Fairer Scotland

  • Renewed commitment to ending homelessness

    15th July 2020 by

    The coronavirus outbreak has had significant implications for people experiencing homelessness, particularly those who were rough sleeping.  We acted quickly to move people off the streets and into a place of safety but our work is not over.  The pandemic has shown us how important it is to have a home that is warm, safe...

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  • TV licences for over 75s

    15th July 2020 by

    Minister for Older People Christina McKelvie has written to the Culture Secretary, strongly urging the UK Government to take responsibility and fund free TV licences for the over 75s. The full text of the letter is below. Dear Oliver, I write to you to express my deep concern regarding the announcement by the BBC on...

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  • Communities Secretary thanks lockdown community food heroes

    9th July 2020 by

    Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell has thanked charities and local authorities for their “incredible” work to help people across Scotland access food and other support during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Speaking following meetings with charities including Cash for Kids and The Food Train to hear about their achievements over the lockdown period and the specific...

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  • Children and young people able to play sport again

    28th June 2020 by

    Children aren’t renowned for taking a keen interest in politics but I’m sure that many of them (and their parents) will have rejoiced at the news emerging from Holyrood this week, when the First Minister announced a date for the resumption of organised sport. Those children and young people – like the rest of us...

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  • What kind of Scotland do we want to see post-lockdown?

    26th June 2020 by

    The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has made many of us reflect on the importance and the value of the places where we live, work, shop and socialise. Now as we begin to come out of lockdown, instead of just getting things back to the way they were before, we have a new opportunity to...

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  • Salar Mohammad Rassoul, a COVID -19 response volunteer at NHS Dumfries and Galloway

    22nd June 2020 by

    “Being a volunteer during the pandemic has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’ve gained a lot of confidence just by speaking to people. Volunteering has helped me to connect with Scottish people and I have made so many new friends.” - Salar Mohammad Rassoul appears next to his quote written out in white text on a blue backdrop.

    Salar Mohammad Rassoul, age 40, originally from Syria, has been volunteering with NHS Dumfries and Galloway since September 2019 and is currently involved as a COVID-19 response volunteer. “I moved to Scotland from Syria with my family in April 2018 and I found refuge in Dumfries and Galloway. I am so grateful to the Scottish...

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  • Tackling race inequality

    22nd June 2020 by

    The death of George Floyd has sparked protests across the world highlighting the scale of racial inequality as well as calls for change. I am truly saddened to be writing in the aftermath of this event and realise that, as a result of the privilege I experience as a white person, I can never fully...

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  • World Refugee Day

    20th June 2020 by

    For twenty years, thousands of people from across Scotland have come together to show solidarity with refugees by celebrating the Refugee Festival Scotland and marking World Refugee Day. While we cannot physically gather together this year, it is as important as ever to show our support for people who have had to leave their homes...

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  • Putting tackling homelessness at the heart of our COVID-19 recovery

    4th June 2020 by

    We want to ensure that everyone has a warm, safe home that meets their needs. Our focus has not changed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but our ambition has increased. When I last co-chaired the Scottish Government’s Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) in early March, I could not have envisaged all that would be...

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  • Volunteers’ Week

    1st June 2020 by

    It’s hard to imagine it’s been nearly three months since it feels like everything changed. Apart from the essential exemptions, most of us have been doing our bit to help with the COVID-19 response by staying at home for the last couple of months. And although some of the restrictions are beginning to ease slightly...

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