Ten Achievements in Government in 2022

by Robert in Holyrood

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March 2023
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Increasing the Scottish Child Payment by 150%

To help in our national mission of tackling inequality and eradicating child poverty, we have launched the Scottish Child Payment – the most ambitious anti-poverty measure anywhere in the UK, labelled “game-changing” by campaigners.

This year, in the space of just eight months, we have increased it by 150% – from £10 per child per week, to £25.

And to further help families with the cost-of-living crisis, we have also extended the eligibility to include children under 16 – meaning that over 380,000 children across Scotland can now benefit from it.

Free bus travel for over two million Scots

We’re working hard to meet our world-leading net zero targets, and making public transport more accessible and attractive is a key part of it.

On top of our free bus travel schemes for people with disabilities and those aged over 60, this year we’ve introduced free bus travel, across all of Scotland, for the under-22s.

With over 2 million people in Scotland benefiting from free bus travel, the policy is making a real difference.

Record high health funding

Since the SNP came into government, we have almost doubled the health and social care budget – from £8.3bn in 2006/7 to £19bn in 2023/24.

Scotland’s NHS has a record amount of staff, the highest number of GPs per head in the UK, and the best performing A&E services in the UK for over 7 years running.

This year, we’re delivering record funding for our NHS – £1billion extra, funded by our more progressive tax system – to make it more resilient and fit for the future.

Rent freeze and a ban on evictions to help with the cost-of-living crisis

The cost-of-living crisis is disproportionately affecting tenants, which is why we’ve introduced and passed emergency legislation to increase protections for tenants in Scotland.

Under the legislation, all rents in the private and social sector, as well as in student accommodation, are frozen until at least the end of March.

To give tenants even more stability and confidence, we have also banned evictions for the same period – with Scotland being the only part of the UK to have this level of protection.

Massive investment in developing our renewables potential

Scotland has massive renewable energy resources, offering a huge opportunity for economic growth, thousands of good green jobs, and cheaper bills.

While energy policy is reserved to Westminster, the devolution of Crown Estate Scotland enabled us to supercharge investment in offshore wind – with the ScotWind auction results announced this year.

As part of ScotWind, billions will be invested in high quality green jobs, and the investment will help position Scotland as a major exporter of renewable energy.

New rapid cancer diagnostic centres

To help detect cancer earlier, we have established three new rapid cancer diagnostic centres – in Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway and Fife, fulfilling our 2021 manifesto promise.

They have already supported hundreds of patients, and we’re establishing two more in Lanarkshire and in the Borders.

By the end of this parliamentary term, there will be a rapid cancer diagnostic service in every heath board in Scotland.

More accessible dental services for all

We have revised NHS dental service arrangements in order to reward dentists for seeing more NHS patients.

Having already removed dental charges for all patients under 26, we’re committed to making it free for everyone in Scotland by the end of this parliamentary term.

Under the SNP, there has been an over 30% increase in the number of NHS dentists – and Scotland has significantly more dentists per head of population than south of the border.

Scotland’s railway in public hands

In April 2022, the SNP Scottish Government has nationalised ScotRail – heralding a new beginning of a railway that works for all those who use it, not shareholders and profit, and delivering a major manifesto commitment.

We’ve already reconnected 15 communities across Scotland to the railway, and delivered the longest new rail line in the UK for a century, the Borders Railway.

And to make rail travel more affordable and accessible, we are now conducting a “fair fares review”, running a six-month pilot scheme to scrap peak rail fares, and freezing rail fares until at least March 2023.

Leading the world on climate justice

Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a climate justice fund, and has played a key role in putting ‘loss and damage funding’ on the agenda at COP27 this year.

Our £7m commitment to address climate-related loss and damage in Global South countries made Scotland the first government in the Global North to announce this.

Scotland leads the world in tackling climate change too – last year, the head of the UN Antonio Guterres has praised Scotland for our ambitious targets to reach net zero by 2045.

The new Adult Disability Payment

We have established a new social security system in Scotland, built on the values of compassion, dignity and fairness – and it’s now delivering 12 benefits, many of which are unique to Scotland.

Our new Adult Disability Payment replaces the PIP, and has been designed with people with lived experience of disability benefits.

We’re taking a different approach to the UK Government, with people treated with dignity and respect – free from the stressful DWP assessments, and no re-assessments for lifelong conditions.

Robert

I have worked for Graeme since joining his office part-time as a constituency assistant while studying at University in 2017, before eventually capitulating and taking on a full-time role as office manager in 2021.

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