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15th August 2022

A free early morning round up of news for legal professionals across Scotland.
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THE LAW
Period products law comes into force today
The Period Products Act, which requires local authorities and education providers to make free sanitary products available to those who need them, comes into force today. Scottish Labour's Monica Lennon, who proposed the legislation before it won the unanimous backing of MSPs in 2020, commented: "Local authorities and partner organisations have worked hard to make the legal right to access free period products a reality. I'm grateful to them and the thousands of people who have got involved across the country." Scotland will become the first country in the world to protect the right to free period products when the act comes into force. Social justice secretary Shona Robison underlined the importance of the legislation in the face of the cost-of-living crisis, and expressed her gratitude for the young women and girls who she said had been “crucial” in developing the law change.
Over 12k responses to protest buffer zone proposal
A public consultation on legislation proposed by Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay that would introduce protest buffer zones around abortion clinics has attracted more than 12,000 responses. The Abortion Services Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill would allow for 150-metre buffer zones to be introduced. Ms Mackay said she was "grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their views", adding: "My team has already begun analysing the responses and I will work with parliamentary officials and MSPs across parliament to progress my proposals as rapidly as possible."

 
EMPLOYMENT
Progress on narrowing gender pay gap in energy industry is slow
Data analysed by Pinsent Masons show 97 employers working within the UK energy sector have reported their gender pay gap for the year 2021-2022. A study of the data by the firm reveals that of the electricity or gas suppliers which have reported, women are paid approximately 16% less per hour than men - roughly on par with other industries - while in the oil and gas companies that reported there was a median gender pay gap of approximately 20.2%. Lisa Byars, a senior associate at Pinsent Masons, said: “Most oil and gas operators have been showing a year-on-year improvement on GPG since reporting began in 2017, with several companies reporting improvements of up to 5%. However, despite some notable improvements, progress across the industry is generally slow.”
GMB and Unison announce strike dates
The GMB and Unison trade unions have announced further strikes of waste and recycling workers over pay. GMB Scotland has said that its workers in 16 local authority areas will walk out from August 26-29 and from September 7-10, while Unison Scotland has said that workers in eight local authority areas will walk out over the same dates. GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway warned that unless "COSLA and the Scottish Government make a significantly improved pay offer, more strikes will start across councils in just a few weeks".
Strike threat and resignations roil SQA
A tenth of staff at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) have reportedly quit over the last year, adding to turmoil at an organisation that is already facing the prospect of potential strike action by staff who claim they have been "locked out" of discussions over the future of their jobs, with the SQA set to be replaced by a new educational standards body from this winter. The Unite union says 130 staff have left since last year, while sickness absences have risen to 4%, and the vacancy rate for posts is running at 11.6%.


 
PROPERTY
Urgent action needed to tackle short-term property lets, says MSP
Urgent action is needed to tackle increasing numbers of short-term property lets in the Highlands, according to an SNP MSP. Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick says there is a lack of affordable housing across the region as properties are removed from the housing market for short-term accommodation. She called on councillors to implement control zones as quickly as possible to help tackle the issue. Ms Roddick made her comments after visiting Highland Housing Alliance where she heard about its work to provide more affordable housing for rent and sale and the recent handover of three new properties to Highland Council plus future projects.
Scots house prices are rising by £500 a week
Scottish house prices hit a record high in July. Analysts at Halifax said the rate of rises slipped slightly but the annual rate is still just under 10%. The bank said the cost of the average Scottish home was £201,549 in June, but despite economic gloom, prices continued to rise, reaching a record of £203,677, equivalent to just under £500 a week. The increase since July 2021 is 9.6% but still remains one of the lowest rises in the UK. Iain McKenzie, of the Guild of Property Professionals, said: “The housing market has shown itself to be resilient to the wider struggles of the economy.”
HEALTH
Cheap 'benzos' could drive drug death toll higher
The Sunday Times highlights fears that benzodiazepine pills, or "benzos", are driving organised crime and could see Scotland's drug deaths rate continue to rise. Available for as little as 20p a tablet, a source tells the paper that they are manufactured "all over the country, with intelligence pointing to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow as major centres of production". The paper also talks to the founder of addiction charity Sisco, who warns that the official figure of 1,330 drug deaths a year is an underestimate. Natalie Logan Maclean says the true figure "is far higher, with more than 1,000 in Glasgow alone", with many deaths recorded as "inconclusive" if drugs that contribute to a death cannot be identified, or if "someone in poor health has taken a cocktail of drugs but their death doesn’t constitute an overdose".
SOCIAL
Second cruise ship to house Ukrainian refugees
Neil Gray, the Scottish Government's minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, has confirmed that a second cruise ship has been chartered to house refugees, with the MS Ambition to dock in Glasgow. Mr Gray said Scotland is "getting close to capacity for the temporary accommodation currently available, particularly across the central belt", and that the second ship "will further enhance our ability to provide safe and secure accommodation for those who need it".
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TRANSPORT
CalMac seeks emergency ferry commissioning
Ferry operator CalMac is seeking to commission an emergency ferry, the MV Pentalina, to support its fleet, despite past safety concerns having been raised over the ship. The MCA safety standards agency had raised fire safety concern over the Pentalina, but the Herald quotes insiders who say the issues raised could be easily addressed. CalMac managing director Robbie Drummond, in an email seen by the paper, says the ferry operator has "recommended a short-term lease" of the Pentalina "to support resilience", noting that the ship had undergone extensive berthing trials in 2020. Elsewhere, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael has accused the Scottish Government of "criminal negligence" in its handling of the ferry crisis
REGULATION
Banks face punishment over treatment of scam victims
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is examining whether vulnerable fraud victims are being wrongly denied refunds and has warned of “consequences” for banks that have failed to treat victims fairly. Mark Steward, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: “Where the [customer’s] vulnerability is of a kind that affects the person’s ability to make a decision in their own interests they should be reimbursed. If the banks are getting it wrong more often than they are getting it right, there will be consequences with the FCA.” Three in four fraud victims are wrongly denied refunds, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
ECONOMY
Economy shrinks 0.1% in Q2
The UK economy shrank 0.1% in the second quarter, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows. The data also shows that the economy contracted by 0.6% in June. The decline over Q2 was partly attributed to the test and trace and vaccine programmes coming to an end, a fall in retail sales and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee bank holiday in June. ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan said: “With May’s growth revised down a little and June showing a notable fall, overall the economy shrank slightly in the second quarter.” Despite the contraction between April and June, the economy avoided recession because GDP grew by 0.8% in the first three months of this year.
OTHER
UK firms hit by Russian sanctions
Nearly two-thirds of UK firms have been hit by the effects of Russian sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to a survey from insurance buyer Mactavish. It found that 71% of British businesses had assets that have been directly affected by measures imposed on Russia. Nearly half of these flagged increases in costs and disruption to their production lines, while 44% have lost suppliers and 42% have experienced workforce issues. The finance sector has fared the worst, with 92% of businesses in the industry suffering due to their exposure to assets and funds located in Russia.
 


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