Reading Time: 3 minutes This short blog explains the parliamentary process for nominating and selecting a new First Minister when a First Minister resigns.
Wood burning stoves FAQs: updated February 2023
Reading Time: 5 minutes As the cost crisis continues and energy bills rise, SPICe has received an increasing number of enquiries and visits to our blog from 2019 on
Long COVID: where are we now?
Reading Time: 6 minutes SPICe first published a blog on long COVID, Long COVID in June 2021. Since then, the numbers of people in Scotland reporting having long COVID has increased from 79,000 to 175,000, This blog provides the answers to some frequently asked questions on long COVID.
Scotland’s rent freeze and evictions pause – what is the Scottish Government planning next?
Reading Time: 5 minutes This blog looks at the Scottish Government’s plans for the rent freeze and evictions pause in Scotland
How is Scotland Performing?
Reading Time: 4 minutes This blog looks at how Scotland is performing against the 81 National Indicators in the National Performance Framework.
Why is Scotland spending an additional £1 billion on social security?
Reading Time: 5 minutes In 2023-24 the amount paid out in devolved social security benefits is forecast to increase by around £1 billion – from £4.2 billion in 2022-23
Cost crisis: Constituency support for enquiries related to the cost of living and the cost of doing business
Reading Time: 6 minutes This blog contains up-to-date links to a selection of trusted and official external sources of information relating to support available for individuals and organisations to help with the cost crisis.
New UK trade agreements – an introduction
Reading Time: 7 minutes Following the UK’s departure from the EU, the UK Government has the power to seek to negotiate and conclude its own trade deals. This blog explains what trade agreements are, how they are made, and sets out the current state of play of the UK’s trade agreement negotiations.
Levelling Up: the view from Scotland
Reading Time: 7 minutes The successful bids for Round 2 of the Levelling Up Fund were announced by the UK government on 19 January. This blog looks at the approach to funding and the successful bids in Scotland.
So, what’s this about a “climate lockdown”?
Reading Time: 6 minutes This post considers whether claims that national and local government are pursuing policies that constitute a “climate lockdown” are supported by available evidence.