THE LAW
Assisted dying bill to be lodged
A new bill to legalise assisted dying will be lodged at the Scottish Parliament on Monday. The proposals - brought forward by MSP Liam McArthur - aim to introduce the right to an assisted death for terminally ill, mentally competent adults. A cross-party steering group of MSPs have outlined their support of the bill in an open letter.
BBC News
Laws to extend emergency coronavirus restrictions introduced to Holyrood
The Scottish Conservatives previously accused the SNP of "trying to railroad" new legislation through Holyrood without proper scrutiny. The Coronavirus (Extension and Expiry) (Scotland) Bill was formally introduced today and will be debated by MSPs over three days from Tuesday, June 22. It removes a number of measures no longer considered necessary to support the ongoing public health response, and extends others beyond the original expiry date of September 30, subject to the agreement of Parliament, to March 31, 2022. Measures set to be extended include the ability for hearings across criminal and civil courts and tribunals to be held remotely, as well as an increased notice period of six months to protect private and social sector tenants from eviction. The Bill does not introduce any new provisions.
The Herald
Views sought on fireworks bill
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation ahead of new proposed legislation on fireworks and other pyrotechnics. The fireworks review group recommended that it should be an offence to carry a pyrotechnic device in public without justification, and the sale of such devices or fireworks to those under the age of 18 should be criminalised. New laws would also create no-firework zones.
The Courier
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INDUSTRY
A year of lockdown has more couples ready to compromise
Writing in the Scotsman, head of family law at Simpson & Marwick David Coutts says that after a year of lockdown, separating couples are far more ready to compromise. "The role of a lawyer remains to advise clients of their legal claims and rights. However,
clients now want things done differently and to have greater control of
the process," he writes.
The Scotsman
Warning over bogus law firms
Consumers have been warned to be on the lookout for bogus law firms defrauding victims by offering “no win, no fee” services to people who have been involved in accidents. The Law Society of Scotland has urged consumers to be wary when engaging with online operators who purport to offer specialist legal services. The warning was issued after criminals set up a website for McCallum and Co, which claims to operate in Fife, Edinburgh and Glasgow and mirrors content used by legitimate firms of solicitors. The bogus company, which falsely claims it is based in Cowdenbeath High Street, has a highly plausible online presence that includes customer testimonials and links to Facebook and the corporate networking site LinkedIn. “There is no firm of solicitors of this name registered with the Law Society, ” a spokeswoman for the body said. “We would advise solicitors, their colleagues and any members of the public not to respond to any communications they might receive from the firm calling itself McCallum and Co or provide any personal information on its website.”
The Times
PROPERTY
House prices hit record high
Property prices have hit a record high for a third consecutive month, according to Rightmove. Asking prices were up 0.8%, the equivalent of £2,509, on average in June 2021 -
taking the typical asking price to £336,073. It comes despite figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicating that the average UK house price dropped by a total of £5,000 in April when the stamp duty holiday was initially meant to end. The ONS house price index, however, is based on completed sales that come at the end of the
conveyancing process instead of the prices that sellers are looking to
achieve, as used by Rightmove. Rightmove's data indicates that there may be a slight slowing of the pace of the market ahead.
Daily Express
Daily Mail
Daily Mirror
The Daily Telegraph
The Independent
CASES
QC to lead teacher abuse case inquiry at Scottish Borders Council
A QC has been appointed to head up an independent investigation into how a council handled complaints about a teacher who assaulted five pupils. Linda McCall was found guilty last month of committing the offences between August 2016 and October 2017. Andrew Webster QC will examine how an internal council inquiry initially cleared her of any wrongdoing. Scottish Borders Council chief executive Netta Meadows said Mr Webster had significant legal experience. She also announced that Education Scotland would carry out a widespread review of the council's complex needs education provision.
BBC News
CRIME
Gangland figure jailed
A man has been jailed after a major police operation cracked a drugs and gun gang in the west of Scotland. David Hough, known as Murfy, was arrested after a raid on a street valium factory in Renfrewshire last June. The site in Johnstone was able to make 100,000 pills an hour. Guns, ammunition and hand grenades were recovered in a separate raid on a "safe house" in Milton, Glasgow. Hough was sentenced to six years in prison at the High Court in Paisley. One of his accomplices, James Dalziel, was jailed for two years and three months. Hough, 39, admitted last month to being involved in serious organised crime between April and June 2020.
BBC News
EMPLOYMENT
'No plans' to make jabs compulsory for care home staff
The Scottish government has no plans to make the vaccination of care home workers compulsory, it has confirmed. The measure could be brought in for staff in care homes for older people in England, the BBC has been told. Care staff there are expected to be given 16 weeks to have the jab - or face being redeployed away from frontline care or losing their jobs. But Scottish Business Minister Ivan McKee said there were "no plans" to implement a similar policy in Scotland. Scottish Care said UK government plans to mandate vaccinations had "little relevance" in Scotland as all staff had received both doses.
BBC News
TAX
SNP tax rates costly for MoD
Some £6.5m per year is paid out by the Ministry of Defence to Armed Forces personnel in Scotland to prevent them from being hit by higher taxes than their counterparts based in England. Baroness Goldie, Minister of State for Defence said all members of the Armed Forces should be “treated equally and fairly” across the UK. She added: “We want to reassure our brave troops that they won't be penalised for simply doing their duty by having to pay the SNP's higher taxes and they will be properly compensated in their pay slips each year.”
Daily Express
COVID
Fury over Manchester-Scotland travel ban
Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has accused the Scottish government of
"hypocrisy" after it announced a travel ban to parts of the region. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday that non-essential travel between Scotland and Manchester and Salford would be banned from Monday. Mr Burnham said the decision was "announced out of the blue" and was "completely disproportionate". The Scottish government said it was made after "careful consideration". A spokesman said Scottish rules on travel were "kept under active review"
and could "sometimes happen at short notice" after receiving the latest
data.
BBC News
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OTHER
Apology for forced adoption 'would heal' Scottish women's shame
A Scottish mother forced to give her baby up for adoption in the 1970s says an apology for the cruel practice would "lift women out of shame". The Scottish government is facing calls to issue an official apology to Scottish mothers who were pressured into giving up their children. It is estimated 60,000 women had babies adopted simply because they were unmarried. MSPs debated the issue of a government apology at Holyrood on Wednesday. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, many women were coerced into handing over their babies. Many were denied access to housing and social benefits which may have allowed them to have kept them. Some of the women affected never had more children and say the loss caused them a lifetime of grief.
BBC News
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