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Upcoming supplements
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| Publishing date: |
December 21st, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
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Infrastructure: Connecting Scotland |
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December 7th, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
In the Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2010-11 published in September, Finance Secretary John Swinney said that £842.9 million will be invested in Scotland’s rail network to encourage greater use of public transport. But his statement to the Scottish Parliament also contained the announcement that the Glasgow Airport Rail Link was being cancelled.
Meanwhile, only two bidders have come forward for the £2.3bn Forth Replacement Crossing project because of fears over cost over-runs on the fixed-price contract. Transport Scotland will have to choose between two consortia, formed from eight firms who confirmed their interest in the project. And the Edinburgh Trams project has been the subject of speculation that it will run £250 million over budget and not be completed on time in 2012, claims denied by the project company.
The developments illustrate the challenge in delivering major infrastructure schemes, particularly in economically constrained times. According to the CBI, funding for infrastructure projects is “often wrongly seen by politicians as a soft target”. It argues that the focus of expenditure reduction ought instead to have been on restraining public sector costs and altering spending priorities.
This supplement will explore the complexities of fulfilling plans for strategic infrastructure improvements, not just in the realm of transport but also for our energy requirements and to improve our ability to communicate, learn and do business.
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November 23rd, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
The Scottish Government is committed to improving the quality of public services and the productivity of the sector by reducing waste and duplication. It aims to deliver £1.6bn of efficiency savings in 2010-11. By operating more efficiently, public bodies can release cash and resources for the delivery of better services.
This supplement will examine how public bodies in Scotland are working more efficiently and effectively. Key areas covered will include the focussing staff time on activity that makes a positive difference to people’s lives; improved public procurement; and the better management of buildings and other assets.
With the Government due to publish its first measurement of year-on-year performance, how far has Scotland progressed in national terms? As public finances are squeezed, will it bend to private sector pressure to reshape the way services are delivered? And how well are public bodies progressing in contributing to the national aims.
The supplement will include interviews and features with leading public and private sector officials and executives, expert commentary and illuminating case studies. Among the topics covered will be new technologies; staff management and smart working; waste reduction; resource pooling; procurement; and project planning
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November 9th, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
Laws and policy governing our approach to the care and education of children in Scotland are the subject of fundamental review.
The largest and most comprehensive examination of child protection measures in Scotland was completed this autumn. Every area in Scotland has undergone a thorough multi-agency child protection inspection process, giving the clearest picture ever of how services are performing on the ground. The Scottish Government has appointed a national child protection co-ordinator and established the Multi-Agency Resource Service, based at Stirling University.
The Children's Hearings (Scotland) Bill, to be introduced to Parliament next year, aims to transform the Children's Hearings to a welfare-based system, focused on early and effective intervention. Scotland’s Early Years Framework is driving an early intervention approach to build greater resilience within families. The Curriculum for Excellence, the biggest reform of Scotland's education system for a generation, includes a new approach to nursery and pre-school teaching.
In conjunction with the UN, the Scottish Government has launched a four-year programme to improve children’s rights, including the participation of children in how their schools are run, the promotion of positive parenting through the Early Years Framework, improving support for young carers and children with disabilities and continuing to improve outcomes for looked after children.
This special report examines the progress being made to achieving the aims of reform to the way we approach the care and education of children. It will feature interviews with key players, expert opinion and special reports looking at the wider implications and possibilities.
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October 26th, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
In the run-up to the Water Industry Commission’s decision in November on price limits from 2010, this supplement takes an in-depth look at water in Scotland.
How have services to consumers improved and what lies ahead for infrastructure and quality?
As Scotland bids to lead the world on climate change legislation, how can we best manage our water resources?
Changing rainfall patterns, water stress and costs, public consumption and business use are among the issues that will be explored.
Through interviews with key players in the industry and articles by experts and commentators, the supplement will examine the relationship between water efficiency and the environment, water and energy, how Scotland can deliver sustainable water systems and the role stakeholders and consumers can play.
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Skills, Training & Qualifications |
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October 12th, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
Recessions are hardly hospitable environments for skills development. As unemployment rises and workforce training slips down the list of priorities for cash-strapped businesses, the potential for a skills drain is real. And with young people bearing the brunt, the risk of a lost generation looms.
If Scotland is to emerge from the current downturn as a dynamic economy investment in skills and training now is crucial. Skills must be preserved and nurtured and as the labour market restructures people must be given the opportunity to reskill, upskill and move into different sectors.
These circumstances set some hefty challenges for training providers. The last year has seen demand for further and higher education surge. Meanwhile the Scottish Government has responded with measures like increased apprenticeship places and expanded college provision. But interventions must look to future needs as well as present demands. So how can we ensure that Scotland has the skills to take advantage of the growth industries of tomorrow?
These challenges come against a backdrop of some longer term issues, not least skills utilisation. Scotland boasts a high level of qualifications in comparison to other OECD countries but that input is not translating into productivity as well as it should be. So at a time when getting the maximum return for investment is ever more important, how can Scotland get the most from its skills base?
This supplement will feature insights on these issues from some of the key players in Scotland’s skills, training and qualifications sector including Skills Minister Keith Brown and UK Commission for Employment and Skills Chief Executive Chris Humphries. It will include feature articles by those at the forefront of current developments from the Scottish Qualifications Authority to Skills Development Scotland, CBI Scotland and Scotland’s Colleges.
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September 28th, 2009 |
A Holyrood Supplement
The Scottish Government wants us to be a ‘zero waste’ society. Its plan, currently out for consultation, will be unveiled next year.
But what does zero waste mean? How can it be achieved? And what are the implications for Scotland’s public and private sectors?
This supplement will unpick the detail of the Government’s proposals. It will look at the issues facing business and the consumer.
And it will feature a special report on preparing for new UK and EU laws covering contamination and pollution liability.
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September 14th, 2009 |
A supplement on regeneration
Successful regeneration strategies must sit within a wider context of job creation, wealth creation and the tackling of social problems, according to the Scottish Government.
There should be synergy between economic, physical and social regeneration in order to achieve long term change and a self sustaining development, it has said. It has urged a holistic view incorporating housing, health, education and leisure in regeneration projects and community development.
This supplement will highlight case studies of successful projects and examine the strategies of government agencies, local authorities and the private sector. It will ask what the future is for large-scale regeneration projects, examine the prospect for three new rural projects and explore the role of innovation
And it will also include an interview with Kate Picket, author of The Spirit Level, which argues that the gap between rich and poor is bad for everyone.
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August 31st, 2009 |
A supplement on medical research in Scotland
Scotland is internationally renowned for the excellence of its scientific research and development. More medical research is conducted per head of population here than anywhere else in Europe. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen are the focus of some of the most advanced work on cancer, infectious diseases, genomics and bioinformatics.
This supplement examines the partnerships that are turning the latest scientific research into real health benefits for patients and helping position Scotland as a leader in the global marketplace for new treatments. It will look at the work of academia, the NHS, industry and government and highlight innovative projects.
Among the issues explored are the potential impact of genomic medicine on the NHS; how Scotland can achieve greater collaboration in research and treatment development; the nurturing of talent in Scotland; and the relationship between researchers and business.
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June 29th, 2009 |
A special report on planning
The Scottish Government’s reform of planning aims for more transparent processes and quicker decision-making, an increased focus on matters of national interest, annual performance reports from Government and agencies and up to date development plans.
This special report looks at the challenges facing infrastructure projects in Scotland as well as issues such as culture change, training and development, regeneration, community relationships and the newly launched e-planning system.
It will feature an analysis of what makes world-leading developments, including a look at award winning projects in Scotland; an update on the Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into planning reform; progress on the affordable housing agenda; and an examination of the planning delivery process, the challenges, the role of the private sector and of the role of mediation.
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June 15th, 2009 |
A special report on the Royal Highland Show and Scotland's food & drink sector
As the Royal Highland Show Society celebrates 225 years at the heart of Scottish life, this special report highlights its ambitious plans for the future. It also analyses Scotland’s food & drink sector.
One in five people in Scottish manufacturing work in the sector and food and drink is the top exporting industry. As well as being vital to Scotland's economy, food impacts on many other aspects of Scottish life - health, education and the environment.
The recent summit in Edinburgh, attended by Ministers from the four UK governments met, highlighted the pivotal role food production, supply and consumption plays in national and international life.
The Ministers discussed the need to develop sustainable policies in the face of international food shortages; the impact of the economic downturn on the food and drink sector - including security, access and affordability; and global challenges around population growth.
In a Scottish context, the Government has developed an updated National Food and Drink Policy. Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead has said the fundamentals of quality, health and environmental sustainability remain strong, “themes that are absolutely central to our new national food and drink policy.”
Meanwhile, Scotland Food & Drink, the industry-led organisation which has ambitious plans to create an industry worth £10 billion by 2017, is developing a health-enhancing food programme, a food and health innovation hub and Scotland's first National Skills Academy for Food and Drink.
Food producers too face fundamental challenges and opportunities. Provenance and cost are hotly debated issues. In the short-term, the proposed Grocery Ombudsman represents an important change in their relationship with the big supermarkets. And in the long-term, climate change is forcing them to rethink the whole nature of their business.
This special supplement will examine the new National Food & Drink Policy, it will look at the work of Scotland Food & Drink; highlight some of Scotland’s producer success stories; examine innovation in the industry; the effects of food price inflation; how Scotland’s food and drink is promoted overseas; the role of food and drink in Scotland’s health and environmental policies; and Government initiatives to support the sector.
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May 18th, 2009 |
A special report on the rural economy
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| Publishing date: |
May 4th, 2009 |
A special report on renewables
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| Publishing date: |
April 20th, 2009 |
A special report on social enterprise
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| Publishing date: |
April 6th, 2009 |
A special reort on planning
The Scottish Government’s reform of planning aims for more transparent processes and quicker decision-making, an increased focus on matters of national interest, annual performance reports from Government and agencies and up to date development plans.
This special report looks at the challenges facing infrastructure projects in Scotland as well as issues such as culture change, training and development, regeneration, community relationships and the major e-planning system to be launched this Spring.
It will feature an analysis of what makes world-leading developments, including a look at award winning projects in Scotland; an update on the Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into planning reform; progress on the affordable housing agenda; and an examination of the planning delivery process, the challenges, the role of the private sector and of the role of mediation and e-planning.
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| Publishing date: |
March 23rd, 2009 |
A special report on action to reduce Scotland's carbon footprint
The public sector, business and individuals have long been urged to reduce their carbon footprint. The Scottish Government has set ambitious targets to reduce emissions. Many macro and micro policies are in play. But which ones are likely to have a real impact? This special report examines transformative initiatives undertaken in the public and private sector, and how their application could be extended, and looks at where individual behaviour change is taking strongest root. The report will also feature the latest insights into global warming from Scottish academics and a progress report on Government initiatives to reduce carbon emissions.
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| Publishing date: |
March 9th, 2009 |
A special report on enterprise & innovation
The climate for company start-ups is among the most challenging in decades, yet more than ever the Scottish economy requires driven entrepreneurs with strong ideas and robust business models. This special report on enterprise & innovation looks at how young people are supported in starting their own business, the fate of innovative products in their journey to market and how new businesses can innovate to maximise their impact. It will feature interviews with business mentors, including Doug Richard of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den fame. The report will also include highlights from Holyrood magazine’s recent enterprise and innovation conference.
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| Publishing date: |
February 23rd, 2009 |
A special report on tourism
As Scotland faces its worst economic crisis in decades, tourism is one sector on which hopes of mitigating the worst effects are being pinned.
The fortuitousness of staging the Homecoming celebrations this year and the falling value of the pound, making UK residents more inclined to holiday here and overseas tourists more able to travel, place the industry in the rare position of being able to make a merit of the downturn.
The Government has thrown considerable weight behind Homecoming and VisitScotland has repositioned its marketing to target countries more likely to consider Scotland as a holiday destination. But in themselves these are short-term strategies.
How can Scotland ensure that its tourism infrastructure, which despite the positives faces the same financial pressures as other sectors, is maintained and developed over the next decade to put Scotland in pole position as a high-value destination?
This special report on tourism will feature an interview with Philip Riddle, chief executive of VisitScotland, exploring how the industry is responding to the current economic environment. It will include updates on the development of the national tourism investment plan and the tourism framework for change.
There’ll be an initial assessment of Homecoming and a preview of Scottish Tourism Week. The report will highlight some of the businesses that have reacted positively to the credit crunch and the government support that is available. And it will have a special focus on innovation in the industry that has created successful and sustainable destinations and experiences.
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December 1st, 2008 |
Improving our preparedness
This special report examines how we best prepare our health system and communities for the challenges we face. It features an interview with Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health; analysis of funding concerns; a focus on child poverty and care of older people; the role of social marketing in improving health; the debate over fluoridation of water; and an insight into 'the surgery of terrorism' - how the lessons learned by clinicians in Northern Ireland need to be relearned in the event of a terrorist attack today.
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| Publishing date: |
November 3rd, 2008 |
With Scotland considering a nationwide return and deposit scheme as part of its move to a zero waste society, we report from Denmark where such a scheme has operated since 2000. Last year, 87 per cent of the nation’s packaging that historically would be thrown away was returned and recycled. And with huge pressure on the housing market we also examine the impact of the mandatory Home Report which will accompany house sales from December and will incorporate an energy performance certificate. Plus - analysis of the Scottish Government’s announcement that that the draft Climate Change Bill will cover all greenhouse gases, not just CO2, and that aviation and shipping will be included; a verdict on its Sustainable Communities initiative; and reports from Holyrood’s conference on the Government’s climate adaptation consultation.
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Upcoming conferences
| September 2010 |
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| October 2010 |
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| November 2010 |
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Proposed minimum price revealed
