Scottish emissions of air pollutants 2017
- 21 October 2019
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has announced the publication of a report on emissions of air pollutants in 2017. The main findings are: since 1990 there have been reductions in emissions for all pollutants, with decreases of 15 per cent for ammonia, 63 per cent for PM10, 65 per cent for NMVOCs, 68 per cent for PM2.5, […]
Scotland bans plastic stemmed cotton buds
- 16 October 2019
Scotland has become the first country in the UK to ban the sale and manufacture of plastic-stemmed cotton buds as part of attempts to reduce single use plastics. Most major retailers switched to paper-stemmed buds in the months leading up to the ban following a campaign. A similar ban – also including plastic coffee stirrers […]
Minimum Unit Pricing has modest impact on the alcohol industry in Scotland
- 16 October 2019
The introduction of minimum pricing for alcohol has had a modest economic impact on the drinks industry in Scotland, a report has found. The report, commissioned by NHS Health Scotland is part of a wide-ranging evaluation of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 which established Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). In an initial assessment of the […]
Scottish government confirm no support for fracking
- 9 October 2019
The Scottish Government has set out a finalised policy of no support for the development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) sometimes known as “fracking” in Scotland. This means the Scottish Government will not issue licences for new UOG development, and that Scotland’s planning framework will not support development using unconventional oil and gas extraction […]
Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland
- 7 October 2019
by Jill Sunter, Health Promotion Officer, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership Breastfeeding is really important to the health of both mother and baby, yet Scotland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. While many new mums start breastfeeding, some will stop within a few months. This is often because they feel there […]
Reduce your business’s energy costs and receive up to £10k cashback with an unsecured, interest-free Scottish Government Loan
- 1 October 2019
Reducing your energy use isn’t just good for our planet, it’s great news for your business’s bottom line too. In fact, advisers from the Scottish Government’s Resource Efficient Scotland programme typically find that by taking action to reduce their energy use, Scottish small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can easily slash 24% off their energy costs […]
Annual report on private water supplies published
- 23 September 2019
The 2018 Annual Reports for Private Water Supplies has been published by Scotland’s Drinking Water Quality Regulator. In 2018, a total of 42,440 tests were taken from regulated private water supplies (PWS) which are those supplying more than 50 people or a commercial activity. 93.5 per cent of tests met the required standard, but 11% of these […]
Protecting Scotland’s Future- Government Programme for Scotland 2019-20
- 23 September 2019
On the 3 September the Scottish Government announced their programme for the year ahead with the publication of the 2019-20 Programme for Government. Entitled Protecting Scotland’s Future, the programme unveiled 14 new Bills, as well as non-legislative announcements. Ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change and securing a positive future for generations to come are the focus […]
New Building Standards Technical Handbooks published
- 23 September 2019
New 2019 Building Standards Technical handbooks have been published and comes into force on 1 October 2019. The Scottish Government publish new technical handbooks which explain how to achieve the requirements set out in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. The main changes are to the provision for fire safety within Section 2 (Fire) in both the domestic […]
Scottish Government committed to restricting food promotions
- 23 September 2019
An analysis on a recent consultation on restricting the promotion and marketing of foods high in fat, sugar, or salt, and have little to no nutritional benefit has been published. Following this analysis, the Scottish Government has brought forward the development of the Bill Restricting Foods Promotions in this parliament There were 726 responses from individuals […]
Draft legislation brought forward for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme
- 23 September 2019
Scottish ministers have published draft legislation for the establishment of the Deposit Return Scheme, with an expected start date of 1 April 2021. The new regulations will see the establishment of a scheme that will include aluminium and steel cans as well as drinks containers made of glass and PET plastic with a 20p deposit. By […]
‘Natasha’s Law’ introduced to protect food allergy and food intolerance sufferers in England
- 23 September 2019
On the 5 September a new Statutory Instrument (SI)was laid in UK Parliament tightening the rules to help protect the food allergy and food intolerance sufferers in England. The new law, known as ‘Natasha’s Law’, will require food businesses to include full ingredients labelling on pre-packed for direct sale foods. The law titled Food Information (Amendment) […]
