Aug162017

Cabinet approves raising Extra Budgetary Resources upto Rs. 9020 crore for Long Term Irrigation Fund during the year 2017-18

India

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today has given its approval for raising Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR) of upto Rs. 9020 crore as per the requirement during 2017-18 by NABARD through issuance of Bonds for ensuring lending rate of 6% per annum (pa) in respect of borrowings for implementation of Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) works of 99 ongoing prioritized irrigation projects along with their command area development (CAD) works under PMKSY.

Aug162017

It’s time to scrap charges on exam appeals

Scottish Labour

17th August 2017 

It's time to scrap charges on exam appeals 

What are exam appeal charges?

In 2014 the SNP Government introduced a fee if an appeal, or an exam ‘review’, is carried out but no change is made to the grade awarded.

Before then, appeal costs were met centrally. Now, they come out of school budgets – already being hammered by SNP cuts.

What happened next?

Appeal rates for state schools fell through the floor. Now a private school pupil is three times more likely to appeal a grade than a state school pupil.

Why does this matter?

We want more pupils from poorer backgrounds to be able to go on to university. For many people an appeal can be the difference between getting on to university and not.

These charges are a financial barrier to going on to university. That’s why iain Gray, Labour’s Education spokesperson, has written to John Swinney calling on him to end these charges,

Here’s his letter:

Dear John

Exam appeal charges

All across Scotland, pupils will be weighing up whether to appeal a grade from their exams, with their results having come through last week.

The most recent available data shows that private schools are three times more likely to appeal their grade than state school pupils.

These charges for exam appeals are unfair and should be scrapped, all they have done since your government introduced them is tilt the education system towards those who can afford to pay and those who cannot.

The cost of these charges now fall on school budgets. State schools have already seen huge cuts during this government’s time in office, with £1.5 billion slashed from local authority budgets since 2011.

Labour and the SNP agree that there should not be any financial barriers to going on to study after school, so we should work together to remove these charges.

We should be taking every step possible to widen access to university and college.  These charges, which the data shows have a deterring effect on state school pupils applying for appeals, stand in the way of that aspiration.

Sincerely,

Iain Gray
Labour Education spokesperson

As Scotland’s pupils go back to school, Scottish Labour’s summer campaign, For The Many, is this week focused on education.

To read more about the campaign, click on the image below:

Aug162017

Press release: Over 3 million more people in work since 2010

HM Government

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people in work is at the highest level since records began in 1971.

The record figures have been driven by increases in the number of people in secure work – over 75% of the increase in employment over the past 7 years has been in full-time work.

There are now 338,000 more people in work compared to this time last year.

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds said:

These statistics show that record levels of people are in work across the country and earning a wage, which is great news.

Over 3 million more people are in work now than in 2010, with 7 in 10 of these roles being in higher skilled work.

Over the past year the rise in employment has been overwhelmingly driven by permanent and full-time jobs, as employers continue to invest in Britain’s strong economy.

The task now is to build on this success through Jobcentre Plus and our employment programmes so that everybody can benefit from the opportunities being created.

Today’s figures also show:

  • the employment rate is at a record high of 75.1%, with 32.07 million people now in work – an increase of 338,000 on the year

  • this year has been a strong one for employment growth with 247,000 more people now in work since January

  • there are a near record 768,000 vacancies in the economy at any one time

  • the female employment rate is at a record high of 70.5%, with over 15 million women in work

  • youth unemployment is down by 394,000 since 2010

  • there are more British people in work than ever before and around 9 in 10 people in jobs are UK nationals

  • the UK employment rate is now the fourth highest in the European Union and 7 percentage points higher than the EU28 average

Separate figures out today show 1.3 million claims have been made to Universal Credit. Of the 570,000 people now claiming Universal Credit, 39% are in work.

The government recently announced up to £35 million of funding with devolution authorities across England for 6 new innovation employment pilots. These will help over 18,000 disadvantaged people into employment, and tackle long-term barriers to work and in-work progression.

Estimates of the claimant count are no longer included in the ONS statistical bulletin as they may now be providing a misleading representation of the UK labour market. For further information, read the ONS statement explaining the decision (23 February 2017).

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