Latest news with #PfG
Belfast Telegraph
02-06-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Stormont budget for new social homes ‘falls woefully short' with only 1,000 new homes projected
The recently published Programme for Government (PfG) set out a commitment to have started construction on at least 5,850 new social homes by 2027. Meeting that target would require the construction of over 2,000 new social homes each year. At a meeting of the committee for communities in February 27 — the day the Executive approved the PfG — it was revealed the department would not meet that target under current allocations. Outlining his department's budget allocations today, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons confirmed that only 900 to 1,000 new social homes would be possible. Mr Lyons said he was operating under 'a continually strained budgetary environment' but added that he was 'determined to use the money that has been secured to best effect.' Addressing housing, the minister said addressing homelessness and increasing the supply of homes is 'one of my top priorities.' The DUP minister announced an additional allocation of £3.7m to the Homelessness and the Supporting People Programme. Capital funding of £2.8m for the New Foundation Project to deliver 110 accommodation units for young people leaving care was also announced. But Mr Lyons acknowledged that more homes are needed. "Social housing is crucial, as it provides affordable, stable housing options for those who might otherwise struggle in the private rental market,' he said. "The inclusion of housing as one of the key pillars of the Programme for Government shows the widespread support to deliver affordable, sustainable and quality housing. 'My proposed budget of £63m will facilitate the start of approximately 900 to 1000 new build social homes. "This is on top of the £105m for pre-commitments to housebuilding from last year. "But this is not enough. This Assembly last year declared a housing crisis in Northern Ireland, yet we are left in a position to fund less than 50% of the Programme for Government housing target.' Mr Lyons said that the allocation was an improvement on the previous year when only 400 new starts were initially projected. However, after additional funding was unlocked just over 1,500 new homes were delivered. My Lyons added: 'We will put the same effort into driving us these figures this year as we did last year and will continue to make the case at every possible opportunity. 'However, it is not enough to simply ask for more money. We need to do things differently. "That's why I will be bringing proposals to the Executive shortly on how we can do more with the money we have to build more homes.' Seamus Leheny, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, has called for 'clarity and certainty' on how additional funding will be secured. 'Northern Ireland is in the grip of a deepening housing crisis,' Mr Leheny said. "The social housing waiting list grows every year — yet once again, the budget for new social homes falls woefully short. "It's less than half of what's needed to even begin reducing that list." Figures published last month show that 49,083 households in Northern Ireland are on the social housing waiting list. Mr Leheny said that failing to deliver a minimum of 2,200 new homes 'is simply failing the people who need the homes most.' "We need clarity and certainty on how additional funding will be secured as soon as possible,' he added. News Catch Up - Monday 2nd June 'While the Minister's talk of new approaches is welcome, we need to see concrete plans now — not another year of delay. "We can't afford to be in the same position this time next year, still waiting for action, with uncertainty for social housing builders and a growing waiting list.'
The Herald Scotland
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Is Swinney serious about tackling child poverty?
Eradicating child poverty has been the 'moral compass' of John Swinney's government this past year. And in his Programme for Government (PfG) last week, he maintained that it remained the number one focus. It would be fair to assume, then, that the legislative agenda for the year ahead would be filled with fresh ideas to achieve those ambitions. But there were none. Read more from Unspun: The First Minister was right to say that child poverty is estimated to rise in every part of the UK except for Scotland, with the 'game-changing' Scottish Child Payment praised by anti-poverty organisation the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Scotland's child poverty rates are projected to be 10 percentage points lower than England's by 2029. The benefits of the Scottish Child Payment should not be ignored for the contribution it will make towards this. But under the vision Swinney has for Scotland, do we simply strive to be better than other parts of the UK, or do we go further and lift as many children out of poverty as possible? Looking through the PfG, one policy stands out as new – and the impact it will make on children's lives in Scotland is limited. From September this year, peak rail fares on ScotRail trains will be scrapped for 'good' to drive people out of their cars, while putting money back into the pockets of commuters. Swinney was asked by journalists why he opted to announce discounted rail fares over child poverty action. 'In any policy programme, you have got to strike a balance in the commitments that you bring forward,' he said. He said higher earners in Scotland were already being asked to contribute more through higher taxes to allow families on lower incomes to receive the Scottish Child Payment. Children's charities had hoped the Programme for Government would bring bold action that would help the Scottish Government meet its ambitious targets on child poverty. By 2030, the Scottish Government must reduce relative child poverty to under 10% and absolute child poverty to under 5%. Current projections suggest that, while the SNP can be commended for being the only country in the UK not making child poverty worse, it is not on track to meet these targets. Some 22% of children are in relative poverty, with the 18% interim target missed. Absolute poverty is at 17%, just short of the 14% goal. Addressing child poverty, Swinney told MSPs in his speech: 'If we want to truly eradicate child poverty in Scotland, we must go further, and I recognise that.' The PfG included commitments to expand free school meals to pupils in S1 to S3 who are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment. It was announced in January already as a sweetener for the Scottish Greens to ensure the budget was passed. That means that within the PfG, there were no new initiatives to tackle child poverty. While eradicating child poverty may not be a huge driver in encouraging people to vote, the charities who took Swinney at his word to go further will not forget it – and they will be disappointed.
The National
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
ScotRail alcohol ban to end, Scottish Government says
In the Programme for Government (PfG) published on Tuesday, the Scottish Government said the current alcohol ban was "counterproductive" and would be replaced with new regulations which focus on particular times and locations. The current rules, first introduced in 2020 as a measure to reduce the spread of Covid-19, are in effect 24 hours every day on all ScotRail trains and stations in Scotland. In the 48-page PfG document, the Scottish Government pledged to "remove the ban on alcohol on trains", which it described as "a last legacy of Covid restrictions". The ban on alcohol will be replaced with new regulations which "focus restrictions more effectively on particular times and locations". Before the "temporary" ban on alcohol began on November 2020, alcohol was banned on ScotRail services between 9pm and 10am. Addressing Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon, First Minister John Swinney also announced peak railway fares will be scrapped "for good" in Scotland from September 1. Swinney said the decision would "put more money in people's pockets and mean less CO2 is pumped into our skies". The peak fares pilot scheme was brought to an end on September 27 last year, after ministers had judged it to have failed given it not increased passenger numbers sufficiently.
The Herald Scotland
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
No time for Swinney to celebrate reaching one year as FM
There will be no celebrations as John Swinney marks his first anniversary of becoming First Minister. Instead, there is a big challenge ahead. Rather than reflecting on his year in office, an early Programme for Government (PfG) will mark the crucial milestone in Swinney's political career. It also kicks off the countdown until the electorate goes to the polls on May 7, 2025. That means whatever the First Minister announces in his PfG will be subjected to harsher scrutiny than ever before. There will be exactly a year to fulfil the promises in that legislative agenda and political opponents will be there to leap on any broken promises. Legislative agendas in Scotland are normally set out around September, but Swinney brought this one forward to take account of the 'undoubted economic challenges' facing Scotland - Russa's invasion of Ukraine and US tariffs imposed on goods. And it's a significant political opportunity with almost exactly a year until the 2026 Holyrood elections. So what can we expect? The biggest attacks subjected to the SNP is always the crisis in the healthcare sector. Expect additional pledges around GP numbers and commitments to drastically cut waiting times. This is about plugging the crisis in the NHS – but it will also been seen as a big win with voters. Business voices will also be significant in this PfG. All of the reasons for the early agenda cited by Swinney come from economic uncertainty across the globe. Since the alliance of Swinney and his deputy Kate Forbes came into office, there has been a shift in energy from the government to win back the faith of businesses and kickstart the economy. CBI Scotland has pushed SNP ministers to introduce a skills strategy that would boost economic growth. Upskilling workers for the challenges ahead would help face the tough economic landscape, so it's likely Swinney has taken note ahead of Tuesday. Outside of public services and growing the economy, Swinney's key political commitments are to tackle climate change and drastically reduce child poverty. On the former of those issues, there is significant pressure after climate targets were watered down last year. On the latter point, charities are expecting to see commitment towards what Swinney has called his main government mission. Read more from Unspun: There's serious concerns child poverty targets will be missed, and experts say the way around this is increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week. If Tuesday goes well for Swinney, it's an opportunity to show voters that opponents are wrong to suggest his government is out of ideas. But missteps will allow Anas Sarwar and Russell Findlay key opportunities to criticise the Scottish Government so close to an election. In his first year as First Minister, he has turned the fortunes of his party around. It looked almost impossible last year that the SNP could be re-elected in 2026. And yet, Swinney has steadied the ship whilst his main opponent Sarwar has struggled. It seems only fitting, then, to kick off his next year in office with a major agenda-setting event.
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
ScotRail alcohol ban to be axed by SNP Government after mounting criticism
EXCLUSIVE: The ban will be lifted has been slammed by passengers who say it is unworkable. The SNP Government is to finally end the "ineffective" alcohol ban on trains. Lifting the curb is contained in First Minister John Swinney 's Programme for Government. Ministers banned passengers on the country's largest rail franchise in 2020 from drinking while travelling. The move was originally described as a "temporary" measure to help reduce the spread of coronavirus - but ministers have repeatedly refused to lift the ban, despite it being widely ignored. in the 48 page PfG, the Government described the ban as "counterproductive and "ineffective" and promised to "remove" the curb. New regulations will be brought in instead focusing on times and locations for restrictions. This is a breaking news story - we'll bring you updates, pictures and video as it happens. Here you can get your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and Record Online. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. You can also check out our social media channels for live updates. Follow us on Twitter @Record_Politics for the latest news. Or you can catch all the action by following our team: @paulhutcheon, @andrewjquinn97 and @dennynews. We're on Facebook where you can join our Record Politics group for all our stories. We also have a weekly politics podcast, Planet Holyrood, which you can listen to Spotify or Apple music, or watch on the Daily Record YouTube channel. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok for the best bits of the podcast. You can sign up for the Daily Record Politics newsletter here.
