16 May 2007 | Alex Salmond elected First Minister by the Scottish Parliament. A new Cabinet structure and new management structure for the Scottish Executive are put in place. |
18 May 2007 | First Minister backed calls for a Scottish bid to host the 2016 European Football Championships |
24 May 2007 | As part of our commitment to open, transparent government the Budget Review report 'Choices for a Purpose' (also known as the Howat report) was published |
24 May 2007 | Government announces £250,000 for new industry/science fisheries partnership |
29 May 2007 | Pledged to meet cancer waiting time targets fully by the end of this year and to abolish 'hidden' waiting lists |
30 May 2007 | Government announced its priorities for achieving sustainable growth for the Scottish economy. This included proposals to: · freeze council tax · reduce and remove business rates to give small and medium sized Scottish business a competitive tax position · refocusing and reforming enterprise networks |
31 May 2007 | £1.6 billion announced in Rural Programme 2007-13, to increase competitiveness in agriculture and forestry, enhance the environment and support rural communities |
31 May 2007 | Response to the UK Government's energy review the Energy Minister by Jim Mather confirming the commitment not to support any new nuclear power stations in Scotland |
31 May 2007 | Parliament endorsed plans to abolish tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges. Work is in hand to prepare the required legislation with the aim of completing the Bill's parliamentary passage by the end of 2007 |
5 June 2007 | Announced that the legal age for buying tobacco will be raised from 16 to 18 from October 2007 |
6 June 2007 | £8 million recovered under Proceeds of Crime Act to be re-invested into measures to provide safer communities |
6 June 2007 | Decisions by previous administration to close Accident & Emergency services at Ayr and Monklands reversed. All future closure decisions will be subject to independent scrutiny |
6 June 2007 | Announced our priorities for justice, including the intention to increase policing capacity by equivalent to 1000 officers |
6 June 2007 | Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment met Westminster counterpart and set out case for stronger voice for Scotland in fisheries negotiations |
7 June 2007 | Parliamentary statement exposing secret memorandum of understanding signed by the former Prime Minister with the Libyan government on areas of judicial co-operation including prisoner transfer |
7 June 2007 | Announced the development of a new Skills Strategy |
8 June 2007 | Murrayfield drink ban dropped, enabling alcohol to be sold at Rugby Internationals |
11 June 2007 | Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment attends new Government's first EU Council of Ministers, the Fisheries Council in Brussels |
11 June 2007 | Government gives full backing to Glasgow's bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games |
12 June 2007 | The pay deal for NHS staff backdated to April 2007 will be implemented, and in July salaries - ahead of rest of UK |
13 June 2007 | Announced that Graduate Endowment fee is to be scrapped |
13 June 2007 | Provided a funding package worth £250,000 to encourage more volunteers to get involved in environmental projects |
13 June 2007 | Announced the intention to phase out prescription charges for those with a chronic illness |
14 June 2007 | Announced intention of recover £23 million a year in attendance allowance from UK Government, and an independent inquiry into funding of Free Personal Care, starting in summer, concluding March 2008 |
14 June 2007 | Minister for Parliamentary Business committed to hold a summit on Trident |
18 June 2007 | Signed agreement with Northern Irish Assembly to enhance understanding, friendship and prosperity |
19 June 2007 | First Minister hosted reception in Edinburgh Castle on anti-sectarianism, meeting stakeholders and restating the Government's commitment to tackling the scourge of sectarianism in Scotland |
19 June 2007 | Nine key organisations working in rural affairs and environment are to draw up proposals to deliver a single rural and environmental service within a year |
20 June 2007 | Announced key priorities for education, including: - reducing class sizes in P1-3 to no more than 18.
· access to a qualified teacher for all children in pre-school - first steps to employ extra teachers to deliver these pledges - 300 additional teachers employed from the new school year, with 250 more in training this year
- increased nursery entitlement to 475 hours/year for 3~4 years olds
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21 June 2007 | Government's commitment to a Scottish Climate Change Bill - cutting emissions by 80% by 2050 |
21 June 2007 | Announced a £10 million scheme under the Rural Development Programme 2007-13 to support new entrants to farming |
21 June 2007 | Task force to tackle housing supply problems will be established, and a consultation on social housing reform announced. |
24 June 2007 | Made a firm commitment to change environmental legislation regarding proposals for ship-to-ship oil transfers in areas close to environmentally-protected sites such as the Firth of Forth |
25 June 2007 | Government refused to endorse plans to consult on proposals to bury nuclear waste in deep geological facilities in Scotland |
27 June 2007 | £5 million funding to support the Duke of Rothesay's initiative to save Dumfries House for the nation and develop economy of that part of Ayrshire |
27 June 2007 | Scotland's Transport Programme announced, including investment in rail services across the country, including announcement of final 2 options for replacement Forth crossing and series of public exhibitions over the summer |
28 June 2007 | First Minister named the Council of Economic Advisers, who will advise on the best way to improve Scotland's sustainable economic growth |
28 June 2007 | Launch of consultation on draft Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill |
30 June 2007 | Hosted a performance of the National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch with the Presiding Officer, to mark the opening of the new session of the Scottish Parliament |
30 June 2007 | First Minister takes part in UK Government's COBRA committee in response to the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport |
1 July 2007 | First Minister convened the Scottish Executive Emergency Room Committee to co-ordinate the Scottish response to the Glasgow terrorist attack |
3 July 2007 | Supported Scottish beef industry by making representations direct to Commissioner Kyprianou about the standard of beef imported from Brazil |
9 July 2007 | Gave funding of £250,000 to SCIAF to support more than 120,000 people in communities most affected by the violence and unrest in South and West Darfur |
11 July 2007 | A pilot of free school meals for all P1 -P3 to be carried out in Borders, East Ayrshire, Fife, Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire from October to March 2008 |
11 July 2007 | New measures to tackle healthcare associated infection announced |
12 July 2007 | First Minister meets EU Commissioners and makes the case for Scotland to take the lead in EU fisheries negotiations, also meeting Trade, Internal Market and Budget Commissioners |
13 July 2007 | Trial hovercraft crossing of the Firth of Forth launched by Transport Minister, supported by public funding from the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran) |
13 July 2007 | First Minister met the Lord Chancellor and made representations about the transfer of responsibilities for firearms legislation to the Scottish Parliament |
16 July 2007 | First Minister attended British-Irish Council, the first since devolution was restored in Northern Ireland. The First Minister also met the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time since he took office |
17 July 2007 | Additional £40 million for improvements to school buildings pledged to help deliver smaller class sizes |
17 July 2007 | Measures to tackle crime related to alcohol announced, including: - reviewing the law to make clear that alcohol will not be seen as a mitigating factor in criminal offences
- a summer road safety campaign targeted on the 'persistent minority' of motorists who still drink and drive will be undertaken by police forces across Scotland
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17 July 2007 | Revised Air Quality Strategy published including proposals to tackle air pollution to help improve quality of life and reduce environmental damage |
18 July 2007 | Government to provide one-off grants to encourage healthcare professionals to undertake humanitarian work in some of the world's poorest countries |
19 July 2007 | Cabinet Secretary for Justice met the Home Secretary, and followed up the First Ministers representations regarding the transfer of responsibility for firearms legislation to the Scottish Parliament |
23 July 2007 | First Minister unveiled a memorial commemorating the Scots who left the country during the Highland Clearances in Helmsdale, Sutherland |
25 July 2007 | Wave power firm awarded investment grant to develop production facility at Methil, securing 53 high quality jobs and taking forward development of Scotland's renewable energy resources |
25 July 2007 | Health economist Dr Andrew Walker appointed to Chair the independent panel to consider revised A&E proposals at Monklands and Ayr |
26 July 2007 | First Minister met the Mayor of London to discuss community relations and better value funding for major infrastructure projects |
27 July 2007 | Edinburgh chosen as the base for the new Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) which is due to be up and running in late 2008 |
27 July 2007 | Four new strategic planning authorities, around Scotland's largest city regions, to be set up as part of modernisation of planning system |
31 July 2007 | First Minister meets with Scotland's mosque leaders as part of One Scotland campaign |
31 July 2007 | A scheme to enable fishermen to avoid juvenile cod will be developed in conjunction with the fishing sector |
1 August 2007 | Announced Regional Selective Assistance grants worth £49 million -expected to create or safeguard 7,300 Scottish jobs. |
2 August 2007 | £450,000 scheme to help improve public library services announced |
2 August 2007 | £6.5 million investment to deliver world-class sports facilities and increase participation |
3 August 2007 | Children of asylum families are to have the same access to full time further and higher education as Scottish children |
7 August 2007 | Funding of £10 million for a new state-of-the-art visitor centre at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh (RBGE) |
8 August 2007 | The First Minister announced the creation of a Scottish Broadcasting Commission, chaired by Blair Jenkins, with the goal of defining a strategic way forward for television production and broadcasting is to be created |
8 August 2007 | Residential schools and care homes to be improved through a one-off grant of £3 million to improve facilities for looked after children |
10&11 August 2007 | Relaxations of restrictions on the movement of animals in response to the foot & mouth outbreak were announced within farm premises and for the islands |
13 August 2007 | Pilot study looking into working towards lower ferry fares for island communities announced |
13 August 2007 | Meeting held with representatives of local authorities across Scotland and other delivery bodies to discuss the future strategy for increasing the recycling of municipal waste in Scotland |
14 August 2007 | First Minister launches debate on Scotland's constitutional future with the publication of 'Choosing Scotland's Future', containing choices on enhancing devolution and independence |
15 August 2007 | More than 200 organisations to benefit from £5 million to improve services for young people |
15 August 2007 | First Saltire Prize for business innovation in 2008 will focus on renewable energy. The Saltire Prize will be an annual award that provides funding to projects that demonstrate the best of innovation in different areas of industry and business. |
16 August 2007 | Norwegian Prime Minister accepted First Minister's proposal for a meeting before the end of the year to discuss proposals for a North Sea super-grid |
16 August 2007 | Patients and public asked to are to help influence future shape of Scotland's health services, with the launch of consultation on the Health and Wellbeing Action Plan |
17 August 2007 | Professor Angus Mackay OBE appointed to chair independent panel reviewing proposals by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for changes to services at Vale of Leven hospital |
20 August 2007 | New support package for Crichton Campus, Dumfries announced, resolving concerns about the future of the Campus |
21 August 2007 | Cabinet agreed the new Skills Strategy, which will be published shortly |
23 August 2007 | Announced doubling of the International Aid budget |
23 August 2007 | Performance Sports Summit held to meet stakeholders to discuss Scottish representation on the international sporting stage and consider the feasibility of a Scottish Olympic Team |
23 August 2007 | Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced prison at Bishopbriggs will now be run in the public sector by the Scottish Prison Service |