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"...her campaigning against education cuts is good news for parents" - Rachael Ewing, Seedhill
"...her campaigning against education cuts is good news for parents" - Rachael Ewing, Seedhill
- Scottish Government soft touch sentencing plans fail abuse victims –
- Tough action key to get more victioms to come forward -
Wendy Alexander has criticised the Scottish Government’s scrapping of short term sentences as a failure to protect the victims of domestic abuse.
The criticism comes as the number of domestic violence cases soars by 1,500.
Currently 68% of those sent to prison for domestic violence got a sentence of less than 3 months.
The new presumption against sentences of less than three months, passed by the SNP Government in June, could mean that the majority of perpetrators of domestic abuse would escape jail. Read more »
Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander has said she is astonished that the local NHS Board has spent £1m since 2007 on press, media and communications staff. The figures were revealed by an FOI request to each Scottish Health Board.
Since 2007 the Greater Glasgow Health Board has spent £959,792 on media and communication staff at a time when staff at the frontline are badly needed.
This year £ 4,075,060 that is being spent by Scottish health boards on press and communications it could pay for 154 nurses on a starting salary. Wendy believes this would be a far better use of NHS resources. Read more »
“Must do better”
Schools have now finished for the summer and pupils and teachers are now enjoying a well earned holiday. But our local schools continue to be short-changed by the Governement at Holyrood and the powers in Renfrewshire Council.
“More NATS: Fewer Teachers” – that will be the epitaph of this administration as they near the end of their four year term. Read more »
Wendy supports Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) ‘Fully Charged’ Report
Evidence published in June by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) shows that Scotland’s main banks are still ‘hammering’ their customers by imposing unfair overdraft fees.
The evidence comes in a major new report, ‘Fully Charged,’ which is based on case evidence collected by CABs all across Scotland. Its findings are being backed by Wendy Alexander MSP who lodged a Parliamentary motion in Holyrood. The motion has gathered cross-party support from many MSP colleagues. Read more »
Wendy reveals 2000 people knifed last year
Wendy has called on MSPs to back her party’s plans to take tough action against knife criminals as the party revealed that almost 2000 people were admitted to hospital after knife attacks last year.
A Parliamentary Question revealed that there were 1,857 admissions to hospital due to assault by a sharp object in 2008-09. Over the same period, there were 3,688 acute occupied bed days across NHS Scotland associated with assault by a sharp object. Read more »
Violence costs Scotland £3bn every year
Knife crime claims over 2100 bed days in local (Greater Glasgow & Clyde) hospitals
WENDY ALEXANDER MSP has called for all Renfrewshire politicians to ‘stand up and be counted on knife crime’ and back Labour’s plans to take tough action against knife criminals next week.
As MSPs prepare to vote on the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill on Wednesday, Wendy revealed that knife attacks mean that in 08/09 2193 bed days were taken up in GREATER GLASGOW & CLYDE hospitals and highlighted government research that states that violence including knife crime costs Scotland £3bn every year. Read more »
The campaign achieved initial success when the Health Board agreed to delaying the planned June implementation, stating this would allow for “further engagement and discussion with staff and their representatives” (click for the Health Board, May statement)
At the end of May I, and fellow Renfrewshire constituency MSPs Hugh Henry & Trish Godman, met with the Health Board Chief Executive, Robert Calderwood and his senior management. I presented a copy of over 600 representation comments I had received to illustrate the real anxieties felt. Read more »
With ‘Twins, Triplets and More Week’ starting next Monday (28 June – 4 July), Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander is keen to raise awareness of an important new initiative, which seeks to enable new and expectant parents of multiples to enjoy their time with their new babies.
Next Monday, June 28th, Tamba, the Twins And Multiple Birth Association, will launch a groundbreaking initiative, ‘Get Ready For Multiples’, designed to prepare families and professionals for the unique challenges ahead. Read more »
The controversial decision to scrap the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) has cost the taxpayer £40 million.
In a Parliamentary Question Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander asked Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson to provide a breakdown of how much the cancellation of GARL had cost the taxpayer and what was still due to be paid (note 3). The Minister’s answer showed that the figure had jumped from the previous estimate of around £25m to £40m. Read more »
Linwood
I was delighted to attend a most heartening 150th Anniversary celebration service of Linwood Parish Church.
Unsurprisingly over the following lunch, discussions turned to the continuing frustrations and disappointment over Tesco’s lack of progress on the town centre. Many Buddies will be aware that Tesco’s promises to Linwood over three years ago were not merely for a store but for a whole new town centre. Hence this delay has meant no sign so far of the promised new health centre, library, community halls, and supermarket – and significantly no news of a planned start date offered from Tesco as yet. Read more »