MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Extra £800 million to support Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through Covid-19 this year foreignaffairs.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from foreignaffairs.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
23 December 2020
New funding of £800 million is being guaranteed for the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support people, businesses and public services with the ongoing impact of Covid-19.
Today’s announcement increases the UK Government’s unprecedented upfront guarantee this year to at least £16.8 billion on top of funding outlined in Spring Budget 2020.
This funding can be spent on priorities such as the NHS and business support.
This means a further £400 million for the Scottish Government, £200 million for the Welsh Government and £200 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.
Any changes to devolved funding are normally confirmed towards the end of the financial year – but in July the UK Government introduced an unprecedented guarantee to provide them with funding certainty to respond to Covid-19.
DVLA chief Julie Lennard on keeping NHS staff on the roads, and why digital has been so important to their Covid response
2020 was a year unlike any other, with the coronavirus pandemic upending the work of government and changing how we live our daily lives. Senior figures from across the civil service tell us how the unprecedented 12 months affected them, and look ahead to 2021
DVLA chief executive Julie Lennard
What are you proudest of your department or agency achieving in 2020?
I am incredibly proud of the resilience, commitment and professionalism shown by every single one of our 6,000 staff. From our operational staff remaining on site at the height of the first lockdown to make sure we helped key workers to stay on the roads, including lorry drivers and NHS staff, to those staff right across the Agency who adapted so well to working from home in such difficult circumstances. During this time, we’ve rapidly launched new digital services of our own and worked with other
Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown songs might be merely average, but his rage at those who are preventing musicians from making a living is strong.
Morrison spoke out against the government of his native Northern Ireland on social media Monday and Tuesday, demanding that officials show people the science driving renewed lockdowns in the United Kingdom. He also took a shot at the people in charge who haven’t suffered financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Remember, those who are shutting down our economy haven’t missed a paycheck since lockdown began,” he tweeted. “We are not in this together.”
Morrison, 75, has taken up the cause of musicians who earn the bulk of their money through live performances, which were essentially banned in late September. He and Eric Clapton released a song this past weekend in protest of the lockdowns, in addition to three prior anti-lockdown songs that came from the “Brown Eyed Girl” singer alone.