Latest news with #FirstMinister'sQuestions
STV News
2 days ago
- Business
- STV News
FM to face questions over winter fuel payment recovery from better-off pensioners
John Swinney is set to face questions from opposition parties at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, following the Scottish Government's announcement that new winter fuel payments will not be issued on a universal basis. On Wednesday, the Scottish Government set out plans for a slightly more generous winter fuel payment, with some households receiving up to £5 more than other areas of the UK. The benefit will be made available to all Scottish pensioners with an income below £35,000. However, Scottish ministers said they are in discussion with the UK Government to recover payments from pensioners with income over £35,000 a year through the tax system – matching the UK government system. Speaking to STV News on Wednesday, social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said ending the universal aspect of the benefit would ensure the payments were helping those with the greatest need. The First Minister is likely to face scrutiny for the decision on Thursday. Tory MSP Maurice Golden is also set to challenge the First Minister to respond to reports that up to 100 truckloads of Scotland's waste will be moved each day to England as a result of the landfill ban on biodegradable waste. The Scottish Tories have been critical of the reports, calling on the SNP to 'get a grip of this situation' before the ban comes into force in December. The First Minister will also be asked about the Government's most recent position on University funding. Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy is preparing to ask the First Minister about his Government's up-to-date position on funding Scotland's universities. The question comes less than 24 hours after MSPs were told Scotland's colleges have been left in a 'fragile' state following years of underinvestment. Angela Cox, chair of the Colleges Principals Group at Colleges Scotland, told Holyrood's Education Committee on Wednesday that the further education sector was 'hanging on by our fingernails'. FMQs will be streamed live from Holyrood at noon on Thursday. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
12-06-2025
- Business
- The National
John Swinney and Anas Sarwar clash over reports SNP secret meeting
It came as the pair discussed the hundreds of job losses at a Scottish bus manufacturer during First Minister's Questions (FMQs) on Thursday. The Scottish Labour leader pointed to reports that senior SNP figures had held a meeting to discuss Swinney's future as party leader, during an exchange discussing the closure of the Alexander Dennis factory in Falkirk. On Wednesday, Alexander Dennis announced it will look at consolidating its UK bus body manufacturing operations into a single site in Scarborough as part of a restructuring which is putting 400 jobs at risk. Swinney said he was 'deeply concerned' by the looming closure and said that ministers are engaging 'closely and firmly' to avoid any 'negative implications' for Scottish workers. Sarwar claimed that the Scottish Government procured more busses from China than Scotland, and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had bought more than Scottish ministers. READ MORE: Fraser of Allander calls out Labour's Spending Review claim He then said that the FM had given a 'weak response', before bringing up reports that SNP figures had given Swinney two weeks to come up with ideas to save his job. 'If he hasn't come up with a good idea to improve Scotland in 18 years, what chance have you got coming up with something now?' Sarwar asked. The FM replied: 'What I'm doing, and what the workforce of Alexander Dennis will not be surprised at, is that I'm focussing on the situation facing Alexander Dennis. That's what I'm doing.' He added that the Scottish Government had provided £58 million in funding for the firm for zero emissions buses, and that Scottish Enterprise has also given the firm £30.3m for research and development. The FM continued: 'The stark reality is that current UK policy does not allow for the incentivisation or reward of local content, job retention or creation, nor does it encourage any domestic economic benefit. 'That is the implication of the subsidy control act.' (Image: Scottish Parliament) Sarwar replied: 'If John Swinney can't figure out a way to order busses in Scotland, I suggest h picks up the phone to Andy Burrnham and see how he managed to do it five times, almost five times as many bus orders. 'John Swinney and the SNP are out of ideas, out of steam, and out of time. 'Failing to support Scottish manufacturing jobs is just one example.' He added: 'One SNP MSP said about John Swinney, there is no energy, no fire, no boldness, no long-term vision. 'They're right, aren't they?' Swinned fired back: 'Listen, Mr Sarwar can conjure up all the stuff he wants. 'He can go through his press cuttings, he can practice it in the mirror in the morning to see how it sounds. 'I'm going to be focussed on delivering answers and solutions for workers who face difficulty in the country. 'And while Mr Sarwar postures, I'm going to deliver for the workers of Scotland.' More to follow…
Press and Journal
06-06-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Elgin mum-of-four's cancer shock after going private to end 18-month NHS wait
An Elgin mum-of-four only learned she had cancer after paying around £15,000 to go private when faced with an 18-month wait on the NHS. Sarah Beaton first visited her GP in June 2024 after suffering from heavy periods. Following multiple visits to her surgery, she was referred for a scan which she received in January this year. The results showed there were anomalies. It was initially thought to be a fibroid, which is a benign non-cancerous growth. But the 43-year-old, who lives just outside of Elgin, was told she would need referred to the gynaecology department at NHS Grampian. Speaking to the P&J, she said: 'I was told there would be an 18-month waiting list for a consultation with a gynaecologist. 'I wasn't very happy because obviously I've been suffering with it for quite a while, and they said to just carry on with the same tablets until I could get a consultation.' The GP told her they would probably recommend a hysteroscopy, a test to look inside a woman's womb, to remove the fibroid which should solve the problem. Frightened by the length of wait, Sarah and her husband Bill Beaton, who run a farming contractor company, decided they would pay for private treatment. Within a week, she had a scan at Albyn Hospital in Aberdeen and a hysteroscopy was scheduled for the following month. But the results proved to be a shock as what was removed wasn't in fact a fibroid, but a mass of cells, which turned out to be endometrial cancer. The mum-of-four last month received a total hysterectomy to remove her womb at the private hospital. Now recovering from the operation at home, she is waiting to find out if further treatment is required. Reflecting on her experience, Sarah told the P&J: 'Had we not gone private, I'd be sitting here still waiting. 'You'll be going about your day and thinking 'I'm lucky' but if I hadn't done that, where would I be in 18 months time? 'What sort of stage would it be? Would it be recoverable? 'We're in a position where we can find that money to do that but there are hundreds who are not like me and are not in that position who at the end will have to incur a lot more treatment than if they were seen sooner.' She added: 'There was no inclination it was anything else until we got that result. It was quite a shock.' Highlands and Island Tory MSP Douglas Ross raised Sarah's 'intolerable' wait at First Minister's Questions on Thursday. John Swinney described the situation as 'unacceptable' and insisted the SNP government is investing more in early intervention to avoid these long waits. Mr Ross said: 'It doesn't bear thinking what the outlook for Sarah may have been had she sat on an NHS waiting list for 18 months before being seen by a specialist and the cancer being uncovered.' The latest NHS Grampian waiting times figures for June show that where gynaecology patients are referred with a suspicion of cancer, 90% are seen within nine weeks. Urgent cases are seen in around 25 weeks, while cases assessed as routine are a 64-week wait. An NHS Grampian spokesman said: 'Behind waiting time figures are real people, with real concerns about their health, and an extremely hard-working clinical team doing their utmost to care for them. 'We are aware patients are often waiting longer for services than they or we would like and we'd apologise to anyone affected by this. 'As a health board we cannot comment on individual patient cases. When a patient, or their representative, makes direct contact with us we are more than willing to discuss their case with them – including their diagnosis, treatment and any further care they received.'
The National
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
John Swinney urged to intervene and scrap Flamingo Land plans
During a fiery First Minister's Questions (FMQs), in which ex-Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was expelled, the SNP leader was questioned over the controversial Flamingo Land plans. In September 2024, Flamingo Land Ltd had its planning permission in principle for the multi-million-pound water park rejected by all 14 board members of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Planning Authority. But after the Scottish Government reporter's decision earlier this month, Flamingo Land will be allowed to proceed to the next stage of planning and scrutiny and reach an agreement with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. READ MORE: Labour officials 'fighting like rats in a sack' over Keir Starmer succession, MP says Ivan McKee, minister for public finance, has since said the Scottish Government has 'no intention' of stepping in. The Scottish Greens have long opposed the plans, with co-leader Patrick Harvie condemning the lack of action from ministers. 'Outside Parliament today, people gathered to express their anger at the Scottish Government's intention to approve a resort development by Flamingo Land on the shores of Loch Lomond,' Harvie (below) said. 'It's been opposed by the National Trust for Scotland, by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, by over 155,000 people, and it was rejected unanimously by the National Park.' He added: 'It's the most unpopular development in the history of the Scottish planning system. 'Now, I know the First Minister is about to tell us that he can't comment on a specific appeal. But his minister has already made a political decision. It took Ivan McKee just 2 working days to announce his refusal to act in the public interest and recall the appeal, so he and the First Minister have to be accountable for that now. 'There is still a chance we can save Loch Lomond. This decision isn't set in stone, so will the First Minister listen to all those who have been objecting for years and put the natural environment ahead of corporate profit and recall this decision? 'As Mr Harvie has indicated, as the appeal remains live, members have to understand that it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail on the proposal. 'I am aware that the reporter has issued a notice of intention to allow the appeal and to grant planning permission in principle, subject to 49 planning conditions and the reaching of a legal agreement, including the Lomond Promise, with a commitment to community benefits and fair work. 'The reporter is required to make his decision on the planning merits of the case and to take full account of all submissions made by the parties involved in this case, including representations from members of the local community.' The First Minister was also scrutinised by Anas Sarwar (below) over NHS waiting lists. (Image: PA) The Scottish Labour leader was speaking days after figures showed the number of people waiting two years for outpatient treatment was at the highest level on record. Statistics released on Tuesday showed 5262 people were waiting for more than two years for a procedure at the end of March this year. They also showed 63,406 people were waiting more than 12 months. Responding to Sarwar when pressed on the issue, John Swinney said: 'I recognise the significant impact of long waits on individual patients, and I apologise to everybody who's affected by those long waits. 'It's why the tackling of long waits is central to the Government's plans to deliver the improvements in the National Health Service that are required.' But he also took aim at the UK Government's new approach to immigration. 'Anyone looking at the details of what's been set out by the UK Government and turning off the ability of us being able to attract international workers will realise that that's a very damaging blow to our health service,' he told MSPs. 'Because our health service, and I saw data from Scottish Care, for example, about social care, is heavily dependent on international workers. And if the UK Government decides to turn off the ability of the Scottish Health Service to attract international workers, it will make our challenge to address the waiting time ever more difficult as a consequence.'
The National
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
John Swinney: Labour austerity is feeding rise of far right in UK
In a heated clash at First Minister's Questions (FMQs) on Wednesday, the SNP leader hit back at Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar's claims that it was the Scottish Government which was making voters disillusioned with politics. Sarwar raised the anti-far-right summit convened by Swinney in Glasgow on Tuesday, saying: 'As I feared, what was missing was any reflection on SNP Government failure and how that drives people to divisive politics. 'So why does John Swinney not recognise that to tackle division and polarisation, we need a Scottish Government that actually delivers for the people?' He later added: 'The gulf between the SNP Government's rhetoric and the reality faced by people across our country could not be starker. 'So can John Swinney see that he and his party's failures have made them the architects of divisive politics in Scotland?' Responding, the First Minister argued that Labour's 'continuation of austerity' had driven people across the UK towards the far right. Subsamples from a YouGov poll published on Wednesday suggested that Reform UK support is slightly lower in Scotland than in England or Wales. READ MORE: 'Important milestone' as SNP launch new disability benefit across Scotland Swinney told Sarwar: 'Let's take a moment to see how the last change of government process went in the United Kingdom. 'Last summer, the Labour Government was elected on a commitment to end austerity, to deliver change. And what have the Labour Government done? 'The Labour government have delivered a continuation of austerity. 'I cannot believe the Labour Party is comfortable with the fact that their United Kingdom Government is going to deliver welfare reforms that will increase poverty levels in the United Kingdom. 'Now, I invite Parliament to think about that point for just one moment: a Labour Government is coming into office and poverty is going to rise. 'That demonstrates there is no point in the Labour Party because Labour deliver poverty and austerity to the people of Scotland, when this SNP government is reducing child poverty in this country. I'll take that to the country and be proud of our records.' This week, a group of leading charities warned the Prime Minister that if his Labour Party do not change course on child poverty, they will see the highest levels ever recorded by the end of the current Westminster parliament. Figures released last month showed that Scotland had seen child poverty rates fall, as they climbed elsewhere in the UK.
