18 August 2010

Meeting with Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism

This morning I met Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism at the Scottish Parliament. I was meeting the Minister to hand over a copy of the results of the business survey I have undertaken in Edinburgh West and to discuss the findings with him. I am determined to make sure that the Government appreciates how difficult the current economic climate is for business, particularly small and medium sized companies.

When looking at the results of the survey I was shocked to find that only 16% of those who responded had gone to local or national government agencies for assistance. This shows that people are still unaware of the help and support out there. More worrying perhaps was that 2/3 of those who did seek help felt that the assistance they got was satisfactory - this is something which needs to change and I will be looking into the matter over the coming months. I think the Minister was shocked at the statistic and I very much hope that he too will look to see how the support we give businesses can be improved in these difficult times. You can find out more about the business survey and its findings in the news section of this website.

It was then out to the airport to meet the new Managing Director, Kevin Brown. It is always interesting to hear about the airport's future plans but I did of course speak to him about the introduction of drop-off charges which I am wholly against. I have said many times that I think the charge is both unfair and unnecessary and that I will fight its introduction all the way. I have also launched an online petition against the drop-off charges which you can sign by visiting http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/campaigns/stopthedropoffcharge

22 June 2010

Turf cutting to the Highland Show

After a morning in the constituency, I attended the turf cutting ceremony at the new Royal Victoria Building at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital.

The sun was shining as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Nicola Sturgeon, cut the turf to mark the beginning of the building work. The new facility will cost £43.6 million and will be a welcome addition to the facilities at the Western.

The new building will mean that patients are able to have their own single rooms – ensuring that they have more privacy for themselves and their families during their hospital stay. The Royal Victoria building will be on the site of the former Paderewski Building which was originally built during the Great War as the Sisters' Quarters of the 2nd General military Hospital at Craigleith. During the Second World War the building was handed over to the Edinburgh Polish School of Medicine. From 1941 to 1949, it housed medical specialists and students drawn from the Polish army who were in exile. I think it has also been used as a nursing home in the more recent past. The building certainly has a coloured and varied history and I hope that the new state-of-the-art facility will enjoy the same attachment in people’s memories in the years to come.

Back to Parliament for a meeting and then the reception for The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland which I sponsored this year, as in past years. It is a pleasure to have the Royal Highland Show Ground in the constituency and the evening was a chance to look at the masterplan which RHASS has for the site at Ingliston. The show kicks off on Thursday and is set to be a spectacular event.

14 June 2010

ComRes

A busy day today. Surgery appointments in the morning followed by a telephone interview with a research company ComRes. The interview was part of a ComRes panel survey about the financial services industry. As a token, the company allows each MSP they interview to nominate a charity or group to receive a cheque for £50. I awarded mine to Muirhouse Youth Development. I hope that this small contribution will be of use to them in continuing to support the young people with whom they work.

It was an afternoon in the Parliament for a meeting with David Lorimer, Project Director of Learning for Life. Learning for Life runs an annual poster competition where children are asked to design posters about the values they think are important. The scheme really encourages young people to think more about who they want to be and helps them to identify where they want to get in life.

I also sponsored the awards ceremony in Parliament in the evening. It was a delight to see so many young people being rewarded for their hard work and achievement.

10 June 2010

Fringe Festival Programme Launch

Visited the launch of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme today. It is in its 64th year and continues to go from strength to strength. With this year’s programme containing an incredible 2,453 shows it is clear that the current financial climate has not tarnished the world’s largest arts festival. With the festival generating £75 million annually for the Scottish economy I certainly believe that it is vital for Edinburgh. This year’s festival has a strong international flavour with acts coming from the USA, Norway, China, Russia and Poland among others. The best of British is also on offer with Emma Thompson, Paul Merton and Josie Lawrence involved. I am always excited to see the wonderful transformation Edinburgh goes through each summer as the festival atmosphere reaches its height. The festival continues to show that Edinburgh remains one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world. I would recommend at least catching one of the performances, 558 of which are free; and sampling the best in music, dance, comedy and theatre. The Fringe is back bigger and better than ever.

7 June 2010

Visit to Kirkliston Primary

Morning visit to the P7s at Kirkliston Primary School to hear about their recent mock election. Apparently, the victors were the “Blue Crew”! All the candidates seemed to have enjoyed the experience. It’s always good to see kids showing an interest in politics and in the Parliament. They’d all been doing their homework because I got some pretty tough questions about everything from Scotland’s drugs strategy to when the recession is going to end. These kids could give Brian Taylor a run for his money.

After the visit it was back to the constituency office where I went through some cases which constituents had e-mailed or called in about with my caseworker and added a piece of casework I’d picked up at the school.

6 June 2010

Cramond Kirk and Blackhall Mosque

Religious day today - Morning spent at Cramond Kirk and the afternoon at the Blackhall Mosque Family Fun Day. Made very welcome as were the many neighbours who had popped in to enjoy the festivities. Enjoyed a really interesting tour and was able to ask all sorts of questions about the daily 5 prayers and Ramadan. It’s the first mosque on the west of the city although there are a number of others in Edinburgh. The Imam and everyone at the Mosque are keen to welcome visitors to see what they’ve been doing since they opened their doors in February and I would certainly recommend a visit to local organisations. I’m a firm believer that hatred and bigotry is borne as much out of ignorance as out of anything else so a greater understanding of what people believe and what the thinking is behind the various customs of our respective faiths would benefit all of us. Unfortunately, while our children learn about the world’s great faiths in school most adults seem content to learn about them from the pages of tabloid newspapers.

3 June 2010

Corstorphine Fair

It was the Corstorphine Fair today and what a glorious day for it. It was lovely to see so many people – record numbers I’ve been told – out enjoying the Fair. There’s always loads of community groups as well as there being a huge array of stalls with burgers, home baking and the like. I think everyone went home a little heavier than they arrived and a few had certainly caught the sun too! I managed to get smacked in the face three times with a wet sponge when I signed up to be held in the stocks on one stall; it did raise £50 for the Fair though. Only down side for me was having to “wear” a Hibs shirt. It’s a fantastic event, the largest community event in Scotland and the organisers deserve a very big thanks for all their hard work. It’s a great inclusive opportunity for the Corstorphine community to get together – to enjoy the atmosphere and to raise thousands of pounds for local charities.

3 June 2010

A busy day in the Chamber

Another busy day in the Chamber. I had a general question in this morning’s session where I asked about the access NHS patients have to the complaints process if they opt for treatment in a private hospital. The question was prompted by a case I’m dealing with in the constituency. The Cabinet Secretary for Health said that patients should have full recourse to the NHS’ complaints process and offered to meet me to discuss the matter further should it be necessary – a good outcome.

This afternoon was a debate on student fees in Scotland. It is something very close to my heart, not only as Education Spokesperson for my party, but also with 4 children currently studying at University! The debate was a good one for us – we were able to highlight our record of achievement in terms of supporting students and reiterate our complete support for the principle of free higher education in Scotland. It’s something that the party has worked for for a long time and I think it would be a massive step back if tuition fees were re-introduced in Scotland. The Government supported our amendment so we won the vote at the end of the day. All in all a good day.

Proceedings of the Parliament for today can be viewed at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0603-02.htm#Col26983

7 May 2010

Welcome Mike Crockart MP

Polling day is always an anxious one but I’m delighted that Mike Crockart won the Edinburgh West seat at the General Election. I very muck look forward to working with Mike for the good of Edinburgh West.

25 March 2010

Royal Visit

This evening I attended a question time event at the Royal High School, as part of a BBC competition. Pupils at the Royal High have successfully seen off competition from other schools across the UK and were the only Scottish school left to take part in the final. The prize is the chance to work with David Dimbleby to produce an edition of the BBC's Question Time!

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening which saw me, along with fellow MSPs Robin Harper and Margo MacDonald and comedian Greg McHugh answer questions on subjects from the End of Life Assistance Bill to school funding. The contributions made by pupils both taking part in the competition and in the audience were impressive and certainly gave us all things to think about.

The four winning schools will be announced next month...fingers crossed for the Royal High!