The Tories must take responsibility for the gross injustice of WASPI – and fix it
(By Mhairi Black MP)

This Tory Government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing – it cannot be right that billions are spent on obscene nuclear weapons or on dropping bombs in Syria while millions of women born in the 1950s are denied the pension they are due.

The SNP agree with the equalisation of the state pension age but we do not support the unfair manner in which these changes were made in the 2011 Pensions Act. Around 2.6 million women were affected by the accelerated pace and many will receive their pension years later than expected. Furthermore, due to the UK Government’s shambolic handling of the notification process these women have not been given a reasonable period of time to properly prepare for retirement.

The Tories must take responsibility for this gross injustice. The issue has been widely debated in the House of Commons, and the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) groups have worked tirelessly to campaign for the introduction of fair transitional measures, but the UK Government has refused to act. Women born in the 1950’s and affected by these changes are feeling the hardship now and need action, and since the Tories refused to act the SNP decided to do the necessary work ourselves to find a solution.

Our independently researched report reveals that there are five options currently available to the UK Government that would allow them to reverse their mistakes and deliver dignity in retirement for these women. And our research has found that all this could be done at a fraction of the cost the UK Government has been perpetuating. For £8 billion, as opposed to the £30 billion predicted by the UK Government, we could to return to the original timetable set out in the 1995 Pensions Act – which would go some way to ending the gross injustice served to these women and would help to alleviate pensioner poverty.

We already know that we have the money, with the National Insurance Fund projected to have a surplus of £30.7 billion at the end of 2017/18. The UK Government is sitting on this hefty pot and must surely consider using £8 billion to alleviate the plight of the women of the 1950’s that they themselves have caused.

We hope that this report will be welcomed by the UK Government and convince them to at last act to end this inequality. It’s time for the Tories to face up-to reality; pensions are not a benefit, they are a contract and the UK Government has broken that contract – but they can fix it.

Ahead of the Tory Conference, the SNP will be delivering a copy of this report to 10 Downing Street and demanding justice for the women of the 1950s. If the Prime Minister is to live up to her rhetoric of working “not for the privileged few” it is time to end this inequality and deliver for the women of the 1950s.

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://www.snp.org/tories_must_take_responsibility_for_injustice_of_waspi

The UK Government must support the oil and gas sector (By Callum McCaig Mp)

Oil and Gas UK’s latest economic report lays down a serious challenge to the UK government and exposes serious failings in their approach to supporting the North Sea oil and gas industry, at a time of sustained low oil prices across the globe.

In contrast the Scottish Government is playing its part in supporting the industry and will continue to do all it can within its powers to support jobs and businesses in the sector.

Last week the First Minister opened Statoil’s new Aberdeen headquarters, and confirmed that 600 applications have now been processed for the £12 million Transition Training Fund – to help retain industry skills within the workplace. The Scottish Government has already invested £7 million in research and development, unlocking £16 million in 70 new innovation projects.

The industry itself has worked hard towards lowering costs and continued collaboration will only help to improve the picture. Production rates are healthy too, but with global oil price remaining suppressed decisive action is needed from the UK government.

In the SNP we have long called for the UK government to take the serious, sensible measures which will make a real difference in incentivising exploration and development of new prospects in the North Sea. With these latest figures showing record low activity in exploration, the time for action from the UK government to boost activity and protect jobs is long overdue.

Yesterday the Prime Minister did herself no favours by sneering from afar on the challenges that low oil prices represent for Scotland. Those workers who’ve lost their jobs want to see the UK government actually do something about it – they don’t want political goading and condescension from Theresa May.

At the beginning of 2016 the SNP called for this to be a ‘year of action’ from the Tory government on Scotland’s oil and gas industry. We even made it easy for them – setting out tax incentives and loan guarantee proposals which could have stimulated investment, sustained jobs and maximised recovery of reserves over the long term.

Let’s bear in mind the North Sea oil and gas sector has generated £300 billion for the Treasury, yet it is now being abandoned by the Tories in its time of need.

If Theresa May’s government doesn’t now focus on vital support for the sector, to see through the worst of the downturn and encouraging future growth, then they will be guilty of perpetrating one of the most shameful betrayals in the history of Scottish industry.

Callum McCaig is MP for Aberdeen South and SNP Energy Spokesperson at Westminster

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://www.snp.org/uk_government_must_support_the_oil_and_gas_sector

Speech at IoD annual convention in London.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described membership of the single market ‎as the “obvious consensus position” among leave and remain voters in the EU referendum – and said that the UK-wide result was not a mandate for a hard Brexit.

The First Minister was reiterating the benefits of staying in the single market to 2,000 business leaders at the Institute of Directors’ Annual Convention in the Royal Albert Hall.

Ms Sturgeon said:

“EU membership is now part of Scotland’s sense of itself. We see ourselves as an open, internationalist country. We value the contribution made by EU citizens across Scotland. We like the fundamental principle behind the European Union – of independent nations co-operating for a common good.

“My starting point is to do everything I can to retain the benefits of EU membership, and to preserve as best I can Scotland’s relationship with the Europe.

“We are looking to see if there are ways in which the benefits of single market membership could be retained by Scotland even if they are discarded by the rest of the UK. We all need to think creatively and negotiate constructively. In these circumstances, no option can be off the table for Scotland.

“I have a very clear view of the UK approach that I would like to see. I believe that the UK should seek to retain full membership of the single market. We know that some parts of that – such as retaining freedom of movement – would not satisfy everyone. Although immigration brings significant economic benefits, those benefits aren’t felt by everyone. So it will become even more important to ensure that the economy works more effectively for people who are currently unemployed, or on low wages.

“But I believe that there is a strong democratic justification for retaining our single market membership. After all, 48% of the electorate voted to remain in the EU. So did two of the four nations of the UK. And people who voted to leave were repeatedly told that leaving the EU did not necessarily require leaving the single market. So I don’t believe there is a clear mandate for what is generally known as a hard Brexit. Single market membership seems to us to be the obvious consensus position that we should try to work towards.

“And that would in my view be the least damaging outcome for individuals, communities and businesses across the whole of the UK.

“Many people in the UK look at the political debate in America now – where one candidate is talking about imposing significant tariffs on imported goods – and we criticise that debate. So it seems almost unbelievable that we’re now in a position where barriers and tariffs with our nearest neighbours could become part of our daily business life.

“I look forward to making common cause with many businesses and voices across the UK. We will seek to work with others of like mind because in doing so, we will be working in the interests of individuals, businesses and communities – not just in Scotland, but across all the nations of these islands.”

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/FM-highlights-importance-of-membership-of-single-market-2bcc.aspx

£5.5 billion tourism spend targeted.

The Scottish Government has pledged to increase total spend from overnight visitors to Scotland to £5.5 billion by 2020.

Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop will reiterate that Scotland must deliver world-class events to ensure the success of the country’s tourism sector.

Figures published last year estimated the value of the Scottish events industry to be worth £3.5bn. Edinburgh’s year-round festivals also generated £313m for the Scottish economy during 2015.

Scotland has impressively built on past success in securing major events having hosted the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games in 2014 to secure a number of significant events in the sporting calendar in the coming years. Scotland will welcome the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Challenge Cup and World Badminton Championships in 2017, the 147th Open Championships at Carnoustie, the new multi-sport European Championships in 2018, the European Athletics Indoor Championships and Solheim Cup in 2019 and, in 2020, will be a host for the UEFA European Football Championships (EURO 2020).

Speaking ahead of a major events debate in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Hyslop said:

“Last year’s total overnight visitor spend in Scotland reached £4.9 billion. I’m committed to making sure that figure is increased to at least £5.5 billion by 2020, but this can only be achieved through a Team Scotland approach involving the public, private and third sectors working together. We have demonstrated we are a world leader in staging major events and we will ensure we continue to build on and benefit from our major events strategy by setting ambitious targets for ourselves.

“Our industries, including tourism and events, are facing uncertainty following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and the Scottish Government is working hard to support and promote economic stability. We are committed to enhancing Scotland’s international reputation as a dynamic and creative nation and world-class tourism destination, whilst retaining our position as a leader in sport, art, culture and music events, and major conferences.

“We have enjoyed enormous tourism success to date but we cannot become complacent. It’s vital Team Scotland continues to work together in partnership to sell our nation as a world-class destination.”

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Scotland-leading-on-the-world-stage-2b8d.aspx

Five universities remain in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of St. Andrews, University of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen remained in the top 200 universities for 2016-17 in the world’s most comprehensive global league table of higher education.

The new rankings mean Scotland has more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg.

The THE rankings examine a university’s strengths including research, knowledge transfer, international outlook and the teaching environment.

Minister for Further Education and Higher Education Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“I welcome these figures which underline our strength in higher education and the value with which the Scottish approach is held globally. Credit is due to the staff and students at all five universities for their hard work to achieve this.

“Scotland continues to punch above its weight, having more institutions per head of population in the top 200 than any other country except Luxembourg. This continued strong performance is against a backdrop of other European universities suffering in the rankings due to the ascent of Asian institutions.

“The Scottish Government is investing over £1 billion in our higher education institutions in 2016-17, ensuring that all of our institutions receive financial support to enable them to deliver high quality teaching, world class research and knowledge exchange and remain internationally competitive.”

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Scottish-universities-make-top-200-2b88.aspx

Extra funding to boost A&E resilience ahead of winter.

Health boards across Scotland are sharing an additional £9 million this year for emergency departments, hospitals and primary and social care teams to get ready for winter.

The funding supports dedicated multi-disciplinary teams to improve patient flow in A&E, across the hospital and in the community.

By enhancing staffing cover over winter, providing the same level of discharging at weekends as midweek or providing treatment in the community, patients will get the best care in the most appropriate place, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and freeing up beds and resources for those who need them most.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon highlighted the funding during a visit to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE). Respiratory illness is a key diagnosis in three of the top five A&E cases, accounting for 45,000 emergency bed days every year. Since 2013, the COPD unit at RIE has worked collaboratively to reduce the level of admissions and free up nearly 3,000 bed days.

A recently published review of last winter shows that, despite increased admissions across Scotland, A&E waiting times improved significantly and the number of people delayed from leaving hospital was reduced.

Nicola Sturgeon said:

“A&E attendances last winter increased, yet emergency departments consistently improved their performance. This is testament to the immensely hard work and dedication of our NHS staff and follows a three year, £50 million unscheduled care fund which supported boards to make changes.

“The additional £9 million for this year will ensure patients get the best treatment in the most appropriate place, easing pressure on our A&E departments and maximising patient flows within hospitals which face additional admission demands in winter.

“The approach taken here at the RIE to target respiratory illness – which is the most common factor in A&E presentations in winter – has freed up 3,000 emergency bed days and demonstrates the value of successful working across the health and social care system.

“With more and more people now living with long term conditions, and a growing number of older people with multiple and complex conditions, it is also vital that the NHS has robust preventative care plans. Winter guidance was issued to boards in August and health boards are now well advanced in their unscheduled care planning – putting them on the front foot to build on last year’s good performance and deal with additional pressures throughout the coming winter.”

Dr Gourab Choudhury, Consultant Respiratory Physician and COPD Clinical Lead at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh said:

“Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is projected to be the third most common cause of death worldwide by 2050. People with COPD have breathing difficulties which can affect their day to day lives, and these can be far worse in winter when they are more at risk from colds and the flu.

“At least 30 per cent of patients with COPD could be cared for in their home surroundings, rather than requiring hospital admission, and in Edinburgh we have been working to improve the support available within communities through the development of a community based multidisciplinary COPD hub.

“The community team works closely with the team here at the hospital to assess patients, to encourage self-management and to quickly identify the right treatment when required. We have seen a real success in reducing the need for patients to be admitted to hospital, and are now looking at how we can extend this model of care across Lothian and Scotland.”

Vice President Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, Martin McKechnie said:

“We have seen a sustainable difference in terms of unscheduled care performance over the last year, with last winter seeing some of the best performance we have seen in a number of years. The Scottish Government has demonstrated a strong commitment to working with partners such as the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the Academy of Royal Colleges to ensure that patients who need to attend A&E and Assessment Units receive the best experience they deserve. It is also not by accident that Scotland has been performing better than anywhere else in the UK for over a year.

“The launch of the unscheduled care six essential actions in May 2015, and the early winter planning guidance issued in August, has supported the achievements we have seen. I also welcome the recognition and efforts by Government to focus on enhancing the community based support, which will see patients being treated in the most appropriate environment, avoiding inappropriate hospital admissions and easing unnecessary pressures on A&E and Assessment Units as we head into winter.”

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/-9-million-commitment-to-emergency-care-2b77.aspx

Cashback for Communities to benefit 40 groups.

Community groups helping young people in disadvantaged areas are to receive almost £2 million funding from the Cashback for Communities scheme.

In total, 40 community groups will benefit, with projects as diverse as bike parks, 3G pitches and netball clubs receiving funding.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson made the announcement at the Crags Community Sports Centre and Skelf Bikepark in Edinburgh where he met staff and young people involved with the community groups. He said:

“Cashback for Communities is a unique programme that seizes money from criminals and reinvests it back into our communities.

“As well as punishing those who break the law and peddle misery on Scottish society, Cashback offers activities and opportunities at community level to stop disadvantaged young people heading into crime or anti-social activity themselves.

“I am very pleased to be able to announce that no fewer than 40 community groups are to benefit from almost £2 million of funding from this round of the programme. This investment will allow facilities and equipment for activities such as football, netball, dance and kayaking to be improved around the country.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling inequality and by keeping young people engaged and active in their communities, we can help them become both confident and responsible individuals.

“Cashback is essential to helping us achieving this goal which is why I am proud to continue to support its valuable work.”

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/-2-million-funding-allocated-2b6a.aspx