26 November 2009

Forth Crossing Bill

I met with the Committee clerks of the Non Executive Bills unit to discuss the best way for local residents to go about objecting to the Forth Crossing Bill and how I can best raise issues and concerns. Although local MSPs can’t sit on the Bill Committee we can vote on the Bill overall and, since it’s a hybrid bill, we can bring forward amendments at Stage 2 and 3 just like a normal Government Bill. That’s different to the process on private bills which I’ve dealt with in the past. It means I won’t be put in the same position I was previously on trams of having to bring forward an amendment to the change the tram route on the final day of the Bill’s passage through Parliament.

25 November 2009

Debating our history

Took part in a lively debate about the teaching of Scottish history in school. There were lots of good contributions and it’s always interesting to find out details you didn’t know about other MSPs. Rob Gibson of the SNP had to declare an interest as a published author of Scottish history books. Not for the first time the range of expertise across the Chamber makes for an interesting debate. I admit to having a lifelong love of history which I put to use as a tour guide for a few years when my children were small. In fact, a great deal of my earliest public speaking was on top of a moving open topped bus. That probably explains a lot.

24 November 2009

Royal High Visit

First visit into the Royal High since my middle two kids left in the Summer. The purpose of my visit was to meet, Jane Frith, the first female rector in the school’s history. We had a very productive meeting and I was really pleased to hear about her plans for school/community engagement. Yet again Edinburgh and the Royal High have done well in terms of examination results but we both agree there’s no place for complacency. Later on I’m off to Ferryhill Primary School in the teeming rain to draw the Xmas raffle where I’m rewarded with a kiss from the jannie. As usual I return home with a pile of books I never quite find the time to read but I do congratulate myself for managing to avoid the home baking.

20 November 2009

Expenses

Not a good day at the office. Started off with constituency surgeries and talking with a Commonwealth Parliamentary delegation about how devolution works in practice. Then read an article in tonight’s Evening News which brands me the highest spending MSP in Lothian. It’s not true and I made it clear to the journalist yesterday that it was factually untrue but you know the saying about not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. The problem is that the Scottish Parliament has decided that for data protection reasons it won’t publish how much MSPs pay their staff so individual staff members’ salaries can’t be identified. However, the Lib Dem group and other MSPs can and do group resources together to employ some staff such as press and research officers and the Parliament does show those figures in these published expenses.

The Scottish Parliament website is quite clear. Next to my Group Pool staffing figures of £8300 it states in the instructions to journalists or anyone else using the site "it is not possible to rank these transfers. For data protection reasons MSPs who employ more of their staff directly may appear to have lower costs than those who employ more staff indirectly". It then gives a full explanation and says "The Group Pool expenditure should not be included in any search for a total annual expenditure figure". But of course that’s exactly what has happened. When I sit down, look at the Scottish Parliament website and do the maths by deducting these staff costs from myself and other MSPs in the area who pool allowances I find that I’m not actually the highest spender I’m the fourth highest. I text the journalist and tell him what he already knows – so far I’ve had no response.

19 November 2009

Schools Consultation Bill

Third and final Parliamentary stage of the Schools Consultation legislation. I had a couple of amendments lodged about education authorities having to answer questions from parents, staff, community councils and others in good time so they could respond fully to future consultations on school closures. I know how difficult closures are for all concerned but it’s essential that councils give affected families and communities all the information they need to take part and to have their say. Fiona Hyslop and the other parties agreed with the principle and we agreed to put new instructions on this in the guidance sent to councils. I’m sure the new legislation will improve consultations in the future. A good day at the office.

17 November 2009

Forth Crossing Bill Published

A long day. The Forth Crossing Bill has now been published and I attended a Transport Scotland briefing and exhibition this afternoon. Other exhibitions are planned and I think it was useful to see the computer generated models which are a bit easier to understand than maps. I really feel for the local residents who are going to have to pour over all the maps and documentation about this scheme.

I didn’t get a chance to start my reading tonight as I had judging duties at the annual Queensferry High School Public Speaking competition. It’s not quite the same as being a judge on the X Factor – our kids have more talent than Jedward and I don’t have to sit next to Simon Cowell. For the fourth year in a row my co-judge was Charles Fletcher from Jubilee FM and we both agreed that the standard of performances just keeps getting better and better. House winners this year were Rosebery and the individual winner was Marian Montanha who was quite outstanding.

10 November 2009

Meeting with Clufflats Residents

I attended an interesting meeting last night at the Rosebery Hall with Transport Scotland and residents of Clufflats and Clufflat Brae who are understandably concerned about the project’s impacts on their properties and quality of life. The Bridge Bill will be lodged in a matter of days and yet there are clearly some people who will be directly affected who still haven’t been told personally by Transport Scotland how this project will affect them so they have a lot of questions. A lot of the ‘science’ on noise and air quality remains a mystery to lay people, including me, but we’ll have to work our way through that as these are extremely important issues for a number of residents I’m pleased that Transport Scotland have at least seen sense and suggested the construction compound be moved from behind Springfield . I’ll be doing all I can to see that MSPs accept their alternative location. There was also a discussion about the amount of construction traffic and assurances given by Transport Scotland that there will only be light equipment taken along the length of Society Road for a short period at the beginning of the works with the rest of the construction traffic coming down the temporary road from the construction compound and the majority coming in from the sea. Residents remain rightly concerned about the impact of the haul road and TS have promised more information about the construction traffic. I’m trying to do what I can to keep people informed and to assist individuals and BRIGS, the umbrella organisation for local residents and Community Councils. There is going to need to be a great deal of work done in the coming months to make sure residents can object effectively in the 60 day objection period after the Bill is lodged.

8 November 2009

Remembrance Sunday

I attended two services of Remembrance today, one in South Queensferry and one in Davidsons Mains. There were good turnouts at both. Maybe the tragic events of the past week or so in Afghanistan were in people’s minds. They were certainly in mine. As far as I’m concerned laying my wreaths is always one of the most important and certainly the most poignant of duties every year.

4 November 2009

Banking Shake Up

I spoke with representatives from both the Royal Bank and Lloyds yesterday in the wake of the announcement of more Royal Bank job losses and the EU inspired shake up. It’s difficult to know whether forcing banks to divest themselves of banking and insurance businesses will lead to more competition which would be good for tax payers, or whether forcing them to get rid of profitable parts of their businesses will be a bad thing for shareholders – that’s the taxpayer too given that we now own so much of both banks. I’m particularly interested to find out what success those who have lost jobs have had at finding new ones. Surprisingly the banks couldn’t tell me, but I questioned the Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop about this in Parliament today and I’m going to pursue this to see what, if any success the Financial Sector Jobs Taskforce and enterprise agencies are having.