare workers – David Cullinane TD [October 2022]

The press release issued by Sinn Fein on 11 October 2022.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has criticised the Minister for Health’s Winter Plan, saying that it has come too late to make a difference this winter.

He said that the time to plan for this winter was last year’s budget, and the time to plan for next winter was the budget just gone.

Teachta Cullinane said that last year’s winter plan has not yet been fully implemented, and that additional beds announced in February are not even planned for delivery this year.

The Waterford TD criticised the government’s reactive approach to managing the health service, saying that the many long-term problems cannot be solved by throwing short term one-year plans at them.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“The winter plan announced today will be cold comfort for healthcare workers on the frontline, who are bracing for another horrendous winter. They know that October is far too late to start planning for winter.

“The time to plan for this winter was last year’s budget, and now is the time to plan for next winter. The winter plan also fails to recognise that our hospitals are in crisis year-round, not only during winter.

“There is no additional funding for this plan, and there is no lead-in time to get new measures up and running. The many long-term problems cannot be solved by throwing short term one-year plans at them.

“The 72 beds announced in the HSE’s service plan in February haven’t even been delivered yet and are not even due to be delivered this year.

“Sinn Féin set out a clear multi-annual plan for the health service in our alternative budget this year, which would be funded over a 10-year period to cut long waits.

“This government’s reactive, crisis management approach to healthcare is part of the problem. The Health Service cannot open new beds at the drop of a hat.

“Waiting lists are up more than 30,000 already this year, and emergency department waits are on average 12 hours for admitted patients. The Minister’s short-term waiting list plan is, as predicted, 65,000 appointments behind target.

“There are almost 1,000 consultant posts which are either vacant or filled on a temporary basis, we still don’t have a new consultant contract, and the Minister has yet to resolve the dispute with junior doctors.

“This plan, as we saw as well in the Budget for 2023, relies far too heavily on outsourcing to the private sector instead of increased investment in the public service.

“It will also do nothing for the tens of thousands of children with disabilities or mental health challenges who are languishing on months-long waiting lists for access to services.

“It is a short-term plan for acute hospitals which pales in comparison to the investments and reforms necessary across acute, community, and primary care which are needed to reduce pressure on the health service during the winter and year-round.”

October 12, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Senator Ó Donnghaile welcomes Minister’s interest in all-island Defence Forces recruitment campaign [October 2022]

The press release issued by Sinn Fein on 11 October 2022.

Sinn Féin’s leader in the Seanad, Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, has welcomed the Defence Minister’s acceptance of his suggestion of national advertising of Defence Forces positions.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Defence Committee last week, Senator Ó Donnghaile had urged Minister Coveney to end the current approach of only advertising positions within the 26 counties.

Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile said:

“Last week I urged Minister Coveney to ensure that the recruitment campaign for joining the Defence Forces is rolled out on a 32 county basis. Currently, the recruitment campaign only targets potential recruits in the 26 counties.

“The Be More campaign is prominent in media outlets across the south, outlining how a career in the Defence Forces can be an attractive opportunity for new recruits. However, it is not shown on northern media outlets nor do the Defence Forces have a presence at jobs fairs at Ulster University or Queen’s University Belfast.

“This current approach has been a missed opportunity which fails to tap into potential recruitment from people living in the six north eastern counties of this island who have an interest in joining the Defence Forces. We know that the Defences Forces face ongoing issues around recruitment and retention of staff and we should do everything possible to ensure that we get the highest number of men and women recruited across the country.

“Our Defence Forces personnel perform crucial roles representing Ireland at home and overseas, providing humanitarian assistance and advocating for peace at times of international conflict. They serve our country with distinction in often challenging circumstances. Many of these members are from the north and have had long careers of service.

“I welcome Minister Coveney’s positive response to my suggestion. I look forward to working with the Minister constructively to ensure that this change can be implemented as soon as possible. I have written to the Minister today requesting a timely update on what steps his Department will undertake. I will continue to engage on this issue to ensure that this is enacted without delay.”

October 12, 2022
Caoimhe Archibald – 2022 Comments on Need for Executive to Protect Jobs

The comments made by Caoimhe Archibald, the Sinn Fein MLA for East Londonderry, on 11 October 2022.

The latest monthly outlook from Ulster Bank paints a bleak picture of the impacts of the soaring costs on doing business.

Stark figures from NISRA have also outlined a decrease in the monthly number of employees on pay rolls, falling for the first time in over a year.

Sinn Féin has consistently called on the British government to act to support businesses and they have failed to do anything.

Instead, the Tory chancellor announced an outrageous mini-Budget that will cost businesses even more through unaffordable borrowing costs.

We need an Executive formed now to immediately protect jobs and support businesses.

The DUP’s boycott has blocked any efforts by local ministers to support businesses while they have also undermined the opportunities afforded by the Protocol to create jobs.

Sinn Féin is ready to form an Executive today to support workers, families and businesses through this crisis.

October 12, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Derbyshire County Council agree retention payments to boost recruitment of care workers [October 2022]

The press release issued by Derbyshire County Council on 10 October 2022.

Existing council Care Worker Community staff who support people in their own homes will be eligible for up to £1,000 – up to £500 immediately and a further £500 after completing 12 months with us.

Meanwhile new Care Worker Community employees will be offered up to £500 when they start and a further £500 after a year of employment.

Payments will be paid on a pro-rata basis for part-time employees based on their contracted hours.

The plans will also include a ‘recommend a friend’ payment for staff who recommend a friend or family member for a Care Worker Community role.

They would be paid a flat rate of £100 per recommendation where the application was successful and the applicant remained employed for more than 6 months.

We have changed our pay policy statement in order to open the door to the awarding of retention payments to staff to help it attract and keep employees in a competitive job market for roles where it faces challenges in recruiting.

Cabinet Member for Adult Care Councillor Natalie Hoy said:

“I know the pressures our services are facing coming after the incredible commitment and hard work so many of our key workers selflessly delivered during the pandemic.

“Their commitment has been extraordinary, and I, councillors and residents across Derbyshire could not be more grateful to them.

“We need to make sure that we’re giving our services as much support as we can in these hugely pressured times, which is why I have championed these changes.

“Traditionally we have been unable to respond to changes in the job market and challenges of retention because of long-standing policies, but we have now changed that to reflect the current pressures and ensure we attract and keep the best staff.

“We can now ensure our frontline adult social care staff are recognised for the work they do and supported through the current situation to continue to deliver vital services for residents.”

We currently employ around 500 people in Care Worker Community posts and have more than 200 vacant posts.

We have set aside £270,000 for the new scheme.

October 12, 2022
David Urquhart – 2022 Valedictory Speech in the House of Lords (Lord Bishop of Birmingham)

The speech made by David Urquhart, the Lord Bishop of Birmingham, in the House of Lords on 10 October 2022.

My Lords, I have been immensely grateful for the stimulation and companionship I have found in your Lordships’ House as a Member for the last 12 years, not least in the last three or four speeches this afternoon on this immensely complex subject. It is worth turning up, if only to feel the embarrassment of my colleagues when one of their number is called “mature” and “sensible”—where better to hear it than here, in public and on the record?—and to be with the Minister, the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe, with whom I share a long business background, although not necessarily in the same sector. I am particularly grateful to have been Convenor of this Bench for some years and to have been able to relate to the usual channels in the House informally. I am very grateful to those here who have accepted my presence at certain moments, whether they were to do with Brexit, the pandemic and the hybrid House, or even the late Queen’s funeral.

This is an opportunity just to say thank you to the officers of the House for the remarkable support that we received from them—in recent weeks, as it happened, day and night. I wish my successor as convenor of these Benches, my right reverend friend the Lord Bishop of St Albans, every success and the same wonderful co-operation and fulfilment.

For me the context of this deliberation on the economy and of many other debates in this House has been the vibrant and exciting life of the West Midlands, especially Birmingham, where we have recently enjoyed a financially as well as a socially and culturally successful Commonwealth Games. The first of my asks today is to ask the Government to be generous in supporting the legacy of this remarkable effort, and to do so much quicker than was mentioned earlier in this Chamber in response to a Question on the Olympic Games.

None the less, the numbers provided by economic science, checked, as they should be, by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and, if you like, a charitable organisation called Full Fact, are either swinging out of control—consumer prices have already been mentioned in detail—or simply depressing: the fact of the depression of real earnings.

The theoretical or political points that arise—they will be made many times this afternoon—are puzzling and confusing to people in the regions who run their own economic life, I dare to say, with intelligence and wisdom, if not always rationally, but knowing the cost of food, housing, heating, clothing and holidays and how much money they have available to bring them into their charge.

I was glad to see the governing party described by the Prime Minister, after the Chancellor’s Statement, as one of “aspiration, enterprise and growth”. I like that phrase because it describes exactly what I have been trying to do in the Church for the last 40 years. The Prime Minister is quoted as saying:

“We believe in making it easier for our wealth creators, doers and makers to get things done”

to reset the economy and not manage decline. Again, those are very agreeable aims for the Church. However, will the Government answer the difficult questions faced by all of us: wealth created for whom, in an unequal society, doers with what skills in a competitive world market, and makers of what that people will buy at the right price?

I hope that Ministers in the years ahead, as well as in the months and even weeks ahead, will think clearly about how to articulate the principles behind these numbers and behind the very important points which have been made already this afternoon—clear principles in a complex scene. This is my last chance to mention two or three that matter to me: transparent measurements of success and failure, because we are allowed to fail but need to measure them transparently; a bigger picture of worldwide interdependence—we have mentioned the war but I mean the whole oikumene of the world—and longer-term cycles to achieve real change. These can be framed in a way to strengthen and be supported by local households, businesses and local authorities: discipline, development, distribution and devolution.

I see that I have overrun my time but I will finish by saying that this last point, devolution of power and influence, is very close to my heart. The new investment zones are welcome, as are the infrastructure projects listed, which in our own region are led by Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor. We will do well, but I ask the Government to go further and to make local influence part of an equal partnership, putting responsibility and resources where they belong in the local regions.

As a former Member of this House, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, would remind us, to make a better world for all we need both market and state, but neither of those can provide the values on which they are to be built. Perhaps we should return to the prophet Micah as we continue this debate and remember that we are all called to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.

October 12, 2022
Nicholas Macpherson – 2022 Speech on the Growth Plan (Baron Macpherson of Earl’s Court)

The speech made by Nicholas Macpherson, Baron Macpherson of Earl’s Court, in the House of Lords on 10 October 2022.

My Lords, there are some sensible policies in the Government’s growth plan. A better functioning supply side will enable higher growth of the economy—although I have a word of warning. Every Chancellor I served as Permanent Secretary announced reforms to the planning system—some announced them once a year. Announcing reforms is the easy part; making them stick is much harder.

I also congratulate the Chancellor on the senior team he announced today. I worked with James Bowler and Beth Russell over many years and under different Administrations. They are very able and represent all that is good in the Civil Service. Their appointment will be good for the Treasury’s credibility—and not before time, because credibility is hard won and easily lost, as the Chancellor has discovered in recent weeks.

Sacking a respected Permanent Secretary on day one can just about be dismissed as a little local difficulty, but choosing to announce the biggest giveaway since Anthony Barber’s in 1972 without involving the Office for Budget Responsibility was an elementary error. We now know that the OBR offered to produce a fiscal forecast, but the Chancellor declined. Investors want to understand the consequences for the public finances of major announcements and the OBR has provided considerable reassurance since George Osborne set it up in 2010. Perhaps if the Chancellor had engaged with the OBR he might have had second thoughts about the scale of his tax cuts, because injecting £45 billion into an economy facing chronic labour shortages and the highest inflation rate in 30 years is a risky strategy.

The Government are right to point out that the markets are fragile, but surely that is a time to move carefully. Bond yields had been rising since early summer but, as the markets began to digest the incoming Prime Minister’s programme, gilt yields rose faster in the UK than in the US and Europe. Again, that should have been a warning sign, but the Government chose to ignore it. The result is that the long-term cost of borrowing now stands at 4.7%—when I started writing these notes this morning, it stood at 4.3%. So the long-term yield is 210 basis points higher than at the beginning of August and, if sustained, will add over £40 billion to public spending in the long term.

Moreover, as the Bank of England Deputy Governor, Sir Jon Cunliffe, set out in a letter to the chairman of the Treasury Committee last week, yields rose considerably in the days following the Chancellor’s statement and, as we now know, the Bank of England had to intervene to calm the markets. When it comes to future meetings of the MPC, the Bank will have little choice but to raise interest rates more than it otherwise would, not least to protect the value of sterling. This is already putting pressure on mortgage rates and risks more than offsetting any growth effect of the mini-Budget.

It is not too late to put things right. I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement that he is bringing forward his Fiscal Statement to 31 October. This needs to include a credible plan to stabilise and then bring down debt as a share of the nation’s income. It needs to include credible public expenditure proposals. History suggests that writing in ever-bigger cuts to the benefits of poor people is simply not deliverable. If the Government cannot show how they will cut spending, they will need to revisit their tax proposals. This may be embarrassing but, unless the Government can restore economic credibility, the market response in the weeks ahead could be a whole lot worse than we have seen so far.

October 12, 2022
Sam Tarry – 2022 Statement on Deselection

The statement made by Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, on 11 October 2022.

I am utterly crestfallen by the result in the Ilford South selection last night. Not for myself, but for the good people of Ilford who deserve better than to have been at the centre of a manufactured political circus.

I am extremely concerned about the result, which does not reflect the feeling my campaigners met on the ground talking day in day out to members, or the extensive meticulous data we gathered on the campaign.

I am taking some time to consider what’s next, but in order to be assured of the integrity of the result I am asking the party to share with me the full information of who cast electronic votes, by what method, and when they were cast, which I understand is available in the ‘anonyvoter’ system.

In the meantime, I will continue to represent the people of Ilford South the way I have done for the past three years – with integrity, generosity and inclusivity. Thank you to my amazing team of volunteers on the ground who are the best of Ilford.

Sam.

October 12, 2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/10/2022)

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 12 October 2022.

Ukrainians!

The enemy launched a second wave of terrorist attacks against our country.

As of this morning, there were 28 missiles, of which 20 were shot down. More than 15 drones, almost all of them are Iranian combat drones. Most were shot down.

I am thankful to all our warriors of the Air Forces, Ground Forces and Intelligence involved in defense against these Russian strikes!

And, by the way, at the request of the military command, I want to celebrate soldier Dmytro Shumskyi (anti-aircraft missile platoon of the 57th separate radio engineering battalion, Chernihiv direction) for yesterday.

On October 10, Dmytro Shumskyi showed excellent skills and reaction and shot down two terrorists’ cruise missiles with the help of Stinger MANPADS.

One person saved dozens of lives. Thank you for that!

Restoration works are taking place quite quickly and efficiently throughout the country.

If it wasn’t for today’s strikes, we would have already restored the energy supply, water supply and communications that the terrorists damaged yesterday. And today, Russia will achieve only one additional thing: it will delay our recovery a little.

Where there was destruction, the infrastructure will be renewed everywhere. Where there were losses, there is already or will be construction. Where there were any hopes of the enemy, there will be ruins of Russian statehood.

And I thank everyone who, at their level, provides recovery after terrorist attacks.

I am grateful to the rescuers – more than a thousand employees of the State Emergency Service, who immediately arrived on calls and began neutralizing the consequences of terrorist attacks.

At the suggestion of the Minister of Internal Affairs, I would like to especially note the selfless and determined actions of senior ensign Borys Shapovalov, commander of the department in the Zaporizhzhia region; sergeant Oleksandr Smiyan, firefighter-rescuer, Zaporizhzhia region; ensign Yuriy Lozynskyi and junior sergeant Oleksiy Biletskyi, respirator workers of the mining and rescue department, Kyiv city.

I am grateful to all the doctors who helped the wounded and injured!

I am grateful to all energy workers and utility workers for their high-quality response and quick work.

I am grateful to the local government workers, heads of local government and government officials who worked together, truly in unity and excellently.

Now most of the cities and villages that the terrorists wanted to leave without electricity and communication are already with electricity and communication.

In some cities and districts, work is still ongoing. In some cities and districts, energy workers apply temporary restrictions on energy supply according to the schedule – this is necessary solely in order to maintain the stability of the energy system.

The government controls all this – we are trying to restore normal conditions as quickly as possible.

I would also like to thank all Ukrainians who listened yesterday and limited their own electricity consumption during peak hours – from 17:00 to 22:00.

Thanks to our conscientiousness, we managed to save a tenth of the energy on average in the country, which allowed the system to work more stably. And our goal should be to save a quarter of electricity precisely during these peak hours.

It should be done today and in the near future.

Please postpone the energy consumption of appliances that require a lot of electricity to other hours of the day. It is not difficult for an individual, and it gives a great result within the scale of our entire country.

I took part today in the extraordinary summit of the Group of Seven, which was convened by the German presidency on our initiative.

We discussed the response of the most powerful democracies to this new Russian escalation.

For such a new wave of terror there must be a new wave of responsibility for Russia. New sanctions, new forms of political pressure and new forms of support for Ukraine.

Tomorrow, the defense support for Ukraine will be discussed in the “Ramstein” format. I expect progress from our partners on the issue of air and anti-missile defense, agreements on new supplies of other weapons and ammunition we need.

The terrorist state must be deprived of even the thought that any wave of terror can bring it anything.

A separate task for intelligence is to establish all those involved in these missile attacks against Ukraine, in schemes with Iranian drones.

The individual responsibility of terrorists should be the same as the responsibility of the terrorist state. We work for this.

Today I had separate conversations with the Prime Minister of Italy and the Prime Minister of Australia. I heard absolutely clear support, absolutely clear condemnation of all manifestations of Russian aggression against Ukraine and international law.

We also have a detailed statement from the Group of Seven, in particular, that all those responsible for terror against Ukraine will be brought to justice. Starting with the current political leadership of Russia and ending with everyone who serves these terrorist interests.

Mankind and humanity are stronger than any terrorists. I am thankful to everyone who fights and works for our victory!

And one more thing. Today, 32 of our warriors were freed from Russian captivity. We do everything for Ukraine – possible and impossible. Gratitude to everyone who worked for this result!

Glory to our beautiful people! We will restore everything that was destroyed!

Glory to Ukraine!

October 11, 2022
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Speech to the UNESCO Executive Board

The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 11 October 2022.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear defenders of the educational, scientific and cultural heritage of mankind!

Today, Ukraine is going through the 230th day of a full-scale war.

How was your morning today? I will tell you what ours was like. At eight o’clock in the morning, most of the territory of Ukraine was already in a state of air alert.

Russia launched cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

Today, children in Ukraine didn’t go to kindergartens, schools, or universities again. Online learning is introduced everywhere.

In this war, we cannot know who and what will be targeted by Russian missiles.

Children or adults… An educational facility or a cultural object… A critical infrastructure facility or, for example, a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

All of these are equal targets for Russia.

This night, a Russian missile hit the premises of the Khortytsia Academy in the Zaporizhzhia region. For what? This is their tactic. The tactic of terrorists.

More than 2,600 educational facilities have already been destroyed or damaged by such terrorist attacks by Russia.

Yesterday in Kyiv, our capital, a Russian missile hit the crossroads in the central part of the city. People died – literally burned in cars.

And it was 700 meters from the bell tower of St. Sophia’s Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At the same crossroads are the buildings of Shevchenko University, one of the most important universities in Eastern Europe. It was affected by this strike. The Institute of Philology is damaged.

Russia can award itself the special title of winner of universities, institutes, academies and schools. How many cruise missiles do educational institutions have? Zero. And Russia has hundreds of missiles.

This is what its victory is like.

Another Russian missile hit Tereshchenkivska Street in Kyiv yesterday. The premises of the Khanenko Museum were damaged, masterpieces by Velázquez, Canova, and Cellini are stored there. The premises of the Shevchenko Museum. One of the most renowned Kyiv publishing houses.

Can you imagine a missile attack on Babyn Yar in Kyiv, the burial place of a hundred thousand victims of Nazi executions? And this strike took place.

Can you imagine the shelling of the Menorah in Drobytsky Yar, Kharkiv region, where 20,000 Nazi victims are buried? And this shelling also took place.

540 is the total number of objects of cultural heritage, cultural institutions and religious buildings damaged by Russian strikes in Ukraine during the full-scale war since February 24. Almost 200 destroyed or damaged temples!

And it is possible – while I am addressing you now – that one of the Russian strikes damaged other cultural or educational objects, other memorials or temples.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Dear defenders of the educational, scientific and cultural heritage of mankind!

Please tell me why the representatives of Russia are still among you? What are they doing at UNESCO?

How can there be representatives of a terrorist state in UNESCO, which is proud of the destruction it causes in another country?

I am grateful to UNESCO for supporting Ukraine at this time and for all the principled statements that were made to protect Ukraine and culture from Russian aggression. But still, new steps are needed – steps that Russia will feel.

A terrorist state definitely has no right to chair one of the key bodies for the protection of cultural and natural heritage – the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Such a Russian presidency devalues the institution itself – its significance, its reputation.

It is inadmissible to let Russia destroy the authority of UNESCO.

The terrorist state must be excluded from all UNESCO bodies and from the Organization itself.

Let it be a historical example for everyone in the world that no one will tolerate an enemy of culture, an enemy of history, an enemy of education, an enemy of science.

Unfortunately, this is Russia’s choice – to oppose everything that matters to humanity.

This is its deliberate choice.

The second thing that is needed now is the expansion of our joint efforts to protect cultural heritage in Ukraine. Just now! Given daily threats of Russian strikes.

We must provide a clear signal that the world will not turn a blind eye to the destruction of our common history, our common culture, our common heritage.

One of the steps for this should be the preservation of the historical center of Odesa – a beautiful city, an important port of the Black Sea and a source of culture for millions of people in different countries.

Together with our partners, we prepared the nomination file of Odesa for inclusion in the World Heritage List. We are passing this on to UNESCO.

And I am asking you to initiate an extraordinary session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to resolve this issue for Odesa.

And please, it cannot be delayed, it cannot be postponed.

Odesa, like all other cities of Ukraine, is a target for Russian strikes. Please support Odesa! Show at the level of UNESCO precisely that Russian terror must end.

Colleagues! Ukraine has been a conscientious member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization since May 12, 1954. Our state always invests only in the preservation of our common heritage and never in destruction!

Now we need your support. Support in the preservation and protection of education, science and culture.

I would like to express my gratitude to UNESCO and its partners for their willingness to provide 50,000 computers for Ukrainian teachers to ensure online education. But we need more.

We already offer partners – both at the state level, and at the level of international and non-governmental organizations, businesses – to join the reconstruction of Ukraine after hostilities.

Some partners have joined. Now I am addressing those who have not yet decided to support Ukrainian recovery. This project will definitely become the largest economic and infrastructure project in Europe over the last 50 years. And this is a historic opportunity for each of you – to be participants in this project, to be historically significant defenders of education, culture and science – our joint heritage.

I believe that our common strength will be enough so that terror can never win.

I thank you for your attention! Thank you for this opportunity to address you!

Glory to Ukraine!

October 11, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK Government Minister for Scotland visits Iceland to build trade links and discuss climate change goals [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Secretary of State for Scotland on 12 October 2022.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord arrives in Iceland today on a two-day visit to speak at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, discuss common climate change goals and build trade links.

Representing the UK as one of more than 60 countries participating in the largest annual Arctic gathering, Minister Offord will give the UK address at the Assembly.

He’ll discuss the UK Government’s post-Brexit renewed Arctic Policy Framework, which is due to be published later this year, setting out the UK’s commitment to shared interests in science, environment, climate change and commerce.

Ahead of his visit, Minister Offord said:

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet and this has profound implications for the UK, in terms of our weather, our environment and our security. We must therefore take action domestically. By reducing our own emissions and showing global leadership, we can encourage others around the world to join the effort.

Scotland and Iceland have strong economic, academic and cultural links, and we greatly value these important ties. In particular, I’m keen to promote Scotland’s vital role within the United Kingdom and globally in terms of trade, energy and innovation.

Building our relationship with the Nordic countries – including Iceland – will bring direct benefit to Scottish business and to communities right across the UK.

Minister Offord will meet with other UK delegates from Orkney Islands Council as well as with counterparts from Iceland, Canada, the Faroe Islands, Norway and India, and hold discussions with Icelandic parliamentarians around Scotland’s offshore wind sector and the huge part it plays in the UK Government’s bold 2050 Net Zero targets

As well as having shared environmental goals, the UK and Iceland are significant commerce partners, with trade between the two countries worth around £1.1 billion in the year to March 2022. Scotland exported goods worth £31m to Iceland in 2021.

Icelandic companies have a number of high-tech and asset investments in the UK, and the University of Edinburgh offers a popular foundation course in Icelandic. In addition, both Scotland and Iceland have strong fishing and fish processing industries and tourism between the two countries is bolstered by direct Reykjavik-Glasgow flights.

As well as attending the Assembly, Minister Offord will visit a number of Icelandic businesses to strengthen links in sectors where the UK Government is investing at home, with the focus on growth in Scotland.

He’ll tour biotech company Orf Genetics and associated plant-based skincare firm BioEffect. There are parallels between Orf’s work in producing barley-based proteins and the research to be undertaken at the International Barley Hub at Dundee’s James Hutton Institute, funded by £20m in UK Government investment and £15m from the Scottish Government through the Tay Cities Deal.

The minister will also visit Iceland’s biggest gaming company, CCP Games in Reykjavik, who are keen to establish relationships with industry partners in the UK. He’ll discuss potential links in Dundee, regarded as a centre of gaming excellence in Europe due to Abertay University’s renowned game design degree and the 4000-seater Esports area due for completion in 2024/25. The UK Government announced £8million of funding in February this year for the Dundee-based UK Games Fund that will encourage skills in the sector, nurture talent and give increased support to entrepreneurial young developers.

October 11, 2022