Dundee SNP

Dundee East MSP Shona Robison today cautiously welcomed new statistics which show that the number of lone parents receiving grants to take up higher education 2008-2009 in Dundee East is the highest in Scotland with Dundee West also in the top five.

The grants are made available from the HE Childcare Fund, the Lone Parents Grant and Lone Parent Childcare Grant to assist widowed, divorced, separated or single students bringing up children with the costs of childcare.

Shona said: “I’m pleased that lone parents in Dundee are increasingly taking up the opportunity of these grants to assist them with childcare costs so that they can continue in Higher Education. I note that Dundee East is the highest in Scotland with Dundee West also in the top five.

“The grants are made available from the HE Childcare Fund, the Lone Parents Grant and Lone Parent Childcare Grant to assist widowed, divorced, separated or single students bringing up children with the costs of childcare.

“I’m also pleased to note that the overall number of FE students in Scotland receiving support from the FE Childcare Fund has increased from 3,255 in 2006-2007 to 3,535 2007-2008.

“The Scottish Government is keen to support access to education from all age groups and sectors of the population.”

The SNP Candidate for Dundee West in the forthcoming General Election, Councillor Jim Barrie, Social Work & Health Convenor at Dundee Council, has welcomed the support of  The Royal College of Nursing for minimum pricing for alcohol as the consensus in favour of the measure in the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill grows day by day.

RCN Scotland, which has 38,000 members in Scotland is lobbying in support of the Scottish Government’s proposed radical legislation on alcohol which would change the way in which alcohol is sold and introduce minimum pricing controls.

Jim Barrie said: “The RCN in Scotland has over 38,000 members and are major influencers on the health debate in Scotland and I am delighted that they have joined the overwhelming consensus building in support of the Scottish Government’s policy.

“The entire medical profession, the police, the licensed trade – even the all-party Health Select Committee at Westminster are in favour of the measure, yet Labour, the Lib Dems and Tories in Scotland continue to block it.

“Recently, a Dundee-based Labour MSP while agreeing that the problems of alcohol abuse were extremely serious, in fact, ‘bigger than the original official figures indicate’ demanded action to tackle the problem, then suggested education was the solution.

“The problem is acute precisely because education alone has failed over several decades to change behaviour. Frankly, it is for Labour, Lib Dem and Tory politicians to explain why they are at odds with expert medical opinion and the overwhelming majority of those professional bodies who advocate minimum pricing as a bold measure that will help to tackle the massive impact of alcohol abuse.”

The SNP have made a scathing attack on Labour over prescription charges after it emerged Gordon Brown is set to shelve a promise made in 2008 to give people with long-term health conditions in England  free prescriptions.

Councillor Jim Barrie, Convenor of Health & Social Work at Dundee City Council said: “The SNP Government has reduced prescription charges in Scotland each year since it took office in 2007 and all patients will get their prescriptions entirely free by 2011.

“Yet Labour attacked the Scottish Government in the debate last week and wrongly claimed that patients with long-term conditions in England do not have to pay when their Scottish counterparts still do.

“However this claim by Jackie Baillie, Labour’s Health Spokesperson, was based on a pledge by Gordon Brown in 2008 which has not been delivered and which now looks set to be shelved altogether until after the General Eleciton at the very least.

“In fact, a strong coalition of 20 of the most prominent health charities in England is now calling on its members to take direct action to demand the Prime Minister fulfill his promise. And 172 MPs have now signed an early day motion on the subject.

The SNP Government will reduce prescription charges for ALL illnesses by the end of the Parliamentary session. In contrast Labour has only abolished charges for cancer sufferers in England, a move which has alienated sufferers of other long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and depression who have questioned why they are not given parity of treatment.

“The early evidence of the first reductions show that it is those with long term conditions who have to live with the cost of medicines who have benefited most from these cuts.

“Prescription charges are a tax on ill health and are unacceptable in a modern society. It is only the SNP Government which can be relied on to bring about their abolition and Labour’s attacks are pure hypocrisy.”

ENDS

Notes

1. Reports that Gordon Brown is to shelve his prescription promise can be found here:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/24/free-prescriptions-gordon-brown-protest

2. A website calling on Gordon Brown to keep the promise he made in his speech to Labour Party Conference 2008 to abolish prescription charges for people with all long-term conditions, can be read here: http://www.prescriptionpromise.org

Local SNP Councillor Jim Barrie is pleased to announce that the burnt out paper bin within the Neighbourhood Recycling Point at the junction of Bankmill Road and Milnbank Road will be replaced very shortly.

Councillor Barrie said “The standard policy to replace the bin for a second time will continue, but if further incidents occur the result will be the removal of the paper bin from the unit. ”

“I would urge members of the public to report any incidents of vandalism, as this facility is well used and very popular with local residents”  “It is a shame that a minority of the public feel it necessary to deprive their fellow residents of a handy place to dispose of their papers.  It is also very costly to the Council and the ratepayers as well”

“Recycling is now becoming very popular with the public in Dundee, it  helps the environment, saves money, and is a useful contribution for making the city meet challenges that have to be tackled for the future” ended Cllr. Barrie.

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick has welcomed the decision of Dundee City Council’s Development Quality Committee to give the go-ahead for the new superstore which ASDA plans to build on the site of the former NCR factory at Wester Gourdie.

Joe FitzPatrick said: “I welcome both the Council’s unanimous decision on the application and the investment and jobs which this new development represents.

“I previously met with representatives of the company and received assurances that wherever possible, local suppliers and local businesses will be involved in the construction of the new store.

 “I particular this will be a very welcome and timely boost for the local construction industry.

“At my meeting with ASDA I was given assurances about the future of their 800 Dundee employees at the existing two ASDA stores at Milton of Craigie and Gillburn Road. 

Today’s good news means there will be 480 job opportunities – brand new jobs for local people in Dundee.”

Dundee’s SNP politicians have welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement of £1.6 million to be invested in Dundee Community Planning Partnership initiatives to support and prepare people for work and programmes to develop Dundee’s workforce and safeguard and create jobs.

Last week at a National Job Summit in Glasgow, First Minister Alex Salmond outlined £34 m new allocations from the European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) that will help 28,000 people to gain or sustain employment opportunities through skills development and support the creation of 193 jobs.

As part of that package, Dundee’s CPP is to receive £1.6 million to support projects such as Craigowl Communities – ‘Skills for Success’ – an initiative offering the skills and experiences needed to allow disadvantaged individuals to progress either to further learning opportunities or directly into work.

Dundee MSPs Shona Robison and Joe FitzPatrick have welcomed the funding for the city.

Shona Robison said: “The Scottish Government is working to ensure Dundee’s economy recovers from the recession and to safeguard existing jobs.

“This £1.6m for Dundee will deliver vital support such as skills upgrading to match skills to jobs and to  promote improved learning opportunities.”

Joe FitzPatrick commented: “Dundee’s Community Planning Partnership are well-placed to use this additional cash injection where it will work best to sustain training and employment initiatives.

“The Scottish Government’s Economic Recovery Plan has directly supported up to 15,000 jobs in the Scottish economy and this extra investment will make a valuable contribution to increasing Scotland’s sustainable economic growth.”

Commenting on the report published yesterday by the Centre for Cities which suggested that cities like Dundee might take longer to get out of recession, Dundee’s SNP politicians were concerned to highlight the positives and to assert that joint campaigns such as the Courier’s ‘Let’s Get Dundee Working’ can help to make things happen.

Dundee East MSP Shona Robison said today, “Of course, there are many problems in Dundee and these have been well-rehearsed many times, but there are numerous positives too. “The Scottish Government has been doing a lot to help Dundee recover, with £33m invested in the waterfront as a catalyst for further regeneration of the city. Scottish Government support can be the key for the V&A Dundee project which will provide hundreds of jobs and more importantly signal a new era for the city’s recovery and will only be possible through joint working of Dundee City Council, Dundee’s two Universities and other partners. “Despite the downturn and the tight financial settlement, the Scottish Government and its agencies has committed record spending on new social housing and on a new £22m swimming and leisure centre in Dundee with 5 new primary schools and a new building for Harris Academy forthcoming – all will help to keep Dundee’s recovery on track.

“Our freezing of the Council Tax across Scotland for a third successive year has helped ordinary families while the abolishing or slashing of Business Rates – welcomed by the Federation of Small Business as ‘making a real difference’ – has been a big help to thousands of small businesses across the country and in some cases has made the difference between businesses surviving or going under.

“As local politicians we are working hard with the Scottish Government and Dundee City Council to seize the opportunity to make Dundee the renewables capital of Scotland in the same way that Aberdeen benefited from North Sea oil and gas.

“By working with Forth Ports, Scottish Enterprise and Dundee Council, we can help the city take advantage of its port and ideal location for turbine manufacturing.”

Commenting on the report, Joe FitzPatrick,MSP for Dundee West said: “There is no point in glossing over the facts that Dundee has a long way to go to catch up with other more affluent areas.

“The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s refusal to allow the Scottish Government to bring forward accelerated capital spending has directly affected Dundee’s recovery. It could have allowed us to bring forward recovery projects to help bring us out of recession and protect jobs.

“Dundee’s situation has certainly not been helped either by Mr Darling’s refusal to agree to tax breaks for the computer games industry. This was the most important thing which could have been in the UK Government’s pre-budget report to safeguard Dundee’s digital media sector and allow expansion in the city.

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie said: “A new analysis of official statistics shows that Scotland has consistently outperformed the UK in recent decades when it comes to balancing the books on public finances. Even within the financial straightjacket of the UK, Scotland can prosper and the Scottish Government has done all within its powers to help the country through the recession.

“Alistair Darling’s decision to increase employers’ National Insurance contribution by 1% from 1st April 2011 is set to cost Scotland £104 million from 2011 to 2012. This is a tax on creating jobs and this was the wrong thing to do.

“The UK Government is making the wrong choice by cutting Scotland’s budget now before we are out of recession.”

Councillor Jim Barrie, SNP Candidate for Dundee West in the forthcoming General Election, said: “The Courier’s ‘Let’s Get Dundee Working’ campaign is helping to focus everyone’s minds on the main priority which is to ensure that when the economy recovers, Dundee is quickly able to revitalise itself.  The expansion of existing business and regeneration in the public sector will create the opportunity to allow development of new jobs. 

“I have seen at first-hand how the Scottish Government’s Small Business Bonus Scheme, which was extended this year has proved to be a huge help to small businesses, which are at the core of our economy.”

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick, who has been highly supportive of the Dundee-based Scottish video games industry, today reacted with surprise at a parliamentary motion which seeks to associate the industry with ‘high levels of violence’ and has tabled an amendment at the Scottish Parliament to promote a more constructive approach.

The MSP feels that the original motion, tabled by Labour MSP Elaine Smith, is unnecessarily hostile to the industry and may set-back development of a sector which has a combined turnover of approximately £20m and employs over 700, many in Dundee.

Joe FitzPatrick said: “I am very keen to promote Dundee’s world-leading video game development sector and am concerned at this unwarranted attack on an important industry and the effect it might have on its development.

“Only 3% of games in 2007 are classified as an 18+ certificate. Overall, the recent Byron Report was ambivalent about the connection between video games and violence.

“Of those games that do contain violent conduct they are clearly designed only for adults and rated appropriately.

“The UK Government is due to introduce legislation protecting children by making age ratings compulsory for all boxed games designed for those aged 12 or above, using the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification system. It is important that this is done before the General Election.”
“Parents should heed the classification code and only buy games for children which are appropriate for their age and retailers should continue to strictly enforce the classification system when selling video games to the public.”

Dr Richard Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of the TIGA the games industry’s representative body, said: “The video games industry makes an important economic contribution both to the Scotland and to the wider UK economy. It sustains highly skilled, graduate level jobs in an industry that exports games all over the world.

“Video games also have great potential in respect of education and training. Rather than knocking the UK video games sector we should be celebrating its success and implementing measures to help the industry to realise its full potential.”

Dundee’s SNP politicians have urged the public to give generously to the Haiti Emergency appeals.

Shona Robison MSP said: “I’m pleased that Dundee has its own appeal and will be making my own donation to it. The disaster is of such magnitude that it is good that people in Scotland and the Scottish Government were quick off the mark in pledging money – more than £250,000 was pledged last week by Fiona Hyslop, the External Affairs Minister, to the NGO’s co-ordinating the aid effort from Scotland. “More importantly, the Scottish Government has also offered immediate help with the temporary secondment of its staff to allow charities and the disaster emergency committee staff to focus on the operation of getting the aid from Scotland to Haiti. This will be of immediate value as they attempt to respond to the huge logistical task of co-ordinating the public appeal and organising transport. Joe FitzPatrick MSP said: “Scots have responded with great generosity to the disaster appeal. More than £1m was raised from the Scottish public in the first three days, approximately one sixth of the UK total raised. I’ll be donating to the Disaster Relief Fund (Dundee) and urge everyone to give what they can afford – to the reception at City Chambers, 18 City Square. “The first wave of the aid effort will be for basic humanitarian aid – water, food and shelter but it is important that people continue to donate over the coming weeks. “There will be a requirement for more substantial aid once basic emergency supplies are delivered to all who need them. It’s our job, as politicians, to raise awareness of the Haiti Appeal and to urge people to donate by calling 0370 60 60 900 or by visiting the Disaster Emergency Committee website www.dec.org.uk “ Stewart Hosie MP said: “Although the situation is volatile with the transport network in Haiti in chaos and there have been reports of looting, these kinds of stories should not detract from the immensity of the human suffering which we have a duty to help alleviate. “There are many ways that the public can help by contacting the DEC the main appeal body or Save The Children, Oxfam Scotland, SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) or the Mercy Corps, all of whom are involved in getting aid from Scotland to Haiti.” Councillor Jim Barrie said: “Our heart must go out to the thousands of ordinary folk who managed to survive the disaster but lost family members. “The sheer scale of the earthquake and the destruction it caused has taken us by surprise but we can play a part in helping to bring the suffering to an end more quickly. “There are many ways to get involved in helping to raise funds, through any networks you are involved in, social clubs, trade unions and church groups – and to make a personal donation of whatever you can afford to the Disaster Relief Fund (Dundee) at 18 City Square Dundee.”

The SNP is working hard to bring jobs to Dundee and has created numerous jobs since 2007 and will continue to press for more civil service opportunities, says Dundee’s elected representatives.

Shona Robison, Dundee East MSP said: “We will continue to press Dundee’s case for civil service job opportunities. It is a fact that the Scottish Government has helped to create a considerable number of new posts in the city over the last two years, some of which are still to come on-stream.

“However, despite the Scottish Government’s ongoing job creation and support for ongoing regeneration projects, we need to recognise that we are now living in a very different economic world. The public sector is not immune to that. There is more likely to be contraction rather than expansion of the public sector.

“Some of the jobs which have come to Dundee recently include 70 posts created by £5m funding in 2008 for the Translational Medicine Centre at Dundee University.

“New life sciences jobs will be created at the Scottish Institute for Cell Signalling led by Sir Philip Cohen, set up by £10m funding in 2008.

“There will be a number of new jobs at the £16m Scottish Police Services forensic laboratory at City Court at the waterfront when that opens and the SPSA have taken a 35 year lease on the building.

“It has been estimated that the Scottish Government’s £33m investment in the waterfront regeneration project could create 3500 new permanent jobs and generate £2.6 billion into the national economy.

“The V&A project which the Scottish Government is working jointly towards with the City Council and the city’s two Universities, will begin construction in 2012 and be completed in 2014 and will generate 900 jobs and bring an estimated 130,000 visitors to Dundee every year.”

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said: “Dundee’s Life Sciences sector also received funding from the Scottish Government’s Modern Apprenticeship Framework for Life Sciences last year, which will enable the recruitment of two apprentices for the price of every one taken on.

“The Scottish Government funded 1,000 additional police officers last year and this has meant new police posts in Tayside.

“Funding from the Scottish Government will allow Dundee City Council to build five new primary schools and a new Harris Academy building in the next few years thus providing a boost for the local construction industry.

“It should be noted that other political parties in the Scottish Parliament, and the Liberal Democrats in particular, have been demanding a reduction in the size of the public sector especially the number of quangos in Scotland.

“This really is not consistent with their call locally for more civil service jobs. They can’t have it both ways.”

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie condemned the recent announcement by the UK Treasury confirming plans to close 130 HMRC offices with the loss of up to 1,700 jobs.

SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie echoed concerns raised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) warned that the public and businesses would suffer, with tax advice and support “severely reduced”, and tax collection “undermined”. More than 20,000 civil service jobs have been axed since 2006.

Mr Hosie said: “This is more than just the wrong decision at the wrong time, it is just madness to slash HMRC jobs and services at a time when they are needed most.

“We are in the teeth of recession, and it is no time for the Labour Government to be adding to the dole queue.

“As well as being a bitter blow to the HMRC workforce, these cuts will hit businesses and the public just when they need accessible and well-resourced services most.”

Dundee West Westminster SNP candidate Jim Barrie said that Alistair Darling’s decision to increase employers National Insurance contribution by 1% from 1st April 2011 could cost Scotland £104 million from 2011 to 2012.

The decision by the UK Chancellor is set to cost Dundee City Council £1.7 million and NHS Tayside £2.9 million.

Councillor Barrie said: “Labour’s decision to increase national insurance is going to have a direct effect on frontline services.

“The UK Government will be penalising employers so that they will be unable to expand and take on new staff when the recession is over.”