I WRITE this in the Donald Dewar library of the Scottish Parliament. The symbolism appealed. Because as the sound and fury of elections, expenses, political coups and counter coups fade – what will endure?

 I am convinced that tomorrow’s Calman Commission report on the future governance of Scotland will endure. 

It was in Donald’s footsteps that I proposed the establishment of a constitutional commission on St Andrew’s Day 2007. My message to Scottish Labour was clear: “When Labour are the party of ideas on the constitution it typically commands support. There is unfinished business from the 1999 Scotland Act and it is Labour’s job – in partnership with other parties – to fix it. As Donald Dewar said “it would be absurd to pretend that ours is the last word on the constitutional settlement”. Scotland wants to see a future that allows it to walk taller within the UK without walking out. And the Union needs to be a comfortable home for all its members.” 

The process required to deliver these objectives would be equally challenging. Predictably there were many sceptics convinced it would never get off the ground, would never be a commission, would be strangled at birth by Westminster and would be timid in its conclusions. Such critics neither knew their history nor their man. 

The pre-requisite for success was that it had to originate in Scotland and be genuinely cross-party. But it had also to go beyond the parties. This was too important to become a Brown, Cameron, Campbell/Clegg party political horse-trade. Experience in framing the Scotland Act convinced me of the need for expert financial advice free from Treasury and Whitehall self-interest. And in Ken Calman we secured an individual of stature and principle, his own man, with a canny eye to political realities.

With these ingredients the commission could bring fresh thinking to the debate, rigour to its analysis, and critically provide the basis for cross-party consensus around its solutions. It would stand full square in the tradition of the Constitutional Convention two decades previously. 

Lest this sounds straightforward, it was a long and winding road. But history teaches that constitutional change has never been gifted to Scotland. It has to be fought and argued for. Two decades previously, Donald had schooled a young generation of Scottish Labour activists well. He never wasted his time briefing the media about Labour leader Neil Kinnock’s reservations – he simply led Scottish Labour into the right place. By endorsing the Claim of Right he brought the weight of Scottish Labour, behind consensual, non-partisan constitutional change so creating the foundations for fulfilling the aspirations of the Scottish people. It was brave, it was lonely, but it worked. 

But the Calman Commission is far more than just a Labour story. Annabel Goldie and Nicol Stephen both showed remarkable personal commitment and forbearance in getting this unique Scottish Parliamentary/UK Government-sponsored commission under way. 

In giving birth to the Commission and letting it go about its business, all of Scotland’s main opposition parties deserve credit. The Tories for coming on board despite thereby potentially tying their own hands in the future, the Liberal Democrats for their willingness to compromise and Labour – both at Holyrood and Westminster – for allowing ideas more radical than many foot soldiers favoured to flourish. The SNP adopted their traditional opposition, a reprise of their posture of the earlier Constitutional Convention. 

Tomorrow’s report will shape the next phase in Scotland’s journey – template, or road map, for the cooperative evolution of Scotland’s relationship with the UK. The consensus built amongst Commission members should become a consensus among political parties. 

We will have to wait until tomorrow for the detail but expect radical plans to strengthen the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament. Already trailed are plans for the Scottish Parliament to receive half the income tax raised in Scotland, a tax-sharing idea that hails from Canada from where the commission heard evidence. I will be looking for additional tax choices for the Scottish Parliament to complement existing powers over council tax and non domestic rates, and also new borrowing powers.

 Also expect a range of common-sense measures to improve relationships between Holyrood and Westminster. Whilst the powers of the Scottish Parliament are not likely to change much reflecting the durability of the original 1998 Act.

So what is in it for the Scottish people? A more accountable parliament. Calman’s recommendations will mean Scottish politicians, whatever their hue, will not be able to simply blame Westminster. In future they will have wider budgetary powers and will have to defend those choices to the Scottish people. The Scottish people will no longer find it credible to blame Westminster every time there is a tough decision to be made. From tomorrow Calman will start to call time on that lazy politics.

Rome was not built in a day. No plan is perfect. Financial change is both slow and complex. But from tomorrow the blueprint is in place.

For Scottish Labour, Calman should act as an inspiration. We can retain our distinctive voice on the governance of Scotland. Donald – my real mentor in politics – advocated doing what you believe is in the nation’s best interests because in so doing you also best serve your party. 

I salute Ken Calman, his commission and their secretariat for their tireless work over recent months. Tonight they can sleep easy; they have opened a new chapter in Scotland’s political history.

Regularly in the Scottish Parliament Chamber I have the chance to ask Government Ministers questions.

This week I asked the Justice Minister Kenny McAskill about claims of new police recruits not getting adequate training before being sent out on the streets. It’s a tough job, particularly for a new recruit and they need the best training on offer.

Next week I will be asking Kenny McAskill question about helping law centres fight eviction cases. There are distressing stories, as highlighted recently by the Paisley Daily Express, where tenants face homelessness due to, unbeknown to them, their landlords not paying the mortgage payments.

In March the Justice Minister promised me he would be more than happy to have discussions with representatives of Scotland’s Law Centres, including the Paisley/Renfrewshire Law Centre. As yet I know of no meeting being arranged so I will be pushing for this again, given rising local responses.

Credit Unions

Credit Unions are vital in giving support to Scottish communities and protecting them becoming involved with loan sharks. In Renfrewshire we have some very valued Credit Unions.

Under the previous Labour Scottish Government the guaranteed funding for Credit Unions stood at £2.7m but under today’s Scottish Government funding has plummeted to under £250,000.

So I want the Scottish Government to explain how this shrinking ‘pot’ of money credit unions can bid for actually works.  Protecting people from unscrupulous lenders needs to be a priority in this period of economic downturn.

Photography Gems

An exhibition not to miss this month is Reid Kerr College’s award winning photography department’s exhibition. Set in the stunning location of Paisley Abbey, a selection of best work produced by HND Photography students is now on display. The standard of work is extremely high. Congratulations to the students of Reid Kerr College on their outstanding photography work over the past two years.
The exhibition is now open until the 26th June Mon - Sat 10am - 3.30pm

Wildlife Week

This is Scottish Wildlife Week. There are 230 events and activities taking place throughout Scotland including the celebration of peat lands, woodlands and marine environments throughout Scotland.

So if you have enjoyed Springwatch on telly get out and visit the real thing. The Scottish Wildlife Trust and its sister charities work tirelessly to conserve Scotland’s wildlife and ensure that future generations can also enjoy its diversity. I happily supported the motion in the Scottish Parliament commending their efforts and celebrating Wildlife Week. And the photo shows me at Murshiel looking for Harriers!

To find out full details of all Wildlife Week events log onto http://www.swt.org.uk/events/wildlife-week/

Summer Fun

It has been great to see the summer sun come out at last. June sees many local outdoor events. Renfrew has just held its very successful Gala Day and within the next few weeks there is the Barshaw Gala Day, Fountain Gardens Gala Day and the Accord Hospice Summer Fayre.

If you have not been out for a while think about going along to one of these events. I know my kids love ice cream and fun fair stalls and rides so fingers crossed for continued great weather. Whatever people say about the state of Paisley’s streets everyone recognises Paisley’s strong community spirit. So be part of it this summer. Rain or shine!

]]> http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/06/08/pde-column-8th-june-2009-chamber-questions-credit-unions-photography-gems-wildlife-week-summer-fun/feed/ http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/05/25/pde-column-25th-may-2008-knife-crime-sexual-offences-bill-hospital-cleaners-pay-accord-hospice-local-press/ http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/05/25/pde-column-25th-may-2008-knife-crime-sexual-offences-bill-hospital-cleaners-pay-accord-hospice-local-press/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 13:03:24 +0000 constituency http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/?p=1378 Knife Crime

Under Labour’s Safer Scotland Knife Amnesty between May and June 30 2006, 13,000 knives were taken off the streets. By comparison since May 2007, only 2,000 knives have been taken off the streets.Scottish Labour have called again on this Scottish Government to put an end to their complacency over knife crime and back a knife amnesty.

I have launched a petition to allow the public to show their support for knife crime proposals. Scotland wants action on knives. Labour took action on knives while in power. We doubled the maximum sentence, we took 13,000 knives off the street in a month’s amnesty but it is now clear that more needs to be done. Our proposal for a minimum sentence for knife criminals is the right way to send a clear message. That message is – ‘Carry a knife?… Go to Jail’. The Scottish government should see sense and back our proposals on knife crime. Doing nothing cannot be an option for Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill. If you wish to add your support log on to my website www.wendyalexander.co.uk

Amendment to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill

Too few rape offences in Scotland either go to trial or result in a conviction. This shames us all. So I fully support my colleague Margaret Curran’s proposed amendment to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill. This will stop defendants arguing, where a victim was drunk, that consent to sex had been given in advance. Currently an attacker could get away with taking advantage of a person who is drunk by claiming falsely that consent was given verbally in advance - then it would be one person’s word against another. When a person is too drunk to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ then there can be no excuse for anyone taking advantage of them sexually. This amendment should also help tackle the low conviction rate.

Pay Hospital Cleaners A Living Wage

In answer to a Parliamentary written question, Cabinet Secretary Nicola Sturgeon refused to commit to paying cleaners who will be taken on to help fight hospital infections a living wage. Instead, she said they would have to wait until 2011 and even then there was no guarantee.

The NHS is Scotland’s biggest employer with over 165,000 people on its payroll. According to Scottish Government officials, 7,867 of those workers earn less than £7 an hour.

I am disappointed that the Scottish Government has chosen to snub hospital cleaners by rejecting our proposal to pay every worker in the NHS at least £7 per hour. This policy could be delivered tomorrow if they wanted to.

The financial commitment involved is less than a tenth of one per cent of the overall health budget and a living wage for every health worker would be another reason for Scots to take pride in the NHS.

ACCORD Hospice

I was pleased to visit ACCORD Hospice last week where once again I was impressed. One-on-one care but also their expertise and commitment in both living and dying with the utmost comfort and dignity. Increasingly ACCORD treats people with all sorts of difficult diseases not just cancer care. A few years ago I had gone into battle with the old health board to ensure ACCORD got its fair share of support from the health service. But on this occasion I was looking for their help. I had asked for a briefing on both the recent Palliative Care Private Member’s Bill and also on Margo McDonald’s proposed Assisted Suicide Bill. I appreciated ACCORD’s long considered frontline views and was not disappointed in their straightforward common sense thinking on this very difficult matter. ACCORD is a real feather in Renfrewshire’s cap.

Importance of our Local Press

And in a week when politicians have typically been attacking the press. Can I speak up for local newspapers.

As a Paisley Daily Express reader you value local news from a trusted source. But all over the country local papers are coming under more and more pressure.

The Scottish Government intends to put an end to the advertising of public notices in newspapers and move to centralised online portals. Crucially, this will mean a major loss of revenue for local newspapers and public notices, including job adverts, will be less accessible to those without access to the internet.

It is estimated that £10 million will be lost in advertising revenue. For our local papers the advertising revenue generated from these public information notices is significant and without it they are severely under threat.

For these reasons I have signed the Parliamentary Motion calling on the Scottish Government to review its decision.

____________________________________________________

I welcome the recently released fire statistics for Scotland which illustrated a decline in the number of serious fires and fire casualties in Scotland in recent years. However it is disappointing that the number of fire-related deaths remain greater in Scotland than in comparable countries. This highlights a need to do more in terms of fire safety. It is also essential that the Scottish Government make clear what steps they will take, particularly in relation to new planning proposals currently being scrutinised in Parliament, to ensure that landlords continue to co-operate with the Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing scheme and that safety standards are continually improved. [Houses of Multiple Occupation are usually occupied by unrelated companions whether students, young professionals or immigrant workers]

In light of these recent fire statistics I’d like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that Strathclyde Fire & Rescue do offer a FREE home fire safety visit. Just call 0800-0731-999, text “Check” to 61611 on your mobile phone or simply fill in the form on the Strathclyde Fire & Rescue community safety webpage at www.strathclydefire.org. Your local fire station will then call you back to arrange a time and date that suits you. Alternatively you can phone your local fire station direct to arrange a home safety visit. During the visit fire fighters will check each room of your house with you, helping you to make sure your house is safe. If you don’t have a smoke alarm they can fit one free of charge.

Climate Change - SCIAF’s Global Warning

SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) recently organised a postcard campaign to warn of Global Warning campaign. A fair number of my constituents contacted me through this.

SCIAF’s campaign sends the important message that climate change is everyone’s responsibility and it rightly highlights the fact that global warming is already having a direct impact on some of the poorest people on our planet.
We know that the effects of global warming are already being disproportionately felt by people in developing countries which often have very poor infrastructure and are also the most vulnerable to severe weather, flooding and other impacts of climate change.

The UK government has been leading from the front on this issue, meeting our commitments to reducing emissions under the Kyoto targets and leading the international fight against climate change.  In Scotland, the government’s consultation on the climate change bill has recently concluded.  However, I was disappointed that the Scottish government did not include its promised target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3% a year.

I welcome SCIAF’s campaign and am glad to see that they are lobbying government over important issues such as the need for adaptations to help deal with the impact of climate change. It is important to keep this issue on the political agenda - climate change is everyone’s responsibility.

Rest assured that, together with my colleagues in the Scottish Labour Group at Holyrood, I will continue to press the Scottish Government to ensure that Scotland plays its role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Linwood

I join Linwood residents in being heartily pleased at the news of the formal planning application for the Linwood Town Centre Regeneration being submitted to Renfrewshire Council in the last couple of weeks. Many felt time had slipped by since my campaign in October 2006 and the subsequent announcement by Tesco in the spring of 2007. Community consultations were completed by the autumn of 2007 but further negotiations with various parties took that little extra bit of time. The recent public event at the end of April was very well received by the community and we all look eagerly forward to the next progress step.

Lagoon Ice Rink

I am disappointed to learn that the Lagoon Ice Rink is still facing an uncertain future nearly two years after closure. Braehead fortunately did step into the breach to save the Paisley Pirates Ice Hockey Team and provide some leisure skating facilities but many young figure skaters and various clubs are still affected. Families are having to travel far to keep up ice practice and fear for the rink’s future. There is no doubt having an Ice Rink has always been a valuable appreciated facility in Paisley – I urge Renfrewshire Leisure and the Council to pull out all stops to find the solution and return this prize to the town.

Royal National Mod

I am pleased to offer my full support to Renfrewshire’s Council bid to bring the Royal National Mod to Paisley. Attracting such a prestigious event of the premier festival of Gaelic language, arts and culture would be a great event for Paisley, attracting visitors from not only Scotland but also from countries such as Australia, Canada and the U.S. It would be a marvellous platform for Paisley and would additionally inject a welcome boost to the local economy.

Click here to watch Wendy’s Climate Change speech, 7th May 2009

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): Like others, I welcome the fact that the United Kingdom and, with the passage of the bill, Scotland are providing leadership in the strategic framework for tackling climate change.

As others have said, the bill is a vital start, but it still leaves us with a choice: either we can stop at setting ambitious targets for tomorrow’s policy makers or we can challenge ourselves now to start setting targets for the current generation and to put in place policies to deliver those cuts in emissions. As Angela Constance said, people all over Scotland and at every level will be disappointed if the height of our ambition is not to set any short-term statutory duties for the current parliamentary session, for the next parliamentary session, between 2011 and 2015, or for the subsequent session, from 2015 to 2019. That is not what the people of Scotland want from us. The important thing is that we work with the bill to ensure that we act now rather than later. As the Stern review concluded—and as others have alluded to—it is clear that
“the benefits of … early action far outweigh the … costs of not acting.”

However, the bill as it stands manifestly lacks strong early action.
Our second challenge with the bill is that we need not simply to set the right targets but to put in place the hard policy measures to make things happen. As we have learned to our cost over the past decade—Robin Harper alluded to this in a very powerful speech—simply defining the problem does not necessarily lead to the solution. To make that happen, the bill must tackle the system failures that are slowing the rate of green transformation. That means that the bill must go further in addressing market failures, providing the right financial incentives and ensuring that we take brave decisions on regulation.
The need for us to do that can be demonstrated by looking no further than our near European neighbours. We might now have the most ambitious strategic framework for the next 40 or 50 years, but the size of the green economy in each of our European neighbours—including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain—is significantly larger than that in Scotland. That is not because people in Scotland have a lesser wish to be green; it is about our responsibility to create the right policy framework. I hope that the Government will try to meet the environmental ambitions of the people of Scotland by giving serious consideration to the advice of the three parliamentary committees and by making some of the brave decisions required for actual delivery.
Stewart Stevenson: Does the member regret, as I do, the loss of the pre-combustion CO2 sequestration opportunity at the Peterhead plant that is now being developed in the middle east?
Ms Alexander: I certainly welcome the fact that there are to be four CCS plants across the UK and a much larger number in Europe. CCS is an example of an area in which we need to work together and not try to score points if we want to secure the scale of investment that is required. I refrained from saying that we had been leapfrogged by the UK on targets, but I predict that we will be leapfrogged again unless we deal with the issue of short-term targets.
I return to the areas in which we need policy action. As has been mentioned, energy efficiency has been the Cinderella of the energy and climate change debate for decades, and it would be a shame if we allowed it to be a Cinderella in the bill, but that is the position as things stand. The provisions on energy efficiency, the energy performance of buildings and renewable heat lack the necessary policy bite. In the case of energy efficiency and renewable heat, there are no targets at all. The bill should include new financial incentives on energy efficiency and renewable heat. When that has been done, those new commitments must be reflected in a revised financial memorandum.
As the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee suggested, we would like local tax rebates to be provided to incentivise the take-up of energy efficiency, renewable heat and microgeneration. In the case of microgeneration, one need look no further than the evidence of Ian Marchant, who chairs the Government’s business advisory group, on the wisdom of the provision of financial incentives in that area. That has been requested by the coalition that supports Sarah Boyack’s proposed member’s bill on energy efficiency and microgeneration, and it would be respectful to the member, the coalition and Parliament if the Government could set out its intentions with regard to that bill—and, in particular, the proposal that general permitted development rights should be extended in the ways that the committee described—as soon as possible.
I am aware that time is pressing. The state of our domestic housing stock should shame us all. We cannot achieve the climate change targets unless we make it fit for purpose. That is an area that the bill leaves behind, and it is one that should dominate our thinking at stage 2.
Scots do not want to be less green. We are less green because of an inadequate policy framework, for which we should all take responsibility. The bill represents the only opportunity that we have to pass primary legislation that will address that inadequate policy framework. The next generation will judge the bill not on the ambition of our targets but on whether it fixed the policy framework so that we could deliver. I hope that we will put in place the necessary policy framework by amending the bill as it goes through its parliamentary stages. If we fail, we will have failed the many Scots who look to us not simply for targets but for delivery.

Click here to watch Wendy’s Education Speech, Thursday 30th April _____________________________________

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): I begin by thanking the Liberal Democrats for introducing a useful debate this morning.

As members have made clear, it is unarguable that education has been the poor relation in the first two years of the SNP Government. On teacher numbers, it has failed. On class sizes of 18, it has failed. On physical education in schools, it has failed. On nursery teachers, it has failed. On the school building programme, it has failed. Nowhere in the SNP manifesto did it say, “These are our hopes for education, but it is entirely up to each and every local authority as to whether they choose to fulfil any of these promises,” yet that is the policy stance of this Government.

I genuinely welcome the regret that the Minister for Schools and Skills has expressed today—I think for the first time—about the falling teacher numbers in Scotland, and I hope that we will also hear regret about the cuts in nursery teacher numbers in Scotland. However, the disturbing aspect of the Government’s approach is that in this place it continues to profess commitments on teacher numbers, nursery teachers, class sizes of 18 and physical education in schools, yet it is not prepared to do anything about them. The Government has a laissez-faire approach to what is happening in schools up and down the country.

The odd private chat with a council does not make a policy. After two years, that is what the schools minister and the cabinet secretary need to

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]]> http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/04/30/wendys-scottish-parliament-education-debate-speech/feed/ http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/04/27/pde-column-27th-april-2009-police-and-crime-cervical-cancer-progress-good-linwood-news/ http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/2009/04/27/pde-column-27th-april-2009-police-and-crime-cervical-cancer-progress-good-linwood-news/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:01:51 +0000 constituency http://www.wendyalexander.co.uk/?p=1189 Police and crime

It has been a week of good and bad news when it comes to the struggle for safer streets. First the good news.

I had a very encouraging meeting with the Police Divisional Commander Paul Main in Mill St to talk about local policing in Renfrewshire. I was encouraged by his plans to roll out more community police officers.

My top priorities are to see speedy progress on the building of the planned new police offices for both Renfrew and Linwood.

More police on the beat make a difference. Labour increased police numbers by 1500 from 2000-7.  It is encouraging to see local police chiefs increasingly ensuring these extra officers are actually out on the streets.

Over recent years I have been consistently impressed by the quality of our local community police officers. It is often a demanding job that falls on young shoulders. So it is vital young Police Officers get the high-quality training they deserve. It is therefore very disappointing that refresher courses for Police recruits that have been qualified for a year have been scrapped and no extra funding has been provided for the Police Training College at Tulliallan.

And we cannot let up on tackling anti social behaviour.  So I am concerned that the  SNP’s Crime Bill published this week plans to scrap all prison sentences of less than six months and replace them with community sentences, without properly funding those community sentences. The SNP’s plans will only pay for community sentences for one in five offenders. What happens to all the rest? Our streets will be less safe if the SNP go ahead with scrapping all six-month sentences – and yet fail to provide the money necessary to pay for all the community sentences.

CERVICAL CANCER progress

Most people, whether fans of Big Brother or not,  were touched by the sad story of Jade Goody, a young mum in the spotlight, suddenly discovering and later succumbing to terminal cervical cancer.

One subsequent comfort from the her  very public story is the hugely encouraging rise in the number of young women, now making an appointment for a smear test, now getting themselves checked out.

And new figures show that nine out of ten schoolgirls have received their first dose of cervical cancer vaccine. Over 90% of eligible girls have received their first dose of the HPV vaccine.  The immunisation programme protects against the virus that causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers, so many young lives can be saved

More good news in Linwood

Sanctuary Housing have agreed to help deal with the noise and mess caused by the new house building they are undertaking between Brediland and Erskinefaulds Roads.

And after intensively lobbying by local residents the Planning Dept last week cleared up a site at Moss Av where a neglectful owner had refused to clear up his derelict land.

Finally, Tesco have assured me they are on track to get on site by the autumn to begin demolition and rebuilding. They tell me the new shopping centre is to have three pieces of public art. As Buddies and the PDE know – public art is often controversial! So I am supporting plans to hold design workshops involving local people.  Already I have been approached by local residents wanting a new memorial for soldiers lost in conflict and a local artist offering her services.

Paisley Law Centre is on the frontline of helping Buddies facing repossessions hold onto their homes. Jon Kiddie and his colleagues are inundated with tough repossession cases. I want more help for those facing repossession. Many legal firms refuse to take on repossession cases and Paisley Law Centre steps in to ensure Buddies are represented in court to help them hold on to their homes.

I questioned the Justice Minister Kenny McAskill in Parliament on the case for more help for Law centres such as Paisley who protect people from the worst consequences of the credit crunch. In his response the Minister indicated in the Chamber he would in principle be willing to meet with Scotland’s Law Centres to discuss the issue of mortgage repossession cases.

Along with colleague Hugh Henry MSP for Paisley South I went to visit Paisley Law Centre recently to hear more about their valuable work.

In 2008 there were 1200 eviction cases raised at Paisley Sheriff Court – this year they expect a significant rise in repossession cases.

Increasingly Paisley Law Centre is dealing with tenants facing eviction because their private landlord has defaulted on their mortgage. These vulnerable tenants need better legal protection – and Paisley Law centre does all it can assist.

I will be pursuing with Ministers, who are the lenders who are putting borrowers under most pressure when they get into difficulties.
Local football in the community
I am disappointed to report that so far the council appears to be unsympathetic to the plight of local football men’s team Linwood Amateurs who risk being expelled from their Scottish Central League due to difficulties trying to secure a regular decent home pitch meeting the mandatory requirements of the SFA.
Linwood Amateurs secured entry to the higher Scottish Central League after repeated successes in the Paisley and District Leagues. The PDE also covered the story recently when I met up with the coach and some players. A recent example of difficulties meant that the condition of the only available pitch booked led to the referee refusing on the day to let the game go ahead, and the opposing team, coming all the way from Edinburgh, were sent home with 3 points in their pockets. Linwood on the other hand received a £150 SFA fine and a warning.

The council admit that in Renfrewshire demand exceeds supply for football pitches. Apparently there are unused pitches at Linwood Sports Centre – but the council say ‘that’s no us it’s Renfrewshire Leisure’. So I’m not finished yet. I will pursue the matter further with Renfrewshire Leisure, and pursue the fact that if, according to 2008-09 council literaure they are to take possession of 11 high quality playing fields, constructed by Transport Scotland as part of the Glasgow Airport rail Link project, then will pitch booking problem for all teams in Renfrewshire be eased?  I hope too to approach local large companies such as Chivas & BAA to see if they can help Linwood Amateurs in some way.
In the meantime another local well known youth football club, Glennifer Thistle, now face an invasion of inconsiderate, damaging seasonal travellers breaking into the field they had been recently loaned by BAA to turn in to a home pitch for the start of the new season! Training has now been postponed.  I am urging the police to take whatever action they can as soon as possible before the hard work Glennifer has already put in is ruined.

Arkelston Road Roundabouts
Local residents have continued to lobby for improvements at the double roundabouts at the top of Arkleston Rd. They gathered compelling evidence of many drivers simply disregarding the existence of the roundabouts in some cases. The council had indicated their intention to take action last Autumn but apparently had difficulty in securing a window of opportunity without causing major disruption. They now assure me work will commence this Spring.

Visitors to the Parliament
I and fellow Renfrewshire MSPs, Trish Godman and Hugh Henry welcomed a bus trip of local residents to the Scottish Parliament. They enjoyed a tour of the building, the repartee of First Ministers Questions, rounded off by a nice lunch. Reports back tell me they had a wonderful day – maybe Buddies who have not visited yet might consider it over the summer?

Despite mounting criticism, Renfrewshire’s SNP led Council stand by plans to reduce music tuition to once fortnightly and axe 7 full-time-equivalent staff. As support against the cuts gathers pace, I’ve set up an online petition against this http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rcmusic09/.

By forcing kids to look elsewhere and for those who can afford it to go private, we are undermining the chances of this and future generations. When we hand over the pleas from concerned parents and pupils, I hope councillors who could find more than 8 times the cost of the music instructors to build up balances - will now have the good grace to think again.

Please sign the petition.

Disappointed At Scottish Government Response to NHS Living Wage

I am disappointment at The Scottish Government’s refusal to accept Labour’s proposal to introduce a living wage for all NHS workers of at least £7 per hour.

The NHS is Scotland’s biggest employer with over 165,000 people on its payroll. According to Scottish Government officials, 7,867 of those workers earn less than £7 an hour.

UNISON’s Scottish Regional Secretary Dave Watson also welcomed the idea to give a living wage to the final, small groups of low-paid health care staff who carry out vital services for us all.

A minimum of £7 per hour would tell employees at every level of the health service how much we value them and making work pay and I believe everyone would benefit from this policy.

The Scottish Government could implement this policy tomorrow if they wanted to as the financial commitment involved is less than a tenth of one per cent of the overall health budget and could be delivered without taking a single penny from frontline services.

Putting more money into the pockets of the lowest paid workers would be another reason for Scots to take pride in the NHS.

Clergy Hospital Visiting Lists

I am concerned to learn from the Paisley & Greenock Presbytery of the Church of Scotland of the withdrawal of clergy visiting lists from local hospitals including the RAH.

Currently local ministers of various faiths have been able to visit their parishioners whose religion has been identified on admission. The churches are dismayed at no prior consultation or warning and wish to ensure that the spiritual care of patients in hospital remains a high priority for those requiring that particular comfort. The reason given for the withdrawal apparently is Data Protection but I hope that some solutions can be found and have written to the Chief Executive of the Health Board on the matter.

British Airways Maintenance at Glasgow Airport

Next month British Airways Maintenance Glasgow proudly passes a major milestone in its history when they complete work on their 200th Airbus. I was pleased to attend their ‘200th Airbus Presentation’ recently at the British Airways Maintenance Base at Glasgow Airport. BA’s Chief Executive Willie Walsh along with senior Airbus personnel celebrated with the Airport based staff - but the undoubted show stealers were the children from Bushes Primary School in Paisley who were involved in a competition to design a poster and logo to commemorate the occasion. Well done to Emily Muir who won 2 free flights to London for her winning poster.

The Big Lottery Fund
Many congratulations to local Company Kidd’s Distribution Services Ltd (KDS) winning an excellent £285,000 Big Lottery Fund award. This will enable them to run a number of training academies where people will learn everything from Attitude and Motivation future planning through to customer service and interview techniques. Upon completing the course they will be matched with potential employers. This Lottery grant is one aimed at supporting the efforts in tackling unemployment. More than 200 long term unemployed adults across Scotland will be supported to find work.
So I urge local companies and organisations out there to consider whether they could apply this year coming? Application forms are now available from www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_peoples_millions and the deadline for submitting them is 15 May 2009.