Reading Time: < 1 minuteAs the 2016 joint interim report on electoral law produced by the Law Commissions in the UK showed, the legislation governing elections is extremely complicated and
Financial Transactions: ‘real’ money?
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn recent years, the Scottish Government has received substantial sums from the UK Government known as ‘Financial Transactions’ (FTs). To date, the Scottish Government has
Budget 2018-19 – final allocations to local authorities
Reading Time: 4 minutesAt the beginning of February I shared an update to the local government finance settlement at Stage 1 of the Budget Bill 2018-19. The figures
Scottish Lobbying Register goes live on Monday 12 March
Reading Time: 3 minutesLobbying has a long and controversial history. For some, lobbying is synonymous with corruption, impropriety and an imbalance of power between big business interests and
The Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Target
Reading Time: 3 minutesIncreasing the supply of affordable housing is a key policy aim of the Scottish Government. The term “affordable housing” is not well defined but in
Devolved disability benefits: how might entitlement be assessed?
Reading Time: 4 minutesControl over some disability benefits (including personal independence payment (PIP), disability living allowance (DLA) and industrial injuries benefits, amongst others) will soon be devolved to
Gross Value Added (GVA) and Scotland’s sectors
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat is GVA? Gross Value Added (GVA) is a key indicator of the state of the whole economy, an important performance measure, and helps inform
Guest blog – Migration in post-Brexit Scotland
Reading Time: 4 minutesDr Paulina Trevena introduces a SPICe and University of Glasgow research project ‘Attracting and retaining migrants in post-Brexit Scotland: is a social integration strategy the
Budget Bill Stage 3 – the final parliamentary hurdle
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Budget for financial year 2018-19 passed its final parliamentary hurdles on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The ‘Rate Resolution’ debate and vote on
Dredging in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
Reading Time: 4 minutesA recent report by BBC Scotland highlighted evidence of alleged illegal scallop dredging (uncovered by divers from Open Seas) in the Firth of Lorn; part