This week I launched my first pledge of the Scottish Parliament election – An NHS Fit for Fife.

Under the SNP we have seen a GP crisis grip the constituency. All 8 general practices in Kirkcaldy have restricted their list for new patients and current patients struggle to get a quick appointment.

At the same time patients are waiting too long in A&E to be treated and far too many waiting time targets are being missed.

This week a cross-party meeting will take place in the Scottish Parliament to discuss the future of Burntisland Fabrications with major energy company SSE, who own a 15% stake in BiFab.

I arranged the meeting with representatives from the Scottish Green Party, Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Liberal Democrats. Attending from SSE will be their Director of Renewables, Director of Procurement, Beatrice Liaison Manger and their Public Affairs Manager.

The meeting will discuss the awarding of SSE’s upcoming Beatrice contract, which could bring much needed jobs to the region and follows a lobbying of Parliament from BiFab trade union representatives who made their case for the future of the Methil yard in November.

Securing the future of BiFab is above party politics and I am therefore encouraged that a cross party group of MSPs have joined me in campaigning for the yard’s future.It is only by working together that we will be able to save the future of the yard in Methil. Continue reading →

I am calling for a Warm Homes Act across Mid Scotland and Fife as figures show that nearly 1 million households in Scotland live in fuel poverty.

Latest fuel poverty figures released this week (15^th December) highlights that the number of households fuel poor or living in extreme fuel poverty has remained similar to the previous year.

According to figures released by the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Chief Statistician, 34.9%, around 845,000 households, live in what is classified as fuel poor housing. A further 9.5% live in extreme fuel poverty.

Fuel poor households are more likely to report difficulties staying warm in the winter. 21% say that their heating keeps them warm in winter only “sometimes” whilst 9% say “never”. Fuel prices have increased by 3.5% in the last year.

In response I have called for an overhaul of Scotland’s planning, building and housing regulations to enable critical improvements to housing stock thus tackling fuel poverty through a Warm Homes Act.

The Act would also lay the framework to deliver affordable energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and cutting carbon emissions. Continue reading →

In my role in Scottish Labour’s shadow cabinet as our democracy spokesperson I lead on issues relating to the constitution and where power lies in Scotland.

That is why today I was at the Centre on Constitutional Change at the University of Edinburgh, where I gave evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee.

The committee chaired by Lord Lang of Monkton, the former Secretary of State for Scotland, is currently holding an inquiry into the Union and Devolution.

Previously the committee has held evidence sessions with leading academics on Scotland and our constitutional arrangements with Professor John Curtice and Professor Jim Gallagher on previous panels.

Today it was the turn of politicians and I was joined by The Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, Baroness Goldie from the Scottish Conservatives, Maggie Chapman from the Scottish Greens and Cllr Robert Brown from the Scottish Liberal Democrats in giving evidence.

Questions focused on Scotland’s relationship with the UK, the devolution of further powers to the Scottish Parliament, fiscal redistribution and the impact of English votes on English laws.

Following the result of last year’s referendum and with further powers coming to the Scottish Parliament it is important that we continue to work positively and productively across the UK.

Now, more than ever, people in Scotland are having conversations about our democratic structures, conversations about where power lies and how it is used.

This goes beyond the question of whether Scotland should be independent or not to include our role in Europe, reform of local government and the House of Lords, even reform of how we vote.

I believe that power is best held in the hands of the many, not the few, in participation in our democracy, in accountability and transparency and in a Scotland where power is challenged from the bottom up.