I have called for the Scottish Government to take action to ensure more females and young people are entering the job market after latest figures show an increase in those claiming job seekers allowance.
According to latest statistics the number of people unemployed in Scotland has fallen by 4,000, however the number of women unemployed has risen by 8,000. Whilst any fall in unemployment should be welcomed when you look beyond the headline figures there is still serious cause for concern as economic inactivity is higher now than it was last year.
Unemployment amongst women is up by 8,000 since November and in every constituency in Fife the number of women claiming job seekers allowance has risen. More needs to be done to encourage women back into the workplace. This includes the SNP carrying through on their own election promises to ensure childcare is affordable and accessible to all.
There has also been a rise, of 2000, in February, in the number of young people claiming job seekers allowance. Locally in the Kingdom, the number of people claiming job seekers allowance has risen in the past year, with the number of females claiming rising in every Fife constituency.
The question the Scottish Government must answer is what action is it taking to ensure our young people have a chance to get a job rather than joining a queue at the local job center.
This week I have called on the Scottish Government to take action to ensure that Scotland’s restaurants are not selling adulterated curries after newspaper reports found that four out of five Indian takeaways and restaurants in Fife have regularly sold lamb curries substituted with cheap cuts of beef.
The survey, which was conducted across Scotland, found that of the 46 restaurant and takeaways that were selling adulterated curries, 33 did not contain any lamb with the remaining used lamb along with cheap cuts of beef. The meat is being passed off as lamb in popular dishes such as bhoona and korma.
Since the publication of the report the restaurants in Fife that have been found adulterating their curries have remained unnamed. All restaurants selling beef in lamb curries should be named as soon as possible and a full investigation carried out.
First it was horsemeat and now these shocking revelations show that the average consumer in Scotland is continuingly to be let down. Consumers deserve a right to know what they are eating and this is yet another devastating blow for consumer confidence.
The horsemeat scandal has already raised many questions that the Government still need to answer and this latest news just adds to questions over Scotland’s food chain. The reality is that we will probably never know how long the contamination of food has been taking place nor how much horsemeat or fake curries there has been in the food chain prior to the breakout out of the scandal.
I will be writing to both the Scottish Government to ensure they fully investigate this issue and I will also be writing to Fife Council to see what action they will be taking against the restaurants”
This week in Parliament the Scottish Government had the chance to protect Scotland’s most vulnerable communities from socially divisive Coalition policies but simply failed to take any action. In Parliament the Scottish Government voted against a Labour amendment to mitigate the effect of the Bedroom Tax on the people of Scotland.
A Labour amendment to the Local Government Finance Order called on the Scottish Government to mitigate the impact of the Bedroom Tax on Scotland’s most vulnerable and to respond positively to COSLA’s call to fully fund the replacement for council tax benefit as has happened at the National Assembly in Wales.
Labour asked the SNP Government to work with us in helping people through these tough times and by enabling local authorities to get the financial support they need. The amendment, however, was defeated by 81 votes to 35 after the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats joined the SNP in voting against.
Instead of promising action in a separate Scotland the SNP should be taking action now and standing up for the people of Scotland. The underlying problem is that there is simply a shortage of affordable housing across Scotland including here in Fife.
According to Fife Housing Association one in five of their tenants will be affected by the Bedroom Tax. An analysis of their housing stock shows that the Association holds only 82 1 bed properties compared to 2,364 properties with 2 beds or more. Fife Housing Association statistics show that their simply isn’t enough 1 bedroom properties to accommodate those that would want to downsize and unless the Scottish Government takes action we could see vulnerable families at risk of losing their homes.
This week I opened for Labour during the Liberal Democrat debate on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform.
There is widespread agreement that CAP reform is necessary to ensure a fairer distribution among EU members and for more focus on the environmental challenges faced across Europe. As the CAP budget is nearly 40% of the total EU budget this is an important debate and it is essential that there is public confidence and transparency that the benefit from CAP is being felt by all.
In Scotland CAP payments can vary drastically across regions. In East Lothian the average payment is over €125,000 whilst Highland receives an average of just over €34 per hector. During the debate I asked the Cabinet Secretary if he would “deliver the degree of redistribution that he argues for across the EU and within the UK, provide increased support to farming in disadvantaged areas, and ensure a level playing field for new entrants.”
My amendment to the debate highlighted that it was important to support new entrants into farming and crofting and ensure they know where they stand with regards to the CAP. Currently new entrants get a raw deal, failing to get the support other farms get. With the challenges they have to face in entering farming it is important that clarity is given to those wishing to enter farming on the timescales for reform and on the support that would be available.
Another issue I raised was around the Irish tunnel subsidy payment system. Whilst there is support from NFUS and the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations I urged caution as the reform will be slow and will result in some who are in need of support having to wait longer than others to receive it.
Once again we heard from the Government the claim that we would see an increase in CAP funds from separation. The reality is that we continually see the terms of Scotland’s automatic EU membership, as claimed by the SNP, questioned. The majority opinion indicates that at best a separate Scotland would have to negotiate many treaties before being allowed to join and that will probably include the CAP payments.
With a likely reduction in the EU budget and more pressure being placed on it, examples show that new member states, including those who joined in 2007, having payments phased in gradually. This would be disastrous for Scottish farming and the SNP can give no guarantees on the future of farmers within the EU in a separate Scotland.
Below you can find a video of the CAP refrom debate along with a copy of my speech moving our motion.
Taken from the Scottish Parliament Official Report:
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): I am pleased to be speaking in this debate.
There is widespread agreement that reform of the CAP is necessary. There must be greater fairness in distribution among European Union members; we need to recognise the environmental challenges that Europe faces; and we need to deliver public confidence and respond to the priorities of a changing world. The CAP budget is nearly 40 per cent of the total EU budget, and there must be greater public confidence and transparency in its use and priorities. With 85 per cent of Scotland’s farmed area designated as disadvantaged and less favoured, reform needs to recognise those challenges. I hope that the UK Government and the Scottish Government can work together positively on those matters. It needs to be recognised that farming in more remote and disadvantaged areas brings multiple benefits to communities.
We can agree that there needs to be a fairer distribution of support throughout the EU and within the UK, and not just for Scotland. The accession countries receive small pillar 1 payments, and agriculture is at the very centre of the economies of many of them. It employs many people, and those countries also deserve a fairer distribution.
Towards the end of the process, decisions will need to be made about how Scotland will distribute its payments in the move from historic to area payments. We have sharp contrasts in Scotland. The average payment in East Lothian is over €125,000, while Highland receives an average of just over €34 per hectare. Therefore, there is an opportunity for the cabinet secretary to deliver the degree of redistribution that he argues for across the EU and within the UK, provide increased support to farming in disadvantaged areas, and ensure a level playing field for new entrants.
The Scottish Government’s amendment argues for CAP spending to be rectified in order to address the needs of rural Scotland. Will the cabinet secretary take the same approach when he makes allocation decisions relating to Scotland’s direct payments?
Whatever decision is made on area payments, there needs to be greater transparency in the proposals as well as an opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny and engagement. The Government amendment says that more will be revealed on 17 April. Meanwhile, the Welsh Assembly Government, which is facing similar decisions, has been open about the changes that are being proposed. It even has a website that anyone can go to and do the sums. That is quite a contrast with the Scottish Government’s approach. It is inevitable that there will be winners and losers in the process, and farmers and crofters need to be able to begin planning for the changes.
Our amendment highlights the need to be clear about new entrants to farming and crofting and where they stand. New entrants currently get a raw deal from the CAP. While recognising that they get pots of money from the Scotland rural development programme and other targeted payments, they rightly ask why, when they are productive and growing new businesses, they do not get the support that other farms get. New entrants face lots of challenges in entering farming: financial barriers, rising land prices and lack of tenancies and starter units. The reform of the CAP must deliver for new entrants if we are to see a secure future for farming in Scotland. Greater clarity is needed on the timescales for reform and the support that will be available.
NFU Scotland and the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations—COPA—have signed a declaration in support of the Irish tunnel subsidy payment system. However, I think that we should be cautious about that approach, because it will slow reform and, although it will cushion change for some, it will mean that others who are in need of support will have to wait longer. For example, a farmer from Grampian recently tweeted me to say that it will mean that he will have to wait until 2025 for a level playing field. As Tavish Scott said, it would be helpful to know the cabinet secretary’s view on that.
I am short of time, but I want to address the Conservative amendment. We support the principle of convergence and the need for a fairer allocation within the UK, but I am concerned that the amendment is too prescriptive and does not address the issues around production and disadvantage. An average per hectare payment masks quite a lot of inconsistencies in Scotland, as the earlier East Lothian and Highland example illustrated. However, I will listen to Alex Fergusson’s speech with interest.
We hear again from the Government the assertion that we would see significant additional CAP funds from independence. During a debate in January last year before he became a minister, Paul Wheelhouse claimed that
“when Scotland becomes independent, the full economic benefit of convergence between member states will be delivered to Scotland automatically.”—[Official Report, 18 January 2012; c 5396.]
However, we increasingly see the terms of Scotland’s EU membership being questioned: the SNP claimed that it would be automatic, but it now acknowledges the need for negotiations. Richard Lochhead: Will the member take an intervention? Claire Baker: I am sorry, but I am just closing.
What could be more open to negotiation than CAP payments? We see a reducing budget with more pressures being placed on it. Recent examples show that new member states, including those that joined in 2007, have had direct payments phased in gradually. That would be disastrous for Scottish farming, and the SNP can give no guarantees on the future of farmers within the EU.
I move amendment S4M-05898.2, after “substantial changes” to insert:
“and that new entrants into farming and crofting can be clear on what support will be available to them”.
Yesterday in Parliament I spoke during Murdo Fraser’s member debate on wild land and endangered species. With 2013 being the year of Natural Scotland we have an opportunity to ensure a robust biodiversity plan will promote and ensure our countries heritage, wildlife and landscapes.
Please find below Murdo Fraser’s motion that was departed along with a copy of the speech.
Motion S4M-05602: Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) That the Parliament notes that 2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland; recognises the efforts of conservation charities and other organisations to save endangered species and wild land in Mid Scotland and Fife and across the country; understands that the indigenous red squirrel and the wildcat face a significant threat; believes that only 150 breeding pairs of wildcat are not in captivity; considers that habitat conservation coupled with breeding programmes could hold the key to saving endangered species; believes that there should be a network of grey squirrel trapping areas; notes the report, Public Perception Survey of Wildness in Scotland, which was published in July 2012 by Scottish Natural Heritage in association with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority; understands that the report claimed that 86% of people surveyed felt that further action was necessary to preserve wild land and that the most popular means by which this could be ensured was by introducing a specific wild land designation, and acknowledges calls for a concerted effort in 2013 to deliver a step change in conserving wild land and endangered species.
Taken from the Scottish Parliament Official Report:
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): I congratulate Murdo Fraser on securing this evening’s debate. As the motion recognises, 2013 is the year of natural Scotland, which gives us an opportunity to focus on biodiversity and promote our heritage, wildlife and landscapes. I hope that it is about more than pinning a natural Scotland label on events that are already in the pipeline. We need much more debate and discussion about our environment, and a tangible legacy of the year would be a robust biodiversity plan with clear actions to deliver on our targets.
In focusing on endangered species, the motion highlights the red squirrel. Last summer, I went to a red squirrel fun day in Tentsmuir forest in north-east Fife to find out about the work of the Fife red squirrel group. Fife is not a target protection area, but the peninsula at Tentsmuir provides an opportunity for local activists to try to grow a population there. I commend the work of the Fife red squirrel group and groups like it across the country as they work tirelessly in raising awareness and introducing programmes to protect endangered species. However, as Murdo Fraser said, they need support to do that successfully.
Not for the first time in the chamber, I highlight the work of Scottish Environment LINK and its species champions programme, which is certainly capturing the imagination of MSPs. Although it is a bit of fun, it is proving to be an effective way in which to engage the Parliament in the challenges that many endangered species are facing. I am grateful to Dave Thompson, who is not here this evening, for adopting the sand eels. My puffins need them as they provide a valuable food source and help to grow their habitat.
Habitat protection is vital to securing the future of species. The minister will be aware that there are concerns that the marine protected areas do not protect seabirds. The motion also mentions habitat conservation. That is just as important offshore as it is onshore, and the minister knows that there is growing concern about the delayed marine plan.
The Minister for Environment and Climate Change (Paul Wheelhouse): I understand the concern about migratory species such as seabirds, but I put it on the record again that we are proposing to protect sand eel populations through the MPA network.
Claire Baker: I am aware of other measures that the Government is taking, but the minister will know that there are still concerns about marine protected areas not protecting seabirds. Their inclusion would give an extra layer of protection.
To show that I am not someone who will back away from trickier issues, I note that the motion also mentions wild land designation, and I understand that the Public Petitions Committee will take evidence on the John Muir Trust petition in the near future. I recognise the concerns of the John Muir Trust and other organisations such as Ramblers Scotland about wild lands in Scotland. Effective protection of wilderness areas is important and, as Murdo Fraser highlighted, it is valued by the public. The Parliament has introduced protective measures over the years. The National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 resulted in the establishment of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park in 2002 and the Cairngorms national park in 2003.
In a response to the Public Petitions Committee, the minister outlined the existing means of protection, which include sites of special scientific interest, national parks, national nature reserves and national scenic areas. NSAs are defined as areas
“of outstanding scenic value in a national context.”
There are 40 such areas and they cover 13 per cent of the land area of Scotland. They ensure that areas such as Glencoe, Ben Nevis, the Hebrides and some landscapes in Perthshire and the Borders are protected from inappropriate development.
There is a system of protection and there is already a system of constraints that are placed on developers. It is not easy to achieve the right balance between competing demands, but it is essential to do so. The John Muir Trust has a clear position on the limiting of renewables development and it raises concerns about the impact that such development has on our landscapes and the environment. However, Murdo Fraser started to explore the fact that designating wild lands would present other challenges. Decisions would be fairly subjective and they would run the risk of creating an imbalance in another direction. The key debate needs to be about the value of what is being protected, rather than what is being prevented.
The Government has said that it is
“satisfied that existing legislation and administrative systems for land use planning and environmental management provide appropriate means for meeting the obligations and objectives set out in the”
European landscape convention. However, there are issues, such as hill tracks, on which we need progress to make the protections that we already have work better. I am sure that there will be an interesting debate on the matter in committee, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response when he closes the debate.
This week I have called for Scottish Government action after latest figures show that accident and emergency waiting times have hit a record number since the SNP came to power.
The Scottish Government’s failure to address the underlying problems in our NHS is resulting in the people of Fife having to pay the price when it comes to accident and emergency waiting times.
According to latest figures nationally the number of patients seen within the four hour waiting time target fell to 90.3 per cent in December 2012. This is the lowest ever recorded since the target was introduced in December 2007 and follows a downward trend in compliance with the A&E waiting time target every month since July of last year.
It is the job of the SNP Government to ensure that winter planning measures are in place for any potential increase in patients due to winter illnesses but this has clearly failed as December’s results are at their worst for 5 years. This is not an isolated incident as there has been an ongoing downward trend since July that the Government is failing to halt.
Locally, NHS Fife had the third highest number of patients, across Scotland, waiting over 12 hours in December 2012. Throughout the final month of last year 65 patients had to wait over 12 hours in accident and emergency, an average of over two per day. Only NHS Lothian, with 78 patients, and NHS Lanarkshire, with 117 patients, posted worse results.
Week after week we hear personal stories of patients experiencing the pressures placed on NHS Fife. The SNP are asking NHS staff to do more with less and we cannot continue down this path without expecting consequences for patients.
NHS Fife failing to meet their accident and emergency waiting time target follows on from missing their cancer waiting time target, a fall in the number of hospital bed available and a rise in hospital complaints.
We need urgent action from the Scottish Government to address failings of their own making and I will be writing to the Health Secretary to raise my concerns regarding NHS Fife.
I was delighted to once again support WWF’s Earth Hour on the 23rd of March and to be joined this year by my colleague Jayne Baxter. I hope that on the 23rd of March you will join both of us by switching off the lights and celebrating the power of the planet.
The initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, and by 2012 a record 152 countries and territories, and 6,895 towns and cities took part of the biggest call to action to protect the planet. In Scotland places such as Edinburgh Castle, the Forth Rail Bridge, the Scottish Parliament and the Falkirk Wheel switched off. They were joined around the world by iconic buildings such as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids of Giza.
This year WWF are encouraging people to think about the kind of energy we use and where it comes from. Both Jayne and I are urging people, businesses and organisations from the Kingdom and beyond to join us by switching off at 8.30pm on Saturday the 23rd and show your support for action against the impacts of climate change on people and wildlife.
Today I have called on the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and the Environment Committee to invite Paul Wheelhouse to discuss the awarding of the lease to manage shooting and fishing rights on Raasay.
The Government u-turn has raised as many questions as it has answers and it is important that Parliament receives the full facts from the Minister and his department.
It is the role of committee’s in the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the administration of the Scottish Government and I hope they take up my request to invite the Cabinet Minister to ensure lessons are learned.
A copy of my letter can be found below:
Dear Rob,
I would like to suggest that the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and the Environment Committee invite Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for the Environment, to the committee to discuss the awarding of the lease to manage shooting and fishing rights on Raasay, along with a wider discussion on how these decisions are made in the future.
The awarding of the lease firstly to South Ayrshire Stalking before latterly being returned to Raasay Crofters’ Association has raised question. I would hope that the Minister’s attendance at committee would provide him with the opportunity to answer questions about how the lease was awarded. It is important that members are given the opportunity to fully understand the issues going forward to ensure lessons are learned for future decision making processes.
I do appreciate that the committee has an agreed work plan. However, I hope that you are able to consider this request at the next committee meeting on the 5th of March and I look forward to receiving your reply.
Yesterday in the Chamber I asked a topical question on the growing horse meat scandal. This follows news that horse DNA has been found in school burgers in North Lanarkshire and frozen beef products have been withdrawn across Scotland.
It was only last week that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs assured Parliament that “food and drink contracts are awarded in a way that balances price and quality…it is not necessarily the lowest price that wins; quality is vital in the public sector.’ However what we now know to be the case is that school contracts are awarded on a weighting of 65% price and 20% quality. That means cost is weighted three times to that of quality in the national contract.
We have also found out that under the watch of the current Scottish Government food safety tests have been cut by a third since 2008 and the Scottish Food Standards Agency has underspent their budget by 10%. With Union publishing a damning survey yesterday of Environmental Health Officers, which found that 56% have seen major cuts in their team and one member saying “we have not submitted any samples for food for ten months!” the Cabinet Secretary must answer questions on whether he has taken the necessary steps to ensure that safety can still be delivered with these reductions.
Why, when there was a substantial underspend in the Scottish FSA, were the number of inspections allowed to drop dramatically? Did the Minister not ask what the consequences to food safety would be? Producers and consumers deserve better leadership from the Scottish Government to ensure the best possible advice gets out there.
Scots, regardless of income, should be able to buy with confidence and know that when a product says it is made of beef, it actually is. For many hard working families isn’t an option for many hard-working Scottish families simply to be told to buy more expensive meat.
Last week in Parliament I raised concerns over the Scottish Ambulance Service’s patient transport service after reports in the press along with concerns raised to me by constituents highlighted that patients from the Fife region have had their patient transport cancelled on the day of their appointment.
It is not acceptable that patients are having their transport to hospital cancelled at the last minute, leaving them struggling to make a vital appointment. With the current problems around securing an appointment in the first place it is crucial that help is given to those who need it to make sure they can get to the hospital.
Previous press reports highlighted one patient who had to pay £30 for a return taxi journey to Cameron Hospital after her patient transport was cancelled just hours before her scheduled appointment.
The day of a hospital appointment or possible operation can be a stressful time for a patient and that stress should not be compounded with a last minute cancelation. This is not an isolated incident and the Cabinet Secretary must look at the extent of capacity issues within the Scottish Ambulance patient transport service and ensure no patients are left stranded on the day of their appointment.
I lodged a question to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil MSP, during General Questions. In answering the question the Cabinet Secretary indicated that “the Scottish Ambulance Service is taking forward an extensive improvement programme for the Patient Transport Service.”
I will be writing to the Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to further discuss this issue.
