Yesterday I spoke during the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government debate.
I raised concerns around local policing and Police Scotland’s budget, the use of tasers within British Transport Police and the Scottish Government’s planes to merge BTP with Police Scotland.
I also raised the plans for a domestic abuse bill and the need for such legislation following the publication of statistics around Clare’s Law. Continue reading
Today I met with campaigners, including from Fife, who are opposing plans to centralise cleft lip and palate surgery to a single site in Scotland.
As a result, those within Fife would have to travel to Glasgow to receive such surgery. Previously the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh also offered cleft lip and palate surgery.
Campaigners today were handing over a petition with over 6,000 signatures and I hope that NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government listen to their concerns.
You can find out more and sign the petition here
I’m pleased to support the 2016 Coalfields Home Internationals – which take place at the end of this month – with a motion in Parliament. Good luck to all teams taking part, including the teams from Benarty and Alloa, in my region.
I lodged the motion after meeting with staff at the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in their offices in Alloa last week. I was pleased to catch up with the team and hear about the work they are doing to support former coalfield communities across Scotland. Continue reading
Today my colleague James Kelly MSP launched a consultation into scrapping the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act with the intention of introducing a private members’ bill.
The act, the first in Holyrood to be passed without any cross-party support, has been controversial since its inception and was opposed by clubs, fans, legal experts and academics.
While we can all share the frustration at the progress made in eradicating sectarianism in Scotland, these problems cannot be fixed in 90 minutes at a game of football. We must see greater effort to tackle sectarianism in our schools and communities, and address the root causes of these attitudes and behaviours.
The consultation is now open and I would encourage everyone to take part. You can read the consultation documents and submit a response here:
Following the appointment of Humza Yousaf MSP as the Scottish Government’s new Transport Minister I have written requesting a meeting to discuss the reintroduction of the Levenmouth rail link.
In my letter I highlighted that Levenmouth is the largest conurbation in Scotland that is not currently serviced by a rail link and outlined the benefits it would bring to commuters and employers such Diageo and Fife Energy Park.
During the recent Scottish Parliament election, I stood on a pledge of the re-introduction of the rail link and successfully lobbied to have it included in my party’s manifesto.
Despite the election result I am still committed to pushing for its reintroduction due to the clear benefits it would bring to the area. Continue reading
This week a study emerged from Glasgow Caledonian University looking into the treatment of victims of rape in the aftermath of attacks.
According to the report, too many victims have to wait over 24 hours to be examined, with the examinations predominantly carried out by male specialists. Police officers have described the treatment of some victims as “despicable” and “horrendous.”
I raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions today. You can watch my question and the First Minister’s response in the video below.
Tomorrow the Scottish Parliament can vote for a ban on fracking in Scotland after Scottish Labour submitted an amendment to a Government motion that calls for the ban to be introduced.
I have been campaigning for some time for a Frack Free Fife and this week offers the perfect opportunity for all Fife politicians to unite behind that goal.
Currently the Scottish Government has stopped short of implanting a full ban on fracking, introducing a moratorium (a short term pause) on the process instead. This is despite repeated calls from Scottish Labour, the Lib-Dems and the Green’s for an outright ban.
The Scottish Government can take decisive action against UCG and fracking in Fife and we know that from community groups, to national environmental organisations, to Fife Council there is support for an outright ban. Continue reading
Yesterday the UK Government published their white paper on the future of the BBC.
I welcome their recognition of the importance of the BBC to both the general public and the creative industries. I am also pleased that the BBC’s scale and scope has not been reduced and that the licence fee has been secured for the duration of the upcoming charter.
There is a recognition in the white paper of the need for more decentralised decision making which will lead to greater Scottish content but this must be balanced with delivering a sustainable BBC, where skills and jobs are secured and high quality programmes produced.
Scottish Labour will continue to work towards securing the best deal for viewers in Scotland and throughout the UK.
Today I was delighted to have been sworn in as MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.
Having represented the region since 2007 I am looking forward to another session standing up for constituents from my home region.
That started today when I met with union representatives from Unite and Unison over cuts coming to NHS Fife.
Today I took part in a member’s debate celebrating the work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.
The trust is based in Alloa and has worked across the Mid Scotland and Fife region in the past 15 years carrying out excellent work regenerating and addressing the challenges facing former mining communities.
Thirty years after the decline of the coal industry, there is a continuing legacy of poverty and deprivation, a set of circumstances which in recent years, has faced further pressure. There are still worse levels of deprivation in coalfield committees when compared to other areas, and the Trust report that Fife, by some margin, has the largest and most pronounced concentration of coalfield deprivation in Scotland.
I was able to highlight the Trusts work in Methil, where they provided grants to groups and projects through their Participatory Budget Fund. The fund has proved a success and for every £1 invested though participatory budgeting an additional £5 of external funding has been secured.
Communities living with poverty often feel remote from decision making or feel as if their vote at the ballot box doesn’t change their lives or community very much. Projects such as this give communities power, control and decision making, bring people together to improve their community and I am happy to continue to work with them in delivering change in Mid Scotland and Fife.