James Carver, UKIP’s Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs spokesman, today condemned the incursion of the Spanish warship the ‘Infanta Cristina’. “I find it incredible that shortly after the Spanish Foreign Minister has called for calm, the Spanish government order their warship … read more
Watch Nigel Farage’s speech in the European Parliament’s debate on Brexit here: read more
5 Apr 2017
Scotland’s economy contracted over the last quarter, meaning the country is now on the path to recession under the SNP.
Statistics released today showed a 0.2 per cent dip in the fourth quarter of 2016.
If that performance is mirrored in the first three months of 2017, Scotland will officially be in recession.
In contrast, the rest of the UK’s economy grew by 0.7 per cent in the final quarter of last year.
It comes as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of neglecting the day job by touring the US to talk about Scotland’s place in the world, and predicting separation from the UK in years to come.
Today’s figures also revealed that Scottish GDP per person contracted by 0.3 per cent during October, November and December, while production and construction were the main sectors to struggle.
The statistics do not take into account revenues from North Sea oil.
Scottish Conservative shadow finance secretary Murdo Fraser said:
“These are deeply worrying figures which show that Scotland under the SNP is now on the brink of a recession.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Government must take responsibility for this mess.
“She has made Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK and created more instability and uncertainty with her threat of a second referendum.
“Now we see the real-life impact of her mismanagement.
“These figures also smash the SNP’s claim that Brexit is to blame for a slowdown.
“If that was the case, why is the rest of the UK powering ahead, while Scotland comes to a standstill?
“More than ever, Scotland needs a First Minister in charge who gets back to her desk, ends her obsession with a second referendum, and focuses on her day job.
“Scotland’s economy is facing a crisis. We need a Scottish Government in charge, not a campaign for independence.”
Notes to editors:
For more on the figures, visit:
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00516361.pdf
read moreJeremy
Corbyn will, on Wednesday 5 April, set out how Labour will stand up for working
families. He will contrast Labour’s commitment with new evidence that the
Tories have broken their promise to support families, slashing Sure Start
schemes nationwide.
The Tories famously pledged to be the “most family friendly Government we’ve ever had” before the 2010 election. As part of this claim they said they would protect Sure Start, the transformative early years programme introduced by Labour to give young children the best start in life. But new research, based on Freedom of Information requests to councils, reveals the Tories have broken their promise. It shows:
· There are now over 1,240 fewer designated Sure Start children’s centres than when the Tories took office – a fall of around 34 per cent since 2010.
· Over 230 have been lost in the last year alone.
· The North East and London have seen the biggest fall in numbers, with over 40 per cent of Sure Start Centres lost.
· Two local authorities, Swindon and Solihull, reported that they have no designated Children’s Centres in their areas left.
Jeremy Corbyn will highlight these figures as he sets out how Labour will stand up for working families during a visit on Wednesday.
Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the closures, said:
“The Tories claim they’re protecting Sure Start, but they’re not. They use tricky accounting methods – like pointing to buildings which are still open but which are running much reduced services – to try to pull the wool over people’s eyes. But the facts speak for themselves. On the same measure that was used in 2010, Sure Start has been slashed.
“There are a third fewer designated centres than there were when the Tories came to office. We know that because we asked local authorities, those tasked with running these vital services, and that’s what they told us.
“The Tories are taking us backwards. It’s a scandal that parents and children are paying the price.”
Ends
read moreA new national project to help boost the computing skills of Welsh primary school children has been launched today (Weds 5 Apr) by Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams.
The Barefoot Computing project in Wales aims to help primary school teachers get to grips with computing so that they can inspire and excite pupils aged from five about the world of IT.
The initiative is funded and led by BT, which has worked closely with the Welsh Government to ensure resources for the project in Wales are closely aligned to the Digital Competence Framework and are available bilingually via the Hwb digital learning platform.
Kirsty Williams visited Cadoxton Primary School in Barry to see a Barefoot workshop in action and unveiled the new online resources for teachers, which have been tailored to the Welsh curriculum in both English and Welsh.
The free, bilingual, downloadable resources and lesson plans are targeted to help primary school teachers across Wales, some of whom may not have specialist computing knowledge.
The resources focus on concepts such as algorithms, abstraction, programming and data structures and provide ideas on how they can be used in the classroom.
Kirsty Williams said,
“Since becoming Education Secretary, one of my key priorities has been to raise the aspirations for all our children and young people, broadening horizons and developing ambition so that all can achieve. The DCF is an important milestone in achieving this goal as it provides the fundamental skills our children need in the modern world. I am therefore delighted to launch these free-to-use, creative resources which perfectly illustrate how digital skills can be integrated into the Welsh curriculum.”
More than one million primary school pupils across the UK have already benefited from Barefoot since being launched in 2014. It forms part of BT’s long-term commitment to help build a culture of tech literacy and reach five million young people in the UK by 2020.
Alwen Williams, regional director for BT Cymru Wales, said:
Bill Mitchell, director of education at BCS, which was responsible for originally creating Barefoot Computing in collaboration with the Department for Education, Raspberry Pi and BT, said:“Computing is a vital skill for the future prosperity of Wales.
“Young people need these skills in order to thrive in our increasingly competitive and digital world while businesses and organisations of all sizes need recruits that are tech literate in order to succeed.
“Our children grow up surrounded by technology, but too many have little idea how it all works – their knowledge is only screen-deep.
“BT’s tech literacy programme is designed to inspire young people to ‘get’ tech concepts and to find them exciting and relevant, but we’re also aware that teachers need to feel confident to support young people.
“That’s where the Barefoot Computing project comes in, and we’re looking forward to seeing it take shape in Wales and having a real impact in our primary schools.”
Pupils and practitioners in Wales can access the bilingual materials at hwb.wales.gov.uk Schools will soon be able request a workshop to demonstrate how the resources and lesson plans can be used. read more“It’s essential that all children develop computational thinking skills right from the start of primary school, which is why the Barefoot Computing project is so important as it gives teachers the educational tools they need to develop these skills in their pupils.”
“By backing the Barefoot Computing project the Welsh Government has shown the leadership and vision necessary to ensure all primary schoolchildren in Wales now have the chance to develop those skills and as adults successfully compete in the global digital economy.”