Tag: Scottish Government

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 22 March 2023.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has delivered a formal apology to those affected by ‘cruel’ historical adoption practices.

Many thousands of women – most of them young and unmarried – were forced to give up their babies for adoption until the late 1970s.

The First Minister said the forced adoptions were ‘unjust and profoundly wrong’.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said:

“As a Government, and a Parliament, we can set the record straight; we can acknowledge the terrible wrongs that were done, and we can say – with one voice – that we are sorry.

“So today as First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish Government, I say directly:

“To the mothers who had their babies taken away from them; to the sons and the daughters who were separated from their parents; to the fathers who were denied their rights, and to the families who have lived with the legacy;

“For the decades of pain that you have suffered, I offer today a sincere, heartfelt and unreserved apology. We are sorry.

“No words can ever make up for what has happened to you, but I hope this apology will bring you some measure of solace.

“It is the very least that you deserve – and it is long overdue.”

Background

First Minister’s speech to parliament

Following meetings with Ministers and campaigners, the Scottish Government last year encouraged people with direct experience of historical adoption practices to pass on their views and insight – online and through a questionnaire –  about how they can best be supported.

The Scottish Government has committed funding of around £145,000 to provide specialist support and counselling. A proposal to establish peer groups has now been agreed. Research is also underway to identify how existing support services can be improved.

The Scottish Government is continuing to explore, with those affected, the key challenges they face in relation to adoption records.

Anyone who is impacted by trauma issues as a result of historical adoption practices can access information and advice from Health in Mind which provides a dedicated trauma support helpline on 07741 743971.

The staff have knowledge and understanding of trauma and its impacts, including on mental wellbeing.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 22 March 2023.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 22 March 2023.

A new Bill to protect the environment and tackle the persecution of birds of prey has been published.

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill aims to:

• end raptor persecution
• ensure grouse moors are managed sustainably
• ban the use of glue traps for rodents
• tighten regulations for the use of other types of wildlife traps

The Bill will also strictly regulate the use of muirburn, the controlled burning of vegetation, on peatland. Licenses for burning on peat will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, such as for wildfire prevention.

The legislation follows the introduction of new measures in recent years to tackle wildlife crime, including the Animals and Wildlife Penalties, Protections and Powers Act, which introduced high penalties for wildlife crimes, as well as the 2023 Hunting with Dogs Act.

Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said:

“The illegal killing of Scotland’s magnificent birds of prey cannot be tolerated. This Bill will seek to tackle the destructive minority who would continue to commit these wildlife crimes.

“I recognise that grouse shooting contributes to the rural economy and this Bill is not about stopping this activity. However, it is clear that grouse moors must be managed in a sustainable and responsible way ensuring any environmental impacts are minimised.

“The public consultation on the Bill, which received over 4,500 responses, made clear that the regulation and protection of our natural environment is an important issue for many.

“The views of both the public and stakeholders have been carefully considered in the formation of this Bill and I look forward to its passage through Parliament.”

Background

Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill – Bills (proposed laws) – Scottish Parliament | Scottish Parliament Website

The new Bill has been designed to implement the recommendations set out in the Werritty Review. This independent report recommended widespread changes to grouse moor management and the regulation of traps in Scotland.

Muirburn is the intentional and controlled burning of moorland vegetation to encourage new growth (either heather or grassland) for the management of moorland game and wildlife or for improving the grazing potential of the moorland for livestock or deer.

In 2020, the Committee for Climate Change recommended that there should be a ban on burning on peat soils.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 March 2023.

People are being asked to share their views on a new legal minimum number of school learning hours.

If approved by Parliament, councils will be required by law to provide the equivalent of 25 teaching hours per week in primaries and 27.5 hours per week in secondaries across the school year.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced plans to introduce the measures last month to protect the school week and give parents greater certainty about the number of learning hours their children can expect to receive.

The consultation opens today and will run until June 13.

Ms Somerville said:

“The school week is the backbone of our education provision and benefits all of Scotland’s children and young people. We have been clear that any changes to the school week must be based on educational benefit to pupils.

“Any measures that materially reduce the number of hours children spend learning in school could impact pupil attainment and wellbeing, and undermine our collective efforts to close the poverty-related attainment gap.

“This is an opportunity for parents, children and young people and everyone else with an interest to make their views known about the potential impact of this policy.”

Background

The public consultation seeks views on a mandatory requirement of 950 hours per academic year (25 hours a week) of teaching time in most council-run primary schools and 1,045 hours per year in secondary (27.5 hours per week).

The consultation sets out situations where fewer hours may be provided or where councils can apply for an exemption from the regulations.

The next steps will be announced after the consultation closes and responses have been considered.

The Scottish Government will engage with COSLA, the General Teaching Council for Scotland, unions and pupils’ and parent representatives.

Schools are legally required to be open for 190 days each year, but the number of learning hours is currently not legally prescribed. Learning hours are the period of teaching that learners receive within the school day. In most cases, they do not include lunch and other break times or extra-curricular activities or provision such as breakfast clubs.

The Education Secretary announced plans in Parliament to introduce a new legal minimum number of school teaching hours earlier this year.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 21 March 2023.

Research which estimates 156 deaths were averted each year following the implementation of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) has been welcomed by the Public Health Minister Maree Todd.

A Public Health Scotland and University of Glasgow study indicates a 13.4% reduction in deaths, and a 4.1% reduction in hospital admissions wholly attributable to alcohol consumption in the first two and a half years after MUP was introduced in May 2018. The report also concludes the policy had reduced deaths and hospital admissions where alcohol consumption may have been a factor.

Researchers say they are confident there is a link between the introduction of MUP and the reduction in alcohol health harms. They also noted there had been significant reductions in deaths in areas of deprivation, suggesting MUP has helped reduce inequalities in alcohol-attributable deaths in Scotland.

Ms Todd said:

“I am very pleased with these findings which point to more than 150 lives a year being saved and 411 fewer hospital admissions, further underlining the value of our world-leading Minimum Unit Pricing policy which has helped reduce alcohol sales to their lowest on record.

“We’re determined to do all we can to reduce alcohol-related harm which is one of the most pressing public health challenges that we face in Scotland.

“Minimum Unit Pricing continues to achieve its aim – cutting overall sales, particularly cheap high-strength alcohol, which is often drunk by people drinking at harmful levels.

“It’s also encouraging to see that the research has highlighted that the policy is having an effect in Scotland’s most deprived areas – which experience higher death rates and levels of harms from problem alcohol.”

Background

The study – published by PHS and the Lancet – focused on the first two-and-half years of the policy. It follows a previous report which estimated that alcohol sales had dropped by 3% after MUP. A report bringing together all the evaluation findings on MUP will be published in June this year.

PHS report – ‘Evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol-attributable deaths and hospital admissions in Scotland’.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 17 March 2023.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 17 March 2023.

A fund that helps to tackle inequality and discrimination has supported more than 115,000 people in its first year.

The Scottish Government’s Equality and Human Rights Fund is providing £21 million in grants over three years to 48 organisations working with diverse communities to further equality and protect human rights.

Funded initiatives include advice helplines, mental wellbeing sessions, English classes and benefits advice.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie visited the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC) in Glasgow, to see how people have benefited from their work.

Ms McKelvie said:

“We want to build a fairer, more equal Scotland which is free from discrimination and where the human rights of everyone are respected, protected and fulfilled.

“I was very pleased to visit WSREC and see the range of activities that they deliver. For example, their cost of living advice service for people from minority ethnic communities has helped to boost family incomes and lift children out of poverty.

“WSREC is just one of 48 organisations that receive grants from the Equality and Human Rights Fund. From advocacy support to public education, these organisations are transforming the lives of the thousands of people that they work with.”

Ghzala Khan, Executive Director at WSREC, said:

“Based in Glasgow, the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council supports a range of minority ethnic communities across 12 local authorities.

“The Equality and Human Rights Fund has enabled us to deliver bi-lingual, culturally sensitive services to marginalised minority ethnic groups in the areas of advice and information, employability, direct discrimination, civic participation and health and wellbeing.

“Our work reduces inequality, increases opportunity, and supports people and families to achieve their full potential.”

Background

Equality and Human Rights Fund — second progress report.

The Equality and Human Rights Fund will distribute £21 million between October 2021 and September 2024.

48 organisations including Age Scotland, the British Deaf Association and Kairos Women+ are supported through the fund, aligning to six Scottish Government policy areas:

• Age
• Disability/British Sign Language (BSL)
• Gender
• LGBTI+
• Race
• Human rights

The fund is managed by Inspiring Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. Funded projects cover every local authority area in Scotland.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has described the UK Government’s Spring Budget statement as “another missed opportunity” to help households, businesses and public services through the cost of living crisis.

He said Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt had failed to deploy the full range of powers available to him to mitigate the impact of soaring energy prices and high inflation.

While welcoming a number of individual measures such as the extension of the energy price guarantee – and with a typical household’s monthly energy bills set to rise by almost half from March to April – Mr Swinney said substantive actions such as restoring the Universal Credit uplift were notably absent.

He also called for the UK Government to inflation-proof the Scottish Government’s budget so it can better co-ordinate spending across Scotland.

Mr Swinney said:

“This UK Budget is another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to lift families out of poverty, invest in our public services and help businesses so that our economy can grow.

“Instead, the UK Government should have taken more substantive action to increase the Scottish Government’s budget so we can better align spending and deliver for people and organisations right across Scotland.

“While reversal of the planned increase in the energy price guarantee is welcome, with the end of the energy bills support payments, typical household monthly bills will still rise by more than half from March to April, at a time when wholesale energy costs are falling.

“Rising interest rates combined with reduced support means some people are expected to experience a larger fall in living standards this coming year than they have over the last 12 months.

“An uplift on Universal Credit and extending this to legacy benefits would have made a meaningful difference to households struggling to make ends meet.

“The limited additional money for the Scottish Government’s Budget is welcome but will not go far enough and in the long-term our capital funding will fall in real-terms. Without extra funding, we will have to find money from within the Scottish Budget to invest in public services, provide fair pay rises and help people with the cost of living.

“The Scottish Government is doing what it can with its limited powers to ensure people receive the help they need, but the UK Government’s could have done far more to ease the burden affecting so many, demonstrating yet again why Scotland needs the powers of independence.”

Background

In a letter to the Chancellor ahead of the Spring Budget, the Deputy First Minister had urged specific measures to help households, invest in public services and support the economy to grow – including reinstating the uplift to Universal Credit and providing tax incentives for businesses.

Ahead of the UK Budget, the Resolution Foundation estimated that typical incomes among non-pensioner households will fall by 4% in 2023-24 in real terms, compared to 3% in 2022-23.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

Funding to support women working to prevent and resolve conflict in 25 countries will be extended for 2023-24, the First Minister has confirmed.

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship, run by Scottish cultural exchange non-profit Beyond Borders, will receive a grant extension of £300,000 during 2023-24 from the Scottish Government’s International Development budget.

The Fellowship equips female peace-building activists from countries affected by conflict across the Middle East, South Asia and Africa with skills in gender-sensitive conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation.

The funding will support the principles set out by the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women’s participation in peacemaking and peace-building initiatives in conflict-affected regions.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“This funding will support Women in Conflict 1325 Fellows to continue their vital work to promote peace and equality. Their expertise, specialism and – above all – compassion in dealing with the broader issues resulting from conflict, which are being further exacerbated in many cases by the impact of climate change, is invaluable.

“I have been privileged to attend several fellowship meetings, and every time I am impressed and heartened by the devotion and determination of the women carrying out extraordinarily difficult work across the globe.

“It’s no wonder the organisation has grown from strength to strength since 2016 to now number 42 Fellows in the 2022-23 project year, with a broader network of alumnae spanning over 300 women from some of the countries hardest hit by conflict – each and every one of whom make an enormous contribution towards building and maintaining peace.”

Mark Muller Stuart KC, Founder of Beyond Borders, said:

“Since 2016, Beyond Borders has helped to establish and nurture a unique community of practice of over 300 women peace practitioners who operate across the globe.

“Through this programme, Scotland has not only provided these Fellows with a platform by which to exchange best practice with seasoned peace practitioners – including from the UN. It has also offered a critical safe space for them to share experiences and connect with other women working in peacebuilding and conflict resolution as well as learn about devolution and Scotland and the UK’s own remarkable constitutional journey.

“Beyond Borders is particularly indebted to the First Minister for her inspirational support and visionary leadership, which time and again has helped to further galvanise this remarkable community of women peacemakers in their ground-breaking work.”

Alaa Assani, a Syrian Fellow of the November-December 2022 Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Programme, said:

“Through the Fellowship I have met amazing and incredible women Fellows who supported me with their feminist solidarity during my most difficult times as an asylum seeker – supporting my family Syria and Turkey after the devastating earthquake while I was in the UK. The conversations with other Fellows and the reflections on our feelings, standing by each other and exploring opportunities and resources to support ourselves and others affected by this disaster, were significantly helpful for me.

“The Fellowship encouraged me to start my self-care and healing journey by acknowledging my challenges, revisiting my priorities and prioritising my mental health after it was neglected in the last 12 years due to the ongoing Syrian war and accumulative traumas over the years. This helped me restore energy which I have poured into fighting for women’s rights and accountability, and seeking for justice and sustainable peace for my Syria.”

Background

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship was piloted in 2016 and then launched as a full programme in 2017. The Fellowship progresses UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 – Gender Equality and 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions which supports Scotland’s contribution to International Development. Since financial year 2017-18 the Scottish Government has contributed £300,000 per annum, bringing total funding to £2.1 million including grant funding for 2023-24.

In November 2021, a new Fellowship on gender, conflict and Climate Change, was announced at COP26: Supporting women in climate action and conflict resolution – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The total number in the Alumnae Network is now over 300 women from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 15 March 2023.

The UK Government is being urged to invest in public services and deploy its full range of powers to tackle the cost of living crisis, supporting people and businesses.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt ahead of his Spring Budget to call for targeted support to help more families out of poverty by reinstating the uplift to Universal Credit, increasing it to £25 per week and extending it to means-tested legacy benefits.

He said vulnerable households should not have to bear the burden of soaring energy prices, and called for windfall tax revenues to fund much-needed support. Mr Swinney also pressed for support for struggling businesses to provide the certainty to invest and grow.