BILL TO END ABUSE OF DISABLED PARKING BAYS

Last week I welcomed my colleague Jackie Baillie MSP’s formal introduction of her Member’s Bill in the Scottish Parliament to tackle the abuse of disabled parking bays.  Motorists who abuse disabled parking bays can expect tough legal action if this bill becomes law.

Any decent person knows it’s wrong when they see access to disabled car parking being abused by able-bodied drivers. My constituents have told me the problem has been getting worse and initiatives such as this bill will be welcomed by disabled drivers throughout Scotland. It is only right that parking providers at supermarkets, shopping and leisure centres and the law ensure disabled spaces are available.

The Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Bill has received wide spread support from a range of organisations and a petition of almost 3000 signatures campaigned in favour of the Bill. There are an estimated one million disabled people resident in Scotland, of this 96,000 are registered wheelchair users and 223,995 are registered Blue Badge holders who will benefit from this Bill.

When passed, the Bill will make all existing disabled parking bays under the control of Local Authorities legally enforceable. At present, almost 85% of disabled parking bays are advisory and therefore anyone can park in them without the risk of being penalised. The Bill proposes that a fine of £30, rising to £60 after 14 days, will be applied to those who abuse disabled parking bays and additionally, councils would be required to contact owners and/or operators of private car parks including supermarkets and out of town retail centres to negotiate an agreement which would make their disabled persons’ parking places enforceable. Councils would also be required to report annually to Scottish Ministers on the enforcement of disabled parking bays in their area.

Locally, Braehead must be commended for recently introducing an initiative to protect spaces reserved for disabled people. Asda has taken action too. It is great to see moves to ensure that disabled parking spaces are available to those who need them

NHS at 60

As the 60th Birthday of the NHS approaches in July a parliamentary debate last week reflected over the last 60 years and looked ahead to the next 60 years. The founding principles and fundamental core values of the NHS  remain the same as always  – free at the point of delivery, ethically rationed by clinical priority without discrimination, equitably resourced, funded out of general taxation.

The NHS has evolved and grown over the last 60 years, becoming a platform for discovering new treatments and advances in medicine.  It is something to be truly proud of – good quality healthcare that is available to men and women, young and old, rich and poor, from the cradle to the grave.

The future is bright and will be just as challenging – yes there is room for improvement. As public expectation increases so does the demand on the staff and services of the NHS.  The biggest challenge facing the NHS will be its ability to afford the best treatments and to make them available and accessible to the whole population.

NHS staff over the past 60 years must be congratulated and I’m sure they look forward to working with thousands more individuals helping to change the lives of so many people.

Police Numbers Fall

Police numbers in Scotland’s largest police force have fallen by almost 200 since the SNP came to power a year ago.

According to official figures the number of Whole Time Equivalent officers in Strathclyde Police have fallen from 7803 in June 2007 to 7619 in March 2008. These facts speak for themselves. There are 184 less officers in Strathclyde under this Scottish Government. Support staff numbers are also down. The Justice Minister must come and explain to the Parliament why his police recruitment policy appears to be in tatters. Labour increased police numbers by 1500, the SNP in contrast promised an extra 1000 officers and are failing miserably. The public in Strathclyde will be astonished numbers are actually falling.