Category Archives: Mid Scotland News

First Minister must distance herself from Salmond’s BBC remarks

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Today the First Minister gave the Alternative MacTaggart at the Edinburgh International Television Festival to discuss the upcoming BBC Charter Renewal.

Yesterday I visited BBC Scotland’s headquarters at Pacific Quay and I made the call for Nicola to distance herself from Alex Salmond’s recent attacks on the BBC. It is vital that the charter renewal process isn’t driven by political ideology or grievance, it cannot be about settling old scores.

Throughout the Charter Renewal process I will be calling for increased investment for BBC Scotland and for the retention of the quotas system for commissioning. It is important that we have a sustainable BBC in Scotland, where skills are harnessed and quality programmes are produced.   Continue reading →

BBC Charter can’t be driven by political ideology or grievance

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Today (16th July) the Conservative Government at Westminster launched a Green Paper on renewal of the BBC’s Charter which is due in 2016. For the first time in the charter renewal process, the Scottish Parliament will have a consultative role in the process, following the Smith Report.

The BBC is one of our greatest institutions, envied the world over and treasured by many here at home. That is why today I warned against using the upcoming charter renewal process as a time to settle old scores and have it driven by political ideology or grievance.

In the lead up to last week’s budget, the Conservative Government blindsided the BBC by essentially cutting their budget. This was achieved by forcing the BBC to take control of free TV licensees for over 75s, something that was previous paid for by the Government. This week we have the announcement of a hand-picked group of advisors to report directly to the Government on charter renewal, weakening the public’s voice in the process.

This cannot be allowed to happen in Scotland. Continue reading →

Support for unpaid carers vital

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This week is carers’ week and I have taken the opportunity to back calls for more support for unpaid carers across Mid Scotland and Fife. With an estimated 61,000 unpaid carers throughout the region, with almost half providing over 20 hours of care a week, support is vital.

It is important that the work of unpaid carers does not go unrecognised and unsupported. According to Carers UK, Scotland’s carers save the country £10 billion a year. The least we can do is work to deliver more support for the thousands of unpaid carers across Fife.

Fife is home to over half of Mid Scotland and Fife’s unpaid carers, with Kirkcaldy top of the region with 7,580 unpaid carers ahead of Mid Fife and Glenrothes, which also has over 7,000. Continue reading →

Claire praises Fife at Big Lottery Fund reception

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Last week I had the honour of hosting the Big Lottery Fund reception in the Scottish Parliament. The event, which was held in the Scottish Parliament restaurant, was held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Lottery’s first draw and the 10th year of the Big Lottery Fund. 

I was honoured to host the Big Lottery Fund event and to use the opportunity to highlight the excellent work being done across Fife as a result of their funding.

The aim of the event was to highlight the work of the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland and I was pleased to be able to use the opportunity to praise the excellent work being done across Fife as a result of their funding. Continue reading →

Fife needs a pay rise

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Last week was Living Wage week and Scottish Labour held a debate in Parliament calling for the wage to be the ‘expectation not the exception’. With over 400,000 workers across Scotland earning below the living wage, including 26,000 in Fife, during the debate calls were made for the Scottish Government to extend payment to all public sector contractors.

The minimum wage was introduced in 1999 but I believe that now is the time to go further. The figures mentioned above from accounting firm KPMG highlights the need for action. The fight for fair pay is sadly far from over.

Earlier this year I supported extending the living wage to staff on public contracts just as I supported colleagues during the debate on the 5th. Unfortunately the Scottish Government failed to support both calls.

Continue reading →

Action needed on zero hours contracts

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A new report from Citizens Advice Scotland has claimed that zero hour contracts are leaving thousands of working Scots on the brink of poverty. Citizens Advice Bureaux’s have reported concerns over the legal protection workers on these contracts have from poor employment practices. This includes workers finding their hours suddenly cut in an attempt to make them resign.

These contracts in a lot of cases aren’t being used to offer flexibility to the employer or the employee. Instead they are the only employment option available to those wanting to work.  If we are to fully tackle issues of poverty and exploitation in Fife and beyond then we must ensure that we don’t just condemn them but act on the misuse of zero hour contracts.

According to the Office of National Statistics there are around 1.4 million employees with zero hour contracts. Many of these workers are more likely to be female, either under 25 or over 65, and more likely to want to work more hours than they currently do.  Continue reading →

Claire’s statement on Fife Drug Court closure

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Last month one of only two drug courts in Scotland heard its final case as Fife Drug Court closed. The court, which sits at Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline sheriff courts, was opened in 2002, following the setup of a similar initiative in Glasgow.

It was reported in the national newspapers that one of the reasons behind the closure of the drugs court in Fife was due to lack of court capacity. This follows proposed changes to the court service in Fife which will see the end of jury trials in Kirkcaldy and the closure of the sheriff court in Cupar.

I am deeply disappointed that this decision has been taken Continue reading →

The Food Train arrives in the Parliament

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Recently I spoke during my colleague Elaine Murray’s member’s debate on the food train initiative and highlighted the positive example and work of the food train in Stirling within my region.

I previously met with staff and volunteers during an event in Parliament, along with those that benefit from their hard work. It was clear then that it was a valued programme and everyone spoke positively about their experience, which is why I was delighted to speak during the debate and congratulate staff and volunteers from across the country on the work they do. Continue reading →