Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, Gordon MacDonald, has joined calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack his most senior adviser Dominic Cummings for repeatedly breaking his own government's lockdown rules. Over the weekend it emerged that Mr Cummings drove his family 264 miles to his parents’ estate in Durham while his wife was suffering coronavirus symptoms. And in an extraordinary press conference in the Downing Street garden on Monday night, instead of resigning Cummings admitted to a series of further breaches of lockdown. Cummings refused to apologise or even accept that he had fatally undermined the essential public health message that people who have the virus should stay at home. MSP Go
Yesterday in Holyrood, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed the nation to explain the Scottish Government’s routemap that will guide the country out of lockdown. The routemap gives practical examples of what people, organisations and businesses can expect to see change over time. If the evidence shows transmission of COVID-19 is under control and the number of infectious cases continue to decline the Scottish Government will consider moving to Phase 1 of the route map following the next end-of-cycle review date on 28 May. The NHS Scotland test, trace, isolate and support system – known as Test and Protect - will be ready for expansion in all 14 health boards from 28 May. A plan agreed be
An SNP MSP has encouraged businesses in Scotland not to call staff back to work early while the coronavirus lockdown remains in place. Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, raised concerns that some organisations which operate in Scotland are now encouraging employees to return to work, contrary to official Scottish Government advice. The UK government is asking those who cannot work from home in England to start returning to the workplace. But the First Minister said she was "not yet encouraging more people to go back to work" in Scotland so that we can continue to protect our NHS and save lives. Scottish businesses will be able to reopen as soon as they can safely do so, and the S
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed an initial £4.056 million funding to help the social care sector in Edinburgh deal with the financial implications of coronavirus. The funding was confirmed by the Scottish Government as part of a £50 million package for the sector across the country. The funding will help address immediate challenges faced in the social care sector and support ongoing provision of social care. Health and Social Care Partnerships across Scotland have all put in place mobilisation plans to ensure the health and social care system is as well placed as possible to address the Covid-19 pandemic. SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said, “The social care sector is at the frontline of th
Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, has called on the support of the local community to crackdown on illegal fly tipping in the area during lockdown. Councils across Scotland have temporarily closed waste and recycling centres to help them prioritise the collection of general refuse and protect public health during the coronavirus outbreak - a course of action described as ‘necessary’ by Zero Waste Scotland. However, while those maintaining essential waste services in Scotland work hard in difficult circumstances, reports of fly tipping across the country have increased. This has led to calls for local residents to keep a watchful eye out in Edinburgh and report anyone dumping ru
Around 4,735 carers in Edinburgh are due to benefit from a one-off payment during the coronavirus pandemic. The Scottish Government has revealed plans to invest £19.2million to provide further support to Scottish carers during the Covid-19 crisis. If approved by parliament, around 83,000 eligible carers across Scotland will get an extra £230.10 through a special one-off Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement in June - with around 4,735 in Edinburgh benefitting from this additional financial support. The extra payment will be paid automatically to people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance. SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said, “Carers in Edinburgh make an absolutely vital contribution to our society,
