Guidance outdated
Social care Dave Watson
Scottish organiser, UNISON
Te Scottish Government must take responsibility for social care procurement and ensure the focus is on better care, not cheaper care. Current guidance fails to address vital workforce issues and ignores the Government’s own statutory rules that are designed to end the two-tier workforce. Tere is an urgent need
to review the Government’s outdated guidance on social care procurement. Te guidelines, issued in September 2010, outline procurement as a way of generating efficiency savings. Te guidance
Politicians’ role
Alcohol Dr Brian Keighley Chairman, BMA Scotland
In Scotland, the Government has embraced the BMA’s policies on tackling alcohol misuse and has already legislated to improve licensing and end promotions to encourage bulk buying of alcohol in supermarkets. However, a failure by the Scottish
Parliament to support minimum pricing means that it will be increasingly difficult to affect real change in people’s drinking habits. As Health Scotland reported last week, alcohol sales in Scotland have reached an all-time high, surpassing volume sales in England and Wales. Tere is a wealth of evidence that demonstrates the link between price and consumption and this is a central part of any alcohol strategy. It is essential that this Parliament supports new legislation to introduce a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland. Sensible drinking begins with sensible pricing. Te more alcohol that is sold in Scotland, the greater the numbers of people drinking to excess and
also states the need for a ‘mixed economy’ in care across in-house, third and private sector providers. Te Government must aim higher. Te key to effective service reform is to put the user at the heart of the process to ensure all care packages reflect the needs of each individual. Tat requires retaining services in-house and involving users and staff in the redesign of services. While UNISON recognises the
role of self-directed support, it must go hand-in-hand with appropriate services and resources for those who choose not to take this option, and must not be used as an excuse to cut costs. We need a government that’s committed to raising the standards in care and that means a focus on quality, not cost.
Reputation threatened
Environment Stuart Housden Director, RSPB Scotland
Many species of birds of prey whose populations were either seriously reduced or eliminated from much of Scotland in the 19th and early 20th centuries, have made significant recoveries in recent years, either through natural re-colonisation (such as common buzzard), or through reintroduction by conservation agencies (e.g. red kite). Tis has been encouraged by strengthened legal protection by the Scottish Government, as well as by more enlightened attitudes towards predators amongst the public and some land managers. But the continued persecution is a matter of serious conservation concern and peer-reviewed scientific studies have demonstrated significant impacts on the populations and ranges of some of our most vulnerable bird species. Tis illegal activity discredits the international reputation of
Scotland as a place that takes pride in its natural heritage and undermines important industries, including tourism that depend upon wildlife and a rich landscape. It also contravenes EU directives and obligations. We strongly supported the
new measures introduced by the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act 2011, to tackle this criminality. Specifically, we welcomed the introduction of an offence of vicarious liability for managers of shooting estates within the Act. Tis measure is proportionate and targeted at those irresponsible landowners and their employees who encourage the breaking of wildlife protection laws, and should therefore have no impact on those who manage their businesses legitimately. It is in Scotland’s interest and
rural Scotland’s in particular, to put this era of wildlife crime firmly in the past.
Te Illegal Killing of Birds of Prey in Scotland in 2010:
http://bit.ly/ oPHpTP
Negative obscured
the NHS will bear the brunt of the health consequences. Te financial burden is no longer sustainable and if this trend continues the service will struggle to cope. Te most effective and evidence- based intervention to reduce consumption of alcohol is to tackle price and availability. Politicians have a central role in regulating the drinks industry and supermarkets to put an end to the ridiculous pricing of alcohol. By increasing price, we can reduce consumption and this in turn can prevent needless deaths.
Employment Michael Levack Chief Executive, Scottish Building Federation
Less widely reported than the headline that Scotland outperformed the rest of the UK, for the building industry, the latest UK labour market statistics provide worrying evidence of worsening economic conditions as 10,000 Scottish construction workers lost their jobs between April and June this year – a 5.5 per cent reduction in Scotland’s construction
workforce compared to a 3 per cent reduction for the UK as a whole. Since March 2009, official figures now show the Scottish construction industry has shed 30,000 jobs. Based on these figures, the longer- term trend in construction jobs remains downwards and that should be a matter of real concern to our politicians. To reverse that trend, governments at Holyrood and Westminster need to place a strategy to protect and consolidate capital investment at the very heart of their economic recovery plans so the construction industry can start rebuilding employment, skills and capacity.
19 September 2011
www.holyrood.com 79
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84