by Andrew Tweedie, Calum Liddle and Michael Behr. Scottish Government spending on PR increased by 10% during the recession, new information has revealed. The report was gained through a Freedom of Information request which showed that the government spending on PR was £704 086 during April 2008 - March 2009. This was an increase of £64 033 [...]
Royal Mail Dealt Another Blow
October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Ahmed Asif The Scottish government handed Royal Mail a killer blow after handing rival company TNT a multi-million pound contract to deliver second class mail. Royal Mail which is has been hit with a wave of criticism from every corner after deciding to call a strike after fears that hundreds of full time jobs [...]
First H1N1 Flu Jabs Given in Glasgow
October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Neil Stewart The Scottish Government’s programme of H1N1 vaccinations begins today in Glasgow’s New Victoria Hospital. The first people to receive their jabs are those most at risk of picking up the virus – vulnerable patients, nurses and other medical staff. Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary, will be present for the first vaccinations. Speaking [...]
SNP refuses Treasury financial advice
April 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Domenica Goduto The Scottish National Party has refused offers of financial advice from the Treasury, despite concerns about the Scottish Government‘s ability to make appropriate spending cuts in the face of the recession. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy claims that the SNP Administration is “the least efficient of all four UK governments.” He offered First [...]
Portrait Gallery in the money
March 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
by Kirstyn Smith The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is due to close this Sunday after receiving a £4.5 million grant to go towards a long-awaited restoration. The financial aid, awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), will help the gallery’s planned revamp which will cost, in total, approximately £17.6 million and follows a donation of £5.1 million from the [...]
Swapping cigarettes for courgettes… will Dundee’s new anti-smoking scheme work?
March 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Rebecca Jamieson Would £150 encourage you to give up smoking for good? NHS Tayside hopes so. They have just launched a pilot scheme in Dundee, which gives participants from disadvantaged areas £12.50 a week if they manage to stay off cigarettes. The money is credited onto an electronic card and can be spent at [...]
Ten into one doesn’t go
March 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Elizabeth Gorrie Ten people are in competition for each job in the UK, according to new figures released by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) today. In response, the government is set to divert many civil servants back to job centres which were until recently under threat of closure. The Department for Work and Pensions has already [...]
Minimum Prices for Alcohol to be set
March 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Pressure is increasing on the government to set minimum prices for alcohol in England, following the publication of Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson’s annual report. This follows similar proposals made by the Scottish Government earlier this month. According to Sir Liam: “Cheap alcohol is killing us like never before”. He hopes that setting a [...]
Government plans to reduce domestic abuse
March 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Sally Edgar. Police may be given the power to warn women against potentially violent partners as the Government reveals a plan to tackle domestic abuse. Men that have had previous offenses could be placed on a register, identifying them as a potential risk to women. This would be monitored by police who could have [...]
Hard up Scottish students set to lose cash lifeline
March 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment
by Annabel Cooper Scottish universities are close to running out of special funds that help bail out students in financial difficulty. The ‘Hardship Loan’ or ‘Discretionary Fund’ is a life-line for hard up students but with borrowing on the downturn and part time work harder to come by, demand from students is up and funds are beginning to run [...]
Backlash to teenage oral sex plans
December 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Gary Philp The Christian Institute have hit out at Scottish Government plans which will legalise oral sex for 13 year olds. On their website they make it clear they are against the plans. If it goes ahead, it will legalise over ten types of oral sex scenarios involving teenagers aged between 13 and 16 [...]
The credit crunch for students
November 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Edmund Brown The credit crunch has affected all social groups and students are no exception. Young people going to university today can expect to leave with a debt of around £26,000 with the majority of this owed in overdraft and credit card facilities given to them by the now under pressure banks. Banks are [...]
