Sarwar questions Sturgeon on social care risks
At First Minister’s Questions, Sarwar highlights Audit Scotland’s findings that social care in Scotland is in crisis.
We had a staffing crisis even before the pandemic and now services are reporting they do not have the staff they need. This is a stark report that makes clear a lack of action now presents serious risks. We have been calling for a National Care Service for over a decade but it can’t now be used as a Government slogan to delay action until 2026.
Sturgeon responds, saying ministers will establish the National Care Service before the end of the current session of Parliament and that, while the Scottish Government has given a 12.9% pay increase, they still had not gone far enough.
We are increasing the pay of those who work in social care, because recruitment and retention and the valuing of the social care workforce is an important part of what we need to do. An increase of 12.9% is actually what we have already delivered. Does that go far enough? No. And we have said that we want it to go further.
Sarwar said that change had to happen immediately not in the future and he challenged Sturgeon to back Labour’s plans for an immediate pay increase to £12 an hour.
Relaxes work from home rules
Sturgeon says that, as of Monday 31st January, work from home rules will be relaxed, leading to a gradual phased return to working in the office. She says the updated guidance is based on a fall in infections, from 10,000 new infections to 7000. Places of worship will have their social distancing requirements cut from two metres to one. She also warns against everyone returning to the office at the same time as she thinks this will cause another spike in infections.
We would not expect to see a wholesale return to the office next week – indeed, given that the level of infection though falling remains high, a mass return at this stage is likely to set progress back. But we know there are many benefits to both employees and employers, and to the economy as a whole, in at least a partial return to the office at this stage.
ONS: Sturgeon correct to say English covid rate 20% more than Scotland
The ONS says Sturgeon was correct when she said England’s coronavirus infection rate was more than 20 per cent higher than in Scotland. The First Minister was accused of having “seriously twisted” the Covid figures by the Lib Dems who reported her to the UK Statistics Authority. ONS figures show 5.47 per cent of people in England are infected compared to 4.49% in Scotland – a difference of 0.98 percentage points or 21.8 per cent. ONS Chairman Norgrove:
The data does suggest that the rate of infection is lower in Scotland than in England. The distinction between percentages (parts per hundred) and percentage points (the simple difference between two percentages) can be made easier to understand by quoting the two numbers being compared. For clarity, when publishing results from CIS, the Office for National Statistics gives the absolute number of people with Covid-19; the percentage of the population with Covid-19; and the number of people with Covid-19 as a ratio to the whole population. For example, one in 20 people.
Sturgeon:
What matters is that Scotland is doing better now than we were doing before Christmas and better now than we might have been doing had we not taken action to stem transmission. That is what is important. How we are faring relative to England or anywhere else is not, in my view, the key comparison. But, given that others have sought to draw that comparison – inaccurately – in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Scottish Government’s decisions, I hope all members will now accept the conclusion of the chair of the UK statistics authority that the data I cited was, indeed, accurate.
Scottish Hospitality Group questions Swinney referendum comments
The Scottish Hospitality Group responds to Swinney’s comments that The Scottish Government is planning another independence referendum while their businesses are still suffering from the covid restrictions:
Hearing John Swinney’s comments as I was driving, I nearly ended up on the central reservation. I think Mr Swinney, just needs to take a walk down Glasgow high street on a Friday night at 6pm or 7pm with shops that are still open but with no one in them, and come into restaurants that would normally be busy that are dead. If he’s going to make a statement that the economy or many sectors are back to normal he’s got to tell us what ones, because I certainly don’t know what they are. It’s certainly not hospitality and certainly not retail.
Legislative timetable for 2023 referendum to be decided in ‘coming weeks’
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday Morning show, Sturgeon says The Scottish Government is preparing for a second referendum in 2023.
The preparatory work on that is underway right now. We haven’t decided on the date that we would seek to introduce the Bill. We will decide that in the coming weeks. But what I have said, and I will happily say again to you right now, is that my intention is to take the steps that will facilitate a referendum happening before the end of 2023…That’s the proposition that just short of a year ago I fought an election on and was re-elected as First Minister. My party was re-elected with a historically high share of the vote. This is about democracy. It’s about allowing the people of Scotland to choose our own future. I make no apology for the fact that over the past two years, as First Minister, I have prioritised steering the country through a pandemic. I am determined, I won an election on this basis, to give people in Scotland the choice over our future. I believe when that choice comes people will choose an independent future.
Nicola Sturgeon says "the preparatory work… is underway" to hold an independence referendum before the end of 2023
The First Minister says she hopes Scotland is on the "downward slope" of Omicron, which "clears the way"
#SundayMorning https://t.co/Lj4JMkBAec pic.twitter.com/X3olNpfWUg— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 23, 2022
Says mask rule could be enforced for years
On The Sunday Show, Sturgeon says that if mask wearing is shown to help in the fight against Covid then they would be required to potentially be worn for years. While Scottish restrictions restrictions on hospitality and on gatherings will be removed on Jan 26, the requirement to wear masks in shops and other venues will remain. This is in contrast to England where all restrictions are being removed altogether. Asked if she foresaw masks being worn for “months or years to come”:
I don’t want any of these measures to be in place for any longer than is necessary. But masks…are something we can do. None of us enjoy wearing them but they are perhaps not the biggest handicap to endure in order to try to stem transmission. So while they can make a difference to controlling the virus then I think it is something we should do.
Ross: Sturgeon’s covid restrictions ‘far too gung-ho’
Ross says Sturgeon’s covid restrictions during the festive period, compared with England, which had fewer restrictions, had adversely affected peoples jobs businesses and mental health. He said her “wrong calls” on restrictions were compounded by her government’s failure to pay compensation that had been promised to affected businesses, with some firms “still waiting for a single penny of support”.
The First Minister imposed restrictions that had a massive impact on jobs, businesses and people’s mental and physical health. But we can now see they weren’t needed. It was the Scottish public’s actions, not the SNP Government’s restrictions, that got this right. The First Minister has tried to build a reputation for caution during this pandemic – but she was far too gung-ho in imposing restrictions last month. The Government went too far.
Sturgeon:
We’re taking a sensible approach through this, which is why infection levels – though dropping now thankfully in all parts of the UK – are lower in Scotland than they are in England right now. Over the festive period, the numbers of people in hospital proportionately were lower. We’re not out of the woods yet, but I’m going to continue to take a cautious approach, because, frankly, the price of throwing caution to the wind is not paid by governments. The price of throwing caution to the wind is paid by people across the country in terms of ill health and sadly, in some cases, serious illness and death.
Says Labour and Tory MPs are ‘interchangeable’
In response to a question from Anas Sarwar, Sturgeon cites Conservative MP Christian Wakeford’s defection to Labour, saying:
I’m just sitting here reflecting, almost unbeliveably actually, that Anas Sarwas has accused me of behaving like a Tory, the day after his party threw open the doors to a Tory MP. There is now so little difference between the Tories and Labour that their MPs are just interchangeable.
Sturgeon calls for inquiry into Wragg blackmail claims
Sturgeon says an independent inquiry should investigate Wragg’s allegations that Tory MPs calling for the Prime Minister to quit have faced blackmail and intimidation.
These are gravely serious allegations – intimidation, blackmail and using public money to do it. I would suggest that these accusations need to be fully and, crucially, independently investigated…They shock me.”
Later, the First Minister tweeted:
Let’s be clear: if Tories are threatening to withhold public investment from constituencies as a way of keeping MPs in line then, yes, that’s blackmail & intimidation – but it is also corruption. The moral decay at the heart of Johnson’s govt may be even worse than we thought.
Slorance widow: ‘No answers’ received from Sturgeon
Louise Slorance, widow of Andrew Slorance, says Sturgeon is not being honest about the real cause of his death in December 2020.
Nicola Sturgeon wrote to me 15 minutes before FMQs. I replied the same day. I still have no response to my letter…Myself, his children, family and friends, deserve better, we deserve answers…[It is] fruitless [to send her a letter]. I have had no contact regarding Andrew since this letter despite the assurance made by the FM that I will be kept updated. Since the circumstances around Andrew’s death became public, I have not received any answers to my questions regarding what happened at the QEUH from the Scottish Government or NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Scottish Government spokesman:
Ministers have been awaiting details to update Mrs Slorance and will be writing shortly. The NHS Lothian Peer Review has been examining the care and treatment received at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as well as the communications Mrs Slorance and the family received from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We expect the findings of the peer review to be shared with the family in the near future. We have offered to meet with Mrs Slorance to discuss the care provided to Mr Slorance and remain committed to doing so.
Lifts Omicron restrictions
During her First Minister’s statement in Holyrood, Sturgeon says that, as of Monday, January 24, the restrictions brought in just before Christmas to stem the rate of Omicron infections, will be lifted. This means an end to one-metre social distancing, the three-household limit for indoor meetings and nightclubs will be able to reopen. The intended extension of the use of vaccine passports has been cancelled but they will still be retained for large events. She says Omicron infections peaked the first week of January and along with hospital admissions the numbers are now dropping.
[I am] cautiously optimistic that we are turning the corner on this Omicron wave.
Sturgeon: Johnson using ‘cheap, populist policies’ to distract from scandals
Sturgeon says Johnson of attempting to create populist policies to distract public outrage away from his recent scandals. Johnson has allegedly launched “Operation Red Meat”, which includes plans to scrap the BBC License fee in five years time and to use sonic weapons against small boats in an attempt to send illegal immigrants back into French waters. Government ministers have denied that the policies were created to divert from the Prime Minister’s travails. Sturgeon:
While everybody will have different degrees of criticism of the BBC, to try to jettison the BBC to save his own skin, it’s unedifying. It’s beneath the office of Prime Minister and all it does really is underline this feeling that Boris Johnson is not just himself damaged irreparably, in my view, but he is bit by bit undermining and damaging the institutions of the country and the institutions that support our democracy and that’s why it’s got to stop. A line has to be drawn under this and it’s now up to the Tory Party to decide what’s more important – protecting Boris Johnson or acting in the wider interests of the country…I think there is such a fundamental issue of trust and integrity now around the Prime Minister and the responsible thing for him to do, to allow the focus to be back where it needs to be, would be to resign from office.
Sturgeon also compared her behaviour to Johnsons, climing that she that she would have resigned had the Jamese Hamilton inquiry found any evidence of breaking the ministerial code been found.
Welcomes record £700m offshore windfarm lease auction
Sturgeon comments on the Scottish Crown Estate’s largest-ever auction of permits to construct offshore windfarms. £699.2 million was raised for 17 separate offshore energy projects off the east, northeast and northern coast of Scotland, to companies such as Shell, BP, SSE and Scottish Power. The developments – a combination of floating, fixed and mixed turbines – are estimated to produce almost 25,000 megawatts of energy.
It’s really hard to overstate how significant and important today’s announcement is for Scotland’s energy, environmental and economic future. This gives us the potential to meet our own energy needs from renewable sources. It’s going to position Scotland as a major exporter of green energy, green hydrogen as well – and delivers massive economic benefits as well as the revenues that will flow to the Scottish government. The estimate is that for every gigawatt of power generated from these projects in due course, there will be a billion pounds of investment in the supply chain and that has the potential to create thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of jobs. So, as we make this transition to net-zero to meet the climate emergency, this helps ensure Scotland can do that in a fair and a just way that creates new jobs to replace those in oil and gas, for example, which we are in the process of transitioning away from. This is perhaps one of the biggest, most significant days in terms of Scotland’s energy and industrial future that we’ve had in a very, very long time. Really exciting
‘People who hold office in the Conservative Party are honour-bound to support the Prime Minister’
Speaking in Parliament, Rees-Mogg says
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland are equal, fundamental parts of the United Kingdom, without which there is no United Kingdom. Our great history, our great tradition, our success as a nation has been built on this union. How did we, as small country, as small island off the coast of the European continent, become one of the great empires in the world? Very often thanks to the work of people from Scotland…This is something celebrated on this side of the house. Something we glory in, as our great shared joined history, our history of kinship, of ties of blood, of ties of involvement in each other’s lives. Now, I would say in respose to his absolute point: People who hold office in the Conservative Party are honour-bound to support the Prime Minister.
https://twitter.com/Jacob_Rees_Mogg/status/1481956813763399682
Sturgeon: Rees-Mogg comments show ‘utter contempt for Scotland’
In response to Rees-Mogg calling Ross ‘a lightweight’ and ‘not a big figure, Sturgeon says his comments reflected the contempt with which English Tories hold Scotland itself. Ross had called on Johnson to resign after he had eventually admitted to attending an outdoor party, months after rolling out emergency pandemic legislation to make such parties illegal. Sturgeon observed:-
These might be personal insults directed at the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, but actually they say something much deeper about the Westminster establishment’s utter contempt for Scotland. If they can’t even show basic respect for their own colleagues, what chance do the rest of us have? The fact is Westminster thinks Scotland doesn’t need to be listened to, can be ignored, and now we’re being told we have to thole a Prime Minister that his own colleagues think is not fit for office.
An added benefit of being independent is that we will no longer have to put up with being treated like something on the sole of Westminster’s shoe.
‘Firm intention’ for exam go-ahead
In response to a question from Shirley-Anne Summerville, Sturgeon says it is her “firm intention” that senior students at secondary schools will sit exams this year. Due to the pandemic, for the past two years, Highers and other formal qualifications have been unable to take place, with pupils instead given grades based on their teachers’ assessment of performance.
Given we’re still living through a global pandemic, contingencies are needed in education as in all other aspects of life right now. Our firm intention this year is that exams will go ahead…If education is further disrupted, because of developments in the pandemic, than additional support will be provided for those studying for exams. The second contingency is that if public health advice says it isn’t safe for young people to come together to sit exams in the traditional way, then we go back to a situation akin to the last two years where we would have teacher judgment coming to bear instead of exams.
Rees-Mogg: Ross is a ‘lightweight’
When told that all 31 Scottish MSPs have called for Boris Johnson to resign, Rees-Mogg calls Ross ‘a lightweight’ and cites Alister Jack as someone of more importance in the party.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, who is a big figure is very supportive of the Prime Minister. Douglas Ross has always been quite a lightweight figure.
Ross: Sturgeon failing Scottish businesses
At First Minister’s questions, Ross accuses Sturgeon of treating Scottish businesses like an afterthought after still failing to pass on Westminsters rescue cash that was supposed to have been in place before Christmas. The Scottish Government’s advice on covid restrictions over Christmas had led to a huge reduction in footfall over the festive period and consequently many businesses have had to borrow huge sums of money just to survive.
Not a single penny of funding we were promised has reached businesses. Can she give a precise time-scale on when this money will be paid a month after it was announced? First Minister, this has happened time and time again. The SNP are quick to demand more money from the Westminster government but very slow to get it out to the business that need it.
Extends covid passport rules
The new rules will require attendees to provide proof of having had two vaccine injections plus the booster jab in order to get into nightclubs and large events. Whereas, until now, event organisers were only required to check the passports of twenty percent of attendees, from 24th January that will be raised to fifty percent. Those who have not as yet had a booster jab can instead provide proof of a same day negative lateral flow test. Sturgeon also says she will look at “extending the scope of covid certification to other venues” which has been widely interpreted that she will even impose them on pubs and licensed premises.
Ferguson’s: Hair to step down
Ferguson’s announces, that after two years at the company, Hair will step down as turnaround director. He spent two years as turnaround director. He will be replaced by Tydeman in February. Chairman Alistair Mackenzie:
[It is] the right time to welcome a permanent and longer-term leader…The board and wider team at Ferguson Marine extend our thanks to Tim Hair for his leadership, expertise and commitment over the past two years. It has been challenging, not least because of a global pandemic, but he has implemented a series of important changes, systems and controls and built an experienced and skilled team to strengthen the business and establish a solid footing for growth.