Latest news with #Ewing
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Swinney must 'intervene' in NHS Fife case with Sandie Peggie
Hours before the employment tribunal resumed on Wednesday, the Kirkcaldy nurse was cleared of all four allegations of gross misconduct. However, the employment tribunal continues, with Ms Peggie, an A&E nurse at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, suing her employer following a confrontation with a transgender medic on Christmas Eve 2023. Ms Peggie said she entered the changing room in the emergency department and saw Dr Beth Upton, a trans woman. The nurse said that in her view, the medic was a man who should not be in the room. She was placed of 'special leave' and suspended in January 2024 following a complaint by Dr Upton. Former SNP minister Mr Ewing said Ms Peggie had been 'hounded and persecuted' for defending her right to single-sex spaces. Read more: NHS Fife revealed it has already spent around £220,000 defending the case – but Mr Ewing warns it could amount to a staggering £500,000 unless the health board 'throws in the towel'. The First Minister, he said, must display leadership and use the Scottish Government's statutory powers under the National Health (Scotland) Act and the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008. These powers mean health boards must obey orders given by Scottish ministers. 'When my friend the late Alex Salmond won his judicial review case against the [[Scottish Government]], it was because they were forced to admit their defence was hopeless,' Mr Ewing said. 'The same applies in the case by Sandie Peggie, against the Fife Health Board, theirs is hopeless.' He added: 'It is not actually the Fife board but the Scottish Government that will foot at least 90% of the legal fees.' The outspoken MSP said NHS Fife would pay £25,000 of the legal tab, while the rest would be met from a Scottish Government fund known as the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme. 'Unless the Fife health board's towel is thrown in, as surely it should, the cost may be an eye-watering £500,000, or more,' Mr Ewing added. Read more: 'Just think how many operations and health treatments could have been provided for half a million quid? 'That's why our First Minister, John Swinney, must now display guts and true leadership. 'He must surely step in and order the board to throw in the towel. It is his responsibility as the steward of these public funds. 'He will ultimately be responsible if they are wasted as surely, they will be, when Fife lose.' Mr Ewing also said that Ms Peggie should be awarded 'full and proper compensation', while her legal costs covered, while the chair and chief executive of NHS Fife should 'be required to resign'. Mr Swinney, and health secretary Neil Gray have both expressed their full confidence in the health board. On Wednesday, Ms Peggie was cleared of allegations of unwanted behaviour towards another member of NHS Fife staff, and allegations of leaving patients 'unseen' because of the presence of Dr Upton. NHS Fife said there was 'insufficient evidence to support a finding of misconduct'. The health board said it was a 'complex and sensitive matter' but stressed the process had been 'appropriately followed'. Mr Ewing's sister Annabelle, who is a sitting SNP MSP, described the tribunal as a 'farce'. Her intervention came days after her Holyrood colleague Michelle Thomson demanded NHS bosses quit. The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
STV News
5 days ago
- Business
- STV News
Rural businesses praised for ‘extraordinary' help with wildfires, report says
A report has praised rural businesses for their involvement in tackling the recent spate of large wildfires that have devastated parts of Scotland's countryside. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) published the report on Thursday, which examines the wildfires near Carrbridge and Dava in the Scottish Highlands. The report says 11,827 hectares of moorland were ravaged by the fires in late June. Prepared at the request of Scottish Government officials, the report says extensive resources, manpower and expertise were contributed by at least 33 businesses, including 27 estates. The collective value of specialist firefighting equipment deployed by private land managers is conservatively estimated at £3.1m, with more than 100 employees engaged in the containment effort. PA Media Ross Ewing, director of moorland at SLE, said: 'The Carrbridge and Dava wildfires represent the largest such event in Scotland's history and without the extraordinary intervention of rural businesses, the scale of devastation would have been even greater. 'These land managers brought not only equipment and personnel, but also essential knowledge of the terrain and fire behaviour, much of it honed through generations of safe muirburn practice. Their contribution should be commended, supported and learned from.' The report also says there are gaps in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) wildfire response capability, and makes a series of recommendations. They include investment in a fleet of at least 50 SFRS all-terrain vehicles equipped with fogging units, enhanced authority for SFRS commanders to deploy aerial support quickly, urgent improvements in wildfire training and communications for frontline crews, and the establishment of a Scotland-wide integrated fire management strategy. The report also highlights that the licensing framework for muirburn, as introduced through the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024, could reduce the ability of land managers to conduct fuel load management – a key factor in wildfire prevention. Mr Ewing said: 'If we make it harder for skilled land managers to carry out preventative muirburn, we risk losing the very infrastructure and capability that helped contain these fires. 'Under the recent legislation, there is a 'necessity' test regarding use of muirburn on peatland, and a presumption in favour of other vegetation control methods. 'By amending this to an appropriateness test, it would allow this vital practice of muirburn to be carried out more freely while simultaneously retaining licensed regulatory oversight by government agencies.' Mr Ewing added: 'The Scottish Government must treat these wildfires as a watershed moment. 'That means urgent investment in firefighting infrastructure, better co-ordination between public agencies and rural communities, and a policy environment that empowers land managers, rather than penalising them, for playing their part. 'Without the courage and commitment of those who stepped up during this crisis, the outcome would have been far worse. We owe them our thanks and we owe them action.' Agriculture and connectivity minister Jim Fairlie said: 'We fully understand the concerns over wildfires. Keepers were a massive help to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in bringing the recent wildfires under control, and we know estates used their own equipment to help in those efforts. 'That practical help and experience is greatly appreciated by the Scottish Government, as are the views of the wider stakeholder groups who helped to inform our policy decisions as we progressed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. 'During the passage of that Act, we recognised the importance of muirburn in creating firebreaks to help tackle wildfires in some circumstances and the new muirburn licensing scheme allows muirburn for that purpose. 'The Scottish Government is working with SFRS to support full implementation of its wildfire strategy, which will see the continued rollout this year of new equipment, vehicles and personal protective equipment. 'I am grateful to SFRS, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, and others for their outstanding efforts to keep property and people safe and for taking the time to meet with me this week to reflect on lessons we can learn for future incidents.' SFRS was approached for comment. 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
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Christopher Millen sentenced in Tauranga District Court for Waihī machete attack
On Wednesday, having pleaded guilty and accepting an earlier sentence indication, the 48-year-old was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court to six years' imprisonment. 'I'm going to cut you up' The court heard Millen arrived at a Waihī woman's home, yelling for $20 he said he was owed, and banging on the back door. Her visiting ex-partner came to the back door to ask what was going on. Millen pulled out the machete and swung it several times, slicing the man's stomach. The man tried to push him off, but fell to the ground. Millen said, 'I'm going to cut you up', before he struck the man's back with the machete. The sentencing was held in Tauranga District Court. Photo / NZME The man got to his feet and grabbed a branch to defend himself. Millen took off, smashing the window of the woman's Holden Commodore as he fled. The man Millen attacked ended up hospitalised with wounds to his abdomen and back. Five months in the bush After the machete attack, Millen was living rough in the bush in the Athenree Gorge, and 'actively evading police'. Waihī police Detective Glen Ewing said on August 12, 2024, police discovered where Millen was camped out. They knew he was 'armed, highly motivated to evade arrest and in a difficult to access location', so they enlisted the help of Police Special Tactics Group (STG), Waikato Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) and the police Eagle helicopter. The Eagle located Millen's campsite and confirmed he had a long-barrelled firearm. Millen ran from police, discarding the firearm along the way, before STG officers apprehended him 'without incident'. Ewing said the firearm Millen discarded was found with ammunition in the magazine. 'A search of Millen's makeshift campsite, which was heavily camouflaged, located numerous stolen items and further ammunition,' Ewing said. Near where he had set up camp, there was a secluded property owned by a retired couple with a cottage and a main house that was under construction. Between March 24, 2024, and April 19, 2024, Millen visited the property several times, stealing tools, equipment and a sheep, to the value of $3625.59. On April 21, he returned again, causing about $800 in damage to a door and window to get in, and then stealing a .22 calibre rifle and ammunition. On April 27, he came back again, this time with the previously stolen rifle. He broke into a shed and stole $369 worth of tools and equipment. The owner had installed CCTV cameras after the previous burglaries, and these notified him of movement around the shed. He wasn't home at the time but returned to investigate, calling out 'come out, identify yourself' as he got out of his car. He didn't see Millen, who fled into the bush, and it wasn't until August that police were able to find him. At sentencing, Judge Arthur Tompkins gave a 25% discount for guilty plea, but also imposed an uplift for Millen's previous offending. Given Millen's struggles with drug addiction and the role this had in his offending, the judge decided to give a 'small additional discount'. 'But not otherwise given the fact that, in particular, Mr Millen went on the run and was at large for some months,' Judge Tompkins said. 'And given the danger which an offender represents to the community by the possession of firearms.' The judge sentenced Millen to six years' imprisonment on the charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and three burglary charges. On the unlawful possession of a firearm charge, Millen was sentenced to one year's imprisonment, and for the two charges of intentional damage, he was also sentenced to one year's imprisonment, all to be served concurrently. The judge noted the impact the offending had on the retired couple Millen stole from and the damage caused to the home they were building. A reparation order of $2625 was made for the damage caused, and there was an order made for the destruction of the firearm. Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
My health and my politics walk into a doctor's office …
Some days, I feel that my body and the American body politic are both dying of a similar disease: a deadly cancer, impervious to standard treatment, that is rapidly spreading through blood, bone and lymph to destroy vital organs and connective tissue. In my case, the culprit is Ewing's sarcoma, an exceedingly rare cancer that usually afflicts adolescents and is famous for sneaking through the body and launching stealth attacks. My diagnosis at the start of 2023 at the age of 77 took everyone by surprise; the stats for my age bracket are almost all extrapolated from pediatrics and, as is very often the case, the chemotherapy and surgery treatments to try to stop it proved unsuccessful.
Press and Journal
6 days ago
- General
- Press and Journal
Wildlife quango admits it's ‘difficult' to say if Inverness gull numbers falling - despite stricter culling licenses
The wildlife boss of Scotland's nature quango has admitted the number of gulls in Inverness may actually be increasing – even though culling licenses have been massively restricted. Donald Fraser spoke exclusively to the Press and Journal as he responded to outrage over the government agency's controversial approach to managing bird numbers. NatureScot has stopped regularly giving licenses to remove gull eggs before chicks are born, angering residents and businesses across the Highlands and Moray. The wildlife quango says this has been done due to fears over a 'serious decline' in the population across Scotland. But Mr Fraser confessed it's 'difficult' to say exactly whether this fall in gull numbers has been replicated in places like Inverness and Elgin. 'In national terms, we know there's decline,' he told the P&J. 'Drilling that down into particular areas and localities is quite difficult. 'It's wildlife we're dealing with, they're a transient species as well. Getting precise and accurate data is difficult. 'Getting absolute populations can be difficult.' Mr Fraser said NatureScot is actively working with Highland Council to get a 'better handle' on 'issues' in Inverness and Nairn. Those concerns led to a full debate in Holyrood in June. MSPs warn members of the public have been seriously injured due to the dive-bombing gulls. Last July, a hockey club in Inverness shut after it was plagued by the swooping birds. Signs in the city urge residents not to feed gulls and a falcon has even been deployed to scare them away. Given all that, is Inverness bucking the trend of national decline? 'It is possible, in terms of increase in some localities,' Mr Fraser said. In 2023, just two culling applications to preserve public safety were knocked back by NatureScot. A year later that shot up to 143 refusals. Mr Fraser believes licensing should not be the priority, saying it is a 'sticking plaster'. The NatureScot wildlife boss said: 'Controlling the population via licenses is probably not the endgame in itself. 'We find ourselves in a difficult place trying to balance conservation and the needs and demands of people.' That will be unpopular with campaigning MSPs who say NatureScot must reverse course. 'For the first time NatureScot admit they just don't know what the real numbers are,' said Fergus Ewing, who represents Inverness and Nairn. 'They have repeatedly asserted that numbers are in decline.' But Mr Ewing said they had been forced to admit it's 'untrue' to say this is definitely the case, especially in his own constituency. The independent MSP claimed SNP agriculture minister Jim Fairlie had been 'duped'. 'He must now rein in this unaccountable quango,' Mr Ewing said. 'The chair of Nature Scotland should apologise for their long-standing false statements. 'They've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Are they big enough to apologise?' The Scottish Government has promised to hold a summit on the gulls crisis later this year. Mr Ewing said this must ensure 'people's views and concerns are acted on', and that 'simple, inexpensive, humane control measures are guaranteed'. Highlands and Islands Tory MSP Douglas Ross said: 'NatureScot are a law unto themselves, making it up as they go. 'If this doesn't make ministers sit up and get a grip of the situation, nothing will.' Responding, a NatureScot spokesperson said: 'National population data shows clear evidence of declines in gull species. 'The scientific evidence is robust, and no false statements have been made about population trends. We recognise that local experiences can differ from national patterns. 'Wild bird populations naturally fluctuate in response to changes in food sources and breeding areas, which can lead to higher concentrations in urban areas at certain times, even within an overall declining trend.' SNP agriculture minister Mr Fairlie said: 'I sympathise with communities suffering from disruption and aggressive behaviour from gulls. 'In most cases, deterring seagulls from nesting outwith their natural habitat and removing food sources in urban areas is the most effective route to avoiding issues. 'In cases where it is justified NatureScot provides licences for control when public health and safety is at risk.' Given local anger, does Mr Fraser feel like gulls get a bad reputation? 'Some of the language that's been used is quite emotive,' he said. 'I can see it from all perspectives. One person's menace is one person's joy.'
