The House Magazine – Travel & Tourism supplement

Wendy’s article highlights that cuts to domestic connections to Heathrow from Scottish airports could damage Scotland’s export growth. Click on the icon to read the article.

Scottish Parliament Debate on Supporting Business

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): The Liberals should be congratulated on bringing this important debate to the chamber. The issue under scrutiny is whether the Government was right to reject a transitional relief scheme, the consequence of which is that there is no cap whatever on the additional sums that many businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry, might be expected to pay. In England, a business has the certainty that it will face a hike of no more than 12.5 per cent in any one year. However, in Scotland, the hike could be 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 per cent; indeed, there is no limit at all.

Scottish Parliament Economic Recovery Plan 2010 Debate

BASF this week announced 232 job losses in my constituency – almost 2/3 of the jobs at the former CIBA plant are to go in the next three years. Proof positive the recession is not over.

Last September, John Swinney, in his budget statement told Parliament that he had “reluctantly decided to cancel the Glasgow airport rail link project”, also in my constituency. Since the GARL decision, the Scottish Government has had 2 unexpected cash windfalls; £23 million in the PBR and £82 million in the March budget. In fairness only £76 of the £82m goes directly into the Scottish budget as £6m is for student loans. Read more »

Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee – Autism Debate

Ms Alexander: I refer to questions 18 and 20 in the questionnaire, on long-term health conditions. I welcome the fact that there are new questions on long-term health conditions and that there were consultation events on them in the summer. The issue is whether we can move from what is a good set of response categories to a better set of response categories, particularly with respect to the autistic spectrum. I do not know whether I speak for other members, but I think that we have probably had more individual representations on that matter than on any other in recent days. The registrar general will be familiar with the anxiety that exists. Read more »

Has Devolution Delivered for Women?

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Hansard Society speech

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Scottish Government Debate: Scottish Government’s Response to the Pre-Budget Report

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): This debate is about a PBR that adds £23 million extra to and removes nothing from the Scottish Government’s budget of more than £30 billion for next year. We are having a debate on a pre-budget report that changes by less than 0.01 per cent what the Scottish National Party has known for nine months it would have to spend next year. Read more »

Scottish Parliament Further Powers Debate

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): I, too, welcome Fiona Hyslop to her new position, whatever it might be with respect to the constitutional question. Perhaps she will enlighten us at some stage.

As other members have said, the motion before the chamber is a wasted opportunity. Instead of a motion on the merits of the Calman plans—a definitive motion on where the Parliament stands on the totality of the Calman plans—we have an exercise in political positioning. Indeed, only the polite commentators will say “positioning”; the less-polite will call it mere point scoring. Read more »

There is no alternative: Calman is only way to go

The following submission was made by Ms Alexander for the Scotsmans above titled article on 25th November 2009:

Two years ago on St Andrews Day 2007 I proposed a new Commission on the Scottish constitution. A week later the Scottish Parliament embraced the concept, the UK Government followed and Calman, as it became known, was born.

There were many sceptics.  They could be forgiven their cynicism. For years Labour had maintained that devolution did not require reviewing. Even after defeat in 2007 resistance to reform prevailed. Read more »

Calman – The Constitutional Convention

Two years ago on St Andrews Day 2007 I proposed a new Commission on the Scottish constitution. A week later the Scottish Parliament embraced the concept, the UK Government followed and Calman, as it became known, was born.

There were many sceptics.  They could be forgiven their cynicism. For years Labour had maintained that devolution did not require reviewing. Even after defeat in 2007 resistance to reform prevailed. Read more »

Economy Debate

I welcome this govt debate on the economy. The first since we came back in early September. This year it has taken only 8 weeks to get around to the economy.

Last year despite the financial crisis raging around us we had to wait 10 weeks after we came back till 12 Nov after before the govt could find time for a debate on the economy its response to the credit crunch.

Today we have a new document An economic recovery plan update – published at 2.55 just as ministers got up to open the debate – so timed to presumably ensure members could not possibly read it in advance of the debate.
So much for respecting the chamber. Read more »