Tag: travel

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Starmer’s pledge of named police officers for every neighbourhood in England & Wales becomes laughable as staffing falls to lowest since 2022 and far below the level in Scotland

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: Police officer numbers in England and Wales at lowest level for two years, figures show The number of police officers in England and Wales has slipped to its lowest level in two years, PA Media reports. PA says: The headcount of officers employed by 43 forces stood at 148,886 at the end of September 2024. This is down 883 from a peak of 149,769 at the end of March and the lowest total since the end of September 2022 (144,346), according to Home Office data published today. Last month, Keir … Continue reading Starmer’s pledge of named police officers for every neighbourhood in England & Wales becomes laughable as staffing falls to lowest since 2022 and far below the level in Scotland

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Factcheck – Scotland a richer employment environment for 16 to 24 year-olds

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Labour Market Statistics for 16 to 24 year olds: Scotland and the United Kingdom – October 2023 to September 2024, published today: Compared with the United Kingdom as a whole: Data are sourced from the Annual Population Survey (APS), first released on 11 December 2024 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/labour-market-statistics-for-16-to-24-year-olds-scotland-and-the-united-kingdom-october-2023-to-september-2024/ Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/ The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116 About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save … Continue reading Factcheck – Scotland a richer employment environment for 16 to 24 year-olds

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News you won’t hear – massive reduction in road fatalities and serious injuries in last 10 years and lowest in the UK

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Road traffic accident statistics: FOI release, published today, we see a 24% fall in road fatalities, from 203 in 2014 to 155 in 2023 and, for serious injuries, a 32% fall from 2 901 in 2014 to 1 944 in 2023. Most of these FoIs are requested by the likes of Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Lib Dumbs, so it will be interesting to see if and how they try to spin this. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400443200/ The longer-term trend: From Transport Scotland May 30th 2024 , but not making it to any front pages or to BBC Scotland: One hundred … Continue reading News you won’t hear – massive reduction in road fatalities and serious injuries in last 10 years and lowest in the UK

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4 tower block fires but no towering infernos in Scotland confirm higher building standards and more frequent safety inspections in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA I’m four-sevenths of an architect. From 1970 to 1974, I passed 4 years of the part-time Certificate course in Architecture at Glasgow School of Art before getting sacked for (guess). I could calculate how much reinforcing steel you’d need in a concrete beam, but it’s all gone now, except one thing. Everyone moaned about the local authority building control officers telling us our airy dreams were unsafe. Looking back, thank goodness they did. Anecdotally, I’ve often heard about stricter building control regulations in Scotland, going back for decades but maintained by the SNP these 18 years, as … Continue reading 4 tower block fires but no towering infernos in Scotland confirm higher building standards and more frequent safety inspections in Scotland

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Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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From the Island Echo yesterday: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in the House of Commons this lunchtime (Wednesday) that ferry services to and from the Isle of Wight have ‘not been good enough’, and promises that the Maritime Minister will hold further meetings with Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel. Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, stood up during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions to ask whether or not the Government agrees that the anomaly surrounding Isle of Wight cross-Solent travel must come to an end. In his address, Mr Robertson said: “My constituents on the Isle of Wight … Continue reading Will Starmer now launch an investigation into why Scotland’s ferry service does much better than that ‘serving’ the Isle of Wight?

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NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, yesterday, we see that NHS Scotland had in place the staff and resources to carry out 98% of the 24 764 operations planned for November 2024 and 40% up from the around 18 000 planned at the end of the Covid-19 emergency measures in early 2022. In the event, around 6% were cancelled at the last minute, either by the patient themselves or by the medical staff, but nevertheless, NHS Scotland after 17 years of SNP rule, was ready for that 6% too. This is remarkable efficiency and government support in a … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and resourced to carry out 98% of nearly 25 000 operations in November 2024, up 40% on the level at the end of the pandemic, to complete media silence

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Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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By Professor John Robertson OBA and Ayr resident From Ayrshire Live in the Daily Record, yesterday: Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances forced to wait up to 16 hours Not in their report: In the most up-to-date figures, NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s full (Type ED) emergency departments saw 59.6% of admissions, in the week-ending 5 January 2025, within the 4 hour target and up from 54% in the week between Xmas and New Year.1 Remember, the triage system ensures that those at serious risk are seen more quickly. The equivalent average figures for Scotland as-a-whole, were 58.7% and 58.2%.1 NHS … Continue reading Patients arriving at Ayrshire hospitals in ambulances wait for far less time than in an English hospital

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CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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From BBC Scotland, yesterday: The oldest large ferry in the CalMac fleet has been redeployed to a new route after the new ship Glen Sannox took over sailings to Arran. MV Isle of Arran, a 41-year-old ship nicknamed the Auld Trooper, will be based at Oban and used as a second vessel on the Mull route. MV Caledonian Isles will then partner MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route but, unlike the new ship, can operate out of Ardrossan, which has better onward transports links and offers the shortest sailings to the island. Washington State Ferries in the USA, has … Continue reading CalMac have just replaced their oldest large ferry though it’s younger than 11 still in service in affluent Washington State and 13 in British Columbia

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ONS reveals NHS waiting lists for planned care are twice as long in Wales and 40% longer in England, than in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks to Linda at Broadcasting Scotland for alerting me to this: From NHS planned care waiting times across the UK, as of March 2024, 8.9 patients per 100 were waiting under 52 weeks and 0.9 were waiting over 52 weeks in Scotland. In England, the figures were 12.4 and 0.5 and in Wales, shockingly, 17.1 and 4.5. The ONS reminds us: Each UK country has different healthcare policies, commissioning processes and patient data systems for planned care because of the devolved healthcare system; these affect the data coverage available on referral to treatment (RTT) or … Continue reading ONS reveals NHS waiting lists for planned care are twice as long in Wales and 40% longer in England, than in Scotland

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English County Lines drug dealer jailed for supply in Inverness but it seems it’s not newsworthy here

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In the Strathspey & Badenoch Herald, yesterday, but despite the powerful news values – violence, drugs, death – BBC Scotland, even their Highlands and Islands or NE, Orkney & Shetland teams can find no space for it: A 29-year-old Huyton man has been jailed for three years and nine months for drugs supply offences in Inverness after he was snared by a joint Police Scotland and Merseyside Police operation. Ryan Finlay pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cannabis through what is called a County Line – a way of transporting illegal narcotics from cities to other … Continue reading English County Lines drug dealer jailed for supply in Inverness but it seems it’s not newsworthy here