The Scottish Government

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visited Scotland’s first biorefinery. Celtic Renewables uses ground breaking technology to convert food waste, like reject potatoes from agriculture, into green chemicals which cut the carbon footprint of everyday products. Watch now.

Social Justice Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, has visited Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde in Greenock. They provide wrap-around family support with help from the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund. We are doubling our Fairer Futures Partnerships funding to test new ways to end child poverty. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ebBJhv2m

The latest Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2024 has been published, measuring how countries are perceived around the world. Scotland has ranked 15th on the 2024 international league table of reputation, matching the 2022 ranking and reflecting an improvement from 16th in 2023. Its people, tourism industry and outstanding natural beauty are the aspects of Scotland most highly regarded by people in other countries. For more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/etdY9FfC

Brexit trade barriers could lead to a £4 billion long-term hit to Scotland’s economy, the latest research reveals. Estimates show: 🔵 a 2% hit to Scottish GDP, costing £4 billion 🔵 Scottish exports to drop by 7.2% 🔵 imports to fall by 8.8% For more information: https://lnkd.in/eY3SMUAF

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth visited Cathkin High School to mark the launch of the Digital Discourse Initiative for teachers. This will help tackle online disinformation and hate faced by pupils. Watch for more.

Unless the UK works closer with the EU on energy & climate it may lead to up to £10bn in extra costs in 24-25, due to higher energy bills and lower revenue - according to Energy UK. Ahead of upcoming UK Government talks with the EU, The Scottish Government has published a report, identifying a number of opportunities to more closely align with the European Union on energy matters. More: https://bit.ly/40TLfUY #ClimateChange #Brexit #EuropeanUnion #Energy

Promise Minister Natalie Don-Innes met foster carers and Barnardo's Scotland to hear how the Mockingbird model benefits foster families. It creates a community that mirrors an extended family, which improves stability by building relationships with other children and families.

Social Care Minister Maree Todd outlined the next steps for the National Care Service at the Scottish Parliament. These include plans to: 🔵improve oversight through a dedicated Advisory Board 🔵provide support for unpaid carers 🔵enshrine care home resident rights Watch for more.

Our Budget commits funding for our enterprise agencies, which help support #Scottish businesses to: 🔵 grow 🔵 innovate and develop new products 🔵 enter new markets 🔵 secure investment

Fair Work is Fair Pay and Secure Contracts. Offering secure contracts and the real Living Wage helps recruit and retain great people. Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home uses Fair Work principles to commit to the real Living Wage and managed to cut recruitment and induction costs. Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO, says: “Although making the decision to commit to the real Living Wage costs the business money, it’s enabled us to keep high performing staff members and this has saved us in recruitment and induction costs.” For more information: fairworktool.scot