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SNP MSP Shona Robison has called on the UK government to take immediate action as figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show that not one woman in Scotland is in receipt of split payments of Universal Credit.

Universal Credit payments are currently paid into a single account, leaving victims of domestic abuse open to financial exertion and control from their abusers.
 
The current process has been widely criticised by women’s groups across Scotland who argue single payments for couples could isolate victims and make it financially difficult to leave abusive relationships.
 
The Prime Minister has previously defended the policy claiming that split payments are available on request. However a report from Women’s Aid found that 85% of domestic abuse survivors agreed that a request for split payments would only make the abuse worse when their partner found out.
 
The Scottish Government is currently in discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about making separate payments the default for Scottish claimants, but SNP MSP Shona Robison has claimed the most effective route to deal with the issue is for the UK Government to reform the system at source.
 
SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford has led a campaign on the issue at Westminster, publishing a private members’ bill earlier this year.   
 
Commenting, Shona Robison MSP said:
 
“As it stands, the Universal Credit system leaves victims of domestic abuse open to financial control and isolation from family and friends.
 
“It’s incredibly worrying that not one recipient of Universal Credit in Scotland receives split payments. Women’s groups across the country have made clear time and time again that this system must be changed to protect vulnerable victims of domestic abuse from further harm.

 “Our welfare system should be designed with the safety and security of those who receive support in mind. While the Scottish Government have opened discussions with the DWP to change the system in Scotland, a simple amendment by the Tories at Westminster could offer protection to women UK wide.
  

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“Alongside my SNP colleagues at Westminster, I will continue to push the UK government to introduce separate Universal Credit payments as the default position.”

The government spends nearly a third of its overall budget on outsourcing work to external suppliers, according to new research.

The Institute for Government says outsourcing costs Whitehall £284 billion each year, despite some contractors “struggling”.

The findings come at the end of a year which saw the collapse of construction giant Carillion and, more recently, the shares of services provider Interserve to halve on Monday. 

On a cheery note as we head for Christmas UK wages are continuing to rise at their highest level in almost a decade, according to the latest official statistics.

ONS figures reveal year-on-year wages increased by 3.3% in the three months to October, making this the most substantial rise since November 2008. 

ONS senior statistician Matt Hughes said, “Real earnings are now growing faster than at any time since around the end of 2016”. The average weekly wage is now £495 – the highest since 2011, when adjusted for inflation. 

The statistics also show that a record number of people are in work. The employment rate has increased by 79,000 to over 32 million – the highest figure since records began. 

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The company was founded in 1884 as the London and Tilbury Lighterage Company Limited and retained the Tilbury name until 2001. From 1991 it was known as Tilbury Douglas following a merger with RM Douglas, but in 2001 rebranded as Interserve plc. On 4 May 2012 the company acquired "Welfare-to-work" provider Business Employment Services Training (BEST), a UK provider of training and development for job-seekers and employers.

Operating in many sectors, like Carillion another government contractor that ran into financial trouble, the Company is struggling with £500m of debt.

The Labour party leadership - ideologically opposed to the role of private companies in the provision of public services - has insisted that no new government contracts should be given to the company while it is in its current state.

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The Brexit Debate Tuesday promises to be a lively one.

Theresa May will be fighting for her deal and he right to stay on as PM. Her credibility and authority will start to haemorrhage away if this deal is rejected - which many are predicting is already a forgone conclusion. .... Don’t write May off, she has shown she can ‘cling on’ when it matters, harder than Spider Man aloft a skyscraper.  

The Labour Party sense a potential General Election in the air, and they are certainly on a roll. Corbyn has his critics with some well intentioned but poorly judged associations from the past that have come back to haunt him. Corbyn frightens the monied classes and come the election when it does come, he will have everything thrown at him, bar the ‘kitchen sink’.   

With the clock clicking down to leaving the UK - and with the threat of No Deal and potential chaos - the debate which has polarized opinions could be heated and passionate.

Do join the ABC website for the debate as we live stream House of Commons content:  

https://www.abcorg.net/item/2584-the-committee-on-exiting-the-european-union-give-thumbs-down-to-prime-minister-mays-deal

ABC Comment: 

The Committee on Exiting the European Union publishes its report on the Government’s EU Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration. The Report – agreed unanimously – says that the Prime Minister’s deal fails to offer sufficient clarity or certainty for the future of the UK.

• Read the conclusions and recommendation [HTML]
• Read the full report: The progress of the UK's negotiations on EU withdrawal - The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration [HTML]

Uncertainty still remains over future UK-EU relationship

After 20 months of negotiations, we only know the terms of the UK's departure but not the nature of the future relationship with the EU. The Prime Minister’s deal fails to offer sufficient clarity or certainty about the future.

The Political Declaration is neither detailed nor substantive. It only sets out a series of options, and people and businesses will continue to face significant uncertainty about the terms of our trade with the EU after the transitional period ends.

There is insufficient detail in the Political Declaration for us to judge whether the fifteen tests the Committee previously set have been met, except for the one relating to tariffs (“In respect of trade in goods, there must be no tariffs on trade between the UK and the EU 27”). What is clear from the Political Declaration is that the extent of our access to EU markets will depend on the degree to which we adhere to its rules.

Long-term, realistic proposals needed to maintain open border

There are no realistic, long-term proposals from the Government to reconcile maintaining an open border on the island of Ireland with leaving the Single Market and Customs Union.

The backstop will be the default relationship between the UK and the EU after the end of the transitional period, unless and until a future economic relationship is agreed that can maintain an open Northern Ireland/Ireland border and protect all parts of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

Activating the backstop would result in immediate barriers to UK-EU trade in goods and services. By July 2020 if the future relationship is not in place, or one/two years later if the transition/implementation period is extended, the UK could face the threat of significant economic disruption which would reduce its leverage in the negotiations.

Choices must be made on following EU rules

The proposals put forward by the Government to maintain both frictionless trade and an open border – the ‘Chequers’ proposals – have been rejected by the EU as unacceptable.

A looser CETA-style free trade agreement with the EU is not seen as a viable option as it would not ensure the type of friction-free trade with the EU that many UK companies with just-in-time supply chains need.

Negotiations will be further complicated, and could take significantly longer, because the Government has yet to set out clear objectives for the future relationship that are realistic, workable and have the support of Parliament. And each of the 27 individual EU member states, their national and where applicable regional Parliaments, will be able to exercise a veto on the overall outcome.

If the Government’s main priority is to secure EU-UK trade that is as frictionless as possible, it must decide how far it is willing to follow EU rules. This is not a choice the Government has so far been willing to make.

Agreement on security co-operation and citizens' rights urgently required 

It is imperative that objectives for future EU-UK internal and external security relationships are settled as early as possible.

Agreement on outstanding citizens’ rights issues should be prioritised in the future negotiations to give clarity and certainty to all those affected.

The overall level of EU-UK cooperation will be less than it is now, as will be the UK's influence on the strategic direction of EU foreign and security policy.

Future relationship negotiations will continue beyond March 2019  

It would be unacceptable for the Government not to publish the White Paper on immigration before the vote on 11 December 2018.

Because of the large number of issues crucial to the future of the EU-UK relationship which are still to be decided, the Brexit process will not be concluded by March 2019. Indeed, negotiations on the future relationship are likely to go on for a number of years.

There is probably no majority in Parliament for leaving with no deal and as Parliament has now given itself the opportunity to consider and vote on other options, these may include the extension of Article 50.

Chair's comment

Image: Hilary Benn MP

The Chair of the Committee, Hilary Benn MP, commented:

“It is because the Government has refused to face up to the hard choices confronting us that this deal would represent a huge step into the unknown.

The Political Declaration falls far short of the ‘detailed and substantive’ document promised by former Secretaries of State and by the EU Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier. It does not give the British people or our businesses the clarity and the certainty they need about our future trading relationship with the EU in five or ten years’ time. And with these negotiations having not even having started yet, this could take years to sort out.

It is now time for colleagues to decide on the Prime Minister’s deal. Throughout this process, the Select Committee has always argued for Parliament to be given a full and proper role, and a vote on what has been negotiated. The opportunity to do that is now before us, and I hope this report, with its detailed analysis of the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration, will help members on all sides of the House to make their d

For the UK to leave the EU it had to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which gives the two sides two years to agree the terms of the split. Theresa May triggered this process on 29 March, 2017, meaning the UK is scheduled to leave at 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019. It can be extended if all 28 EU members agree, but at the moment all sides are focusing on that date as being the key one, and Theresa May has now put it into British law.

House of Commons

Tuesday 11 December 2018 Meeting starts at 11.30am

AGENDA

Oral questions - HM Treasury (including Topical Questions)

Ten Minute Rule Motion - Cannabis (Legalisation and Regulation) 

Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP (North Norfolk, Liberal Democrat)

Debate - Conclusion of Debate on Section 13 (1)(b) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (Day 5)

Adjournment - Private parking enforcement at commercial ports and trading estates 

Dr Dan Poulter MP (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Conservative)

The ABC gets into some interesting areas and one of those difficult ones is Pay Day Loans. So we are never quite sure what to do when we come across companies like PiggyBank. On the one hand, a short-term loan can really help people out, alternatively, the borrower can easily be pulled into a nightmare of spiraling debt. We do like the transparency of this website and the ability to be able to see the true cost of borrowing. 

Simon Collyer ABC founder was once given a piece of advice from a former (Australian) girlfriend who evaluated people from politicians to businesspeople with a simple piece of female logic - 'Would you buy a second-hand car from this person'?  

This piece of logic has never let us down. 

Thank you at Cat at Liz Lean PR Ltd for sending us this information.   

Oink, Oink, we have been ticked off it is PiggyBank not Piggy Bank. Personally we hate Company or product names that look like spelling errors. iPad for example! 

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Dan Ware, CEO and co-founder of DJS (UK) Limited, a Bournemouth-based technical innovations and software development company established in 2012, has been named in this year’s CEO Today Awards.

The CEO Today Awards recognise strong and innovative leadership amongst UK businesses, celebrating the success and vision of CEOs across a variety of sectors and industries in the UK.

Before starting DJS (UK) Limited, Dan worked in the creative industries developing award-winning communications campaigns for major food and drink brands including Alpro Soya.

Image: Dan Ware CEO and co-founder of DJS (UK) Limited.  

The fintech company began in 2012 following Dan’s own personal experience with payday loans and realising there was a need for a responsible short-term lending service where customers were at the forefront of the business model. It was this concept, where the goal wasn’t to be the biggest or most profitable lender, but to deliver the right outcomes, which got the attention of CEO Today.

CEO Today recognised Dan for his focus on how the business runs, it’s research and development, as well as developing and valuing his staff. It was noted that his recruiting method, based on good fit for the individual and business, alongside skill sets to support his own, was a key factor in the company’s success.

Dan Ware, CEO of DJS (UK) Limited said: “This recognition from CEO Today is an absolute honour. Our philosophies and objectives don’t mirror those of a typical short-term loans business and it’s fantastic to have my story and efforts recognised.

Piggy Bank can be found here: 

www.piggy-bank.co.uk/

The ABC has offered money management advice in the past:

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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross today announced that 40 organizations — including nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and entrepreneurship-focused organizations — from 28 states and two territories will receive $21 million to create and expand cluster-focused entrepreneurship and technology transfer programs, and early-stage seed fund support under EDA’s 2018 https://www.eda.gov/oie/ris/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program competition.

The full list of 2018 i6 grantees can be found on the EDA RIS https://www.eda.gov/oie/ris/i6/2018/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">2018 i6 Challenge webpage. 2018 Seed Fund Support Program grantees are highlighted on the https://www.eda.gov/oie/ris/seed/2018/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">2018 Seed Fund program page.

The 2018 group of RIS awardees expands the RIS portfolio to five new states and territories. Selected from a pool of more than 230 applicants, the awardees include a defense commercialization project led by the Maryland Department of Commerce, a global food systems technology accelerator led by Kansas State University, a healthcare innovation initiative led by the Northern Kentucky Tri-Country Economic Development Corporation, a community-oriented, rural-focused proof-of-concept center led by the North Idaho College Venture Center and new efforts led by StartUpNV to expand and increase angel investment activity across the state of Nevada.

You can learn more about how their 2018 RIS cohort plans to engage to boost innovation and support entrepreneurship in their regions by reading these new i6 Challenge and Seed Fund program blog posts.

The Secretary also announced that EDA will open the 2019 RIS competition on February 1^st, 2019, when the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is scheduled to be published on https://www.grants.gov/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">grants.gov.

The Department encorages you to start thinking NOW about how you can plug into the RIS program to help support your innovation and entrepreneurship growth activities. Prospective applicants can find more information, including information on eligibility and how they will be able to apply, on EDA’s https://www.eda.gov/oie/ris/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">RIS webpage.

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Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., today welcomed the latest monthly unemployment figures, which were announced today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The monthly unemployment rate has dropped consistently over the past year and has now fallen to 5.3%, as of November 2018. This is down from 6.4% in November 2017.

The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 127,600 in November 2018 - a decrease of 23,700 when compared to November 2017. This is the lowest figure since February 2008.

ABC Comment:

The following are some examples of the assistance and support provided by the Department to jobseekers and employers:

The Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS)

Minister Doherty launched the Department’s new YESS scheme on 24 September 2018. YESS is a new work experience scheme targeted exclusively at young jobseekers, aged 18 to 24, who are either long-term unemployed or face significant barriers to employment.

JobsIreland.ie

JobsIreland.ie is the Department’s national recruitment website. The service is administered by Department staff and provides a free online vacancy advertising and candidate matching service for employers who wish to advertise job vacancies, apprenticeships and community employment (CE) schemes. YESS vacancies can now also be advertised on JobsIreland.ie. The service is available to all employers irrespective of size or industry sector.  To date in 2018, 77,441 positions have been advertised. For candidates, JobsIreland.ie provides the opportunity to register and search for all the latest jobs in the market place. JobsIreland.ie lets candidates create an online CV and then notifies them automatically of vacancies that match their profile.

JobsPlus

JobsPlus, which was introduced in July 2013, provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who offer full-time employment opportunities to long-term unemployed people.  The scheme was further enhanced from 1 January 2018 to support workers aged 50 or over.  Almost 16,700 payments have been made through the scheme in 2017 and 2018 (to November).

Jobs Fairs

Additionally, the Department hosts numerous Jobs Fairs and events throughout the year, with our annual Jobs Week a particular focus. For Jobs Week 2017, the Department organised and hosted 100 events in every region, which brought 400 employers and 16,000 jobseekers together. Jobs Week 2018 saw 134 events, with 450 employers and 14,500 jobseekers attending. The Department also co-hosts a number of events with EURES, the European Recruitment Service – from the start of 2017 to date in 2018, there have been three on-site and  five online EURES Jobs Fairs.  The Department will continue to focus on working with employers throughout the country to ensure that jobseekers can avail of the many jobs that are being created every week by employers.

Community Employment and TÚS schemes

In addition the Department continues to provide valuable work experience for those who are long-term unemployed through the community employment and TUS schemes. These schemes also provide important local services in towns and villages throughout the country.  At present there are approximately 28,000 participants on these schemes who are benefitting from work experience and training.

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Colchester Foodbank is gearing up for Christmas. ‘December is the biggest month’ points out Michael Beckett, Chief Officer, seen here on the left, talking to a volunteer working for local Colchester organization, Signpost.

Signpost is a Colchester based organization that assists getting people back on their feet, with skills training, job searching and CV writing.

Colchester Foodbank has approximately ninety volunteers. Some of the strain has been taken off the organization recently with the start of three local lunch clubs, which the food bank also supports. The Foodbank also have an outlet in Wivenhoe.

Image courtesy of the Colchester Gazette: Michael Beckett

'Because of Universal Credit demand has increased by around 10%' says, Michael. Although the idea was that the first payment of Universal Credit should be paid within thirty-five days, locally it is still considered to be around 40 days and more.

The Homeless account for around 3% of customers and students with more ‘term’ left than grant money, accounting for about 1%. Being able to budget is a key skill say the team. Unfortunately, the Food Bank points out there are people who lack written communication skills and those with a lack of IT skills or access to IT altogether. Two very different groups with different problems. However, only about 20% of people are really struggling estimate the Foodbank. 

‘We are here to stop things getting worse’ said Michael, who reeled off a ‘crisis list’ including job loss, homelessness, starvation, children malnourished and the risk of social services getting involved. Michael has run a Citizens Advice Bureau and was a director of Mind and he feels his range of acquired skills and knowledge gives him a deep insight into people and their needs.

Image: Customers get a warm welcome at the Colchester Foodbank. 

 All the major political parties have visited the Food Bank except UKIP it was pointed out. No one seemed sure what effect a No Deal Brexit might have? 

A lot of people donate right before Christmas. If you plan to do this, please just bear in mind that the Colchester Foodbank gets very busy at this time.

Colchester Foodbank is currently the sixth most popular food bank in the UK. Michael asks that anyone who feels like helping can additionally ‘Like’ their Facebook page.

Click here if you want to 'Like' Colchester Foodbank: 

 If you would like to donate or volunteer then please just visit the website:

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