Category Archives: Fife News

Claire Baker questions Minister on sea lice

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Yesterday in Parliament Claire Baker questioned the Minister for Environment and Climate Change on chemicals used to treat sea lice in farmed fish. Claire’s question and Paul Wheelhouse’s answer can be found below.

Claire Baker: If the aim of increasing production of all farmed fish by 50 per cent by 2020 is achieved, it will lead to a subsequent increase in use of chemical treatments. What will the minister do to ensure that those increase are taken into account when the Government looks at reforming the regulatory system?

Paul Wheelhouse: It is true to say that as the sector grows the amount of fish and the biomass within particular sea lochs will increase, and that the need to introduce medicines to control a larger population of fish will also increase. I accept that, but it is important to note that the increase in the amount of medicines that are being deployed might not translate automatically into an increase in toxicity. People are trying to reduce the toxicity of medicines that are currently used, so the volume of medicines used may increase because they have a lower impact on the environment. I am happy to correspond with Ms Baker on that point.

Claire Baker congratulates 5th Fife Scout Group

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Claire Baker joined Parliament in congratulating the 5th Fife Scout group during a member’s debate on the winners of the Black’s of Greenock national camping competition 2012.

The competition took place at Fordell Firs national scout activity centre in Fife in September with the Kirkcaldy group beating Calder district and Arbroath and Montrose district into first place.

The debate offered members the opportunity to congratulate the Fife Scouts group and the Scouting association as a whole for all the community work they undertake within their local communities.

Speaking after the debate Claire Baker said:

“It was good to add my warm congratulations to the 5th Fife Scout group for winning the Lyall trophy and all the hard work they do within the Fife community.

“Organisations such as the Scouts afford children the opportunity to grow in confidence and learn skills that can benefit them throughout their lives, including team building and problem solving.

“It’s also important to thank the volunteers who donate their time to ensure these organisations are successful. It is through their tireless and dedicated work that children across Fife and Scotland are able to enjoy the experience and benefits scouting brings.”


Cancer Drug still not available to the Kingdom

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Cancer drug Abiraterone is still not available to prostate cancer sufferers in the Kingdom despite being approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in August.

Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, had previously written to NHS Fife for an update on the availability of abiraterone. Their reply stated that as part of the South East Scotland Cancer Network (SCAN) they will be “bound by the decision taken by NHS Lothian on behalf of the Cancer Network”.

It is reported that abiraterone can extend the lives of men with incurable prostate cancer and was previously available only in England and Wales.

Yet after lobbying by groups such as Prostate Cancer UK and MSPs including Claire Baker the drug, having previously been rejected, was finally approved for use in Scotland.

The drug will be available only to men with advanced prostate cancer who are no longer responding to docetaxel or hormone therapies.

Claire Baker, speaking from Kirkcaldy, commented:

“The first step has been taken with the approval of abiraterone by the SMC but now we need to make sure that the drug is being offered by local NHS boards for those that qualify.

“I wrote to NHS Fife to ask for an update in the process of making abiraterone available as it is important that doctors have the full range of treatments at their disposal when dealing with a patient.

“The drug was approved in August yet sufferers in Fife cannot get access to the treatment until it is signed off by NHS Lothian. This decision has still not been taken and I will be writing to NHS Lothian to call on them to now take the decision.

“Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and it was a black dot on our National Health Service that this treatment was available in England and Wales but not Scotland. Thankfully that has since been rectified and it should be available in Fife.”

Hospital complaints hit record high

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Fife MSP Claire Baker is calling on the Scottish Government to get to grips with the NHS as hospital complaints rise in Fife Health Board for the third year running.

Latest statistics have shown that the number of complaints received by Fife Health Board have reached their highest level since 1997.

In the past year the number of complaints has risen by 10.8%, with a 38.9% increase since the SNP won power in 2007.

Nationally, Hospital and Community Health Service complaints has seen a 15 per cent rise across Scotland in the last year.

Claire Baker MSP said:

“Whilst the NHS should be striving to meet patient standards the reality is that Scottish Government cut backs are not allowing them to fulfil this purpose.

“We have a state of the art hospital in Kirkcaldy, yet week after week we learn of growing concerns over patient care. At the same time we are hearing about examples of patients’ suffering indignity we are seeing a decreasing number of nurses, this is no coincidence.

“At no point since the creation of the Scottish Parliament has the number of complaints in Fife been this high and this is simply not good enough for the people in Fife. There is a real danger that as that the next wave of government cuts attacks resources and staffing then the number of complaints will only continue to increase.

“With £190 million being cut over the next three years and with the SNP moving Nicola Sturgeon away from Health to focus on the referendum it is becoming clear that they are taking their eye off the ball and showing where their real priorities lie.”

Concerns as hospital bed numbers in Fife hit and all time low

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Claire Baker MSP has joined calls for the Scottish Government to get a grip over dwindling hospital bed numbers in Fife Health Board.

New figures recently realised show that 1,000 beds have been cut in hospitals across Scotland since the SNP came in to power in 2007.

In Fife Health Board bed numbers are at an all time low with a hundred fewer beds in 2012 than five years ago.

This follows a number of SNP health cuts, signed off by the former health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

Since coming to power the SNP have presided over the loss of 2,500 nurses and midwives, a rise in accident and emergency waiting times and complaints reaching a record high.

Claire Baker MSP said:

“Despite pledges to protect the NHS budget the reality of the SNP’s choices in government is that patient care continues to suffer as the NHS buckles under the pressure of trying to do more with fewer resources.

“Patients in Fife are suffering, not through the fault of doctors and nurses, but because of government cut backs.”

“NHS Fife is being over stretched and there is a real fear that it will soon be at breaking point.

Claire calls for inquiry as 78% of Leslie resident’s raise Lomond Quarry concerns

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 Scottish Labour MSP Claire Baker has today called for an independent inquiry by Fife Council regarding Lomond Quarry after a recent survey found “a staggering” 78% of Leslie residents had concerns regarding the quarry. The survey, carried out by Ms Baker, canvassed households in on what has become a highly volatile issue for the area.

Of the responses received, 78% had concerns about the quarry owned by Skene with only 22% of households not raising any issues.

54% of those who raised issues complained about the noise and vibrations from the blasts, 44% raised concerns over damage to their properties, 29% are concerned about an increase in traffic and noise from Lorries heading to and back from the quarry and 16% raised that the blasts are causing stress to themselves, family members and animals.

Claire Baker MSP, who has been campaigning on the issue for some time said:

“The results from the survey show just how big a problem this is for the people of Leslie and their views cannot simply be ignored. Continue reading →

Claire Baker MSP Voices Concerns Over Potential Changes To Kirkcaldy Courts

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Local MSP Claire Baker has voiced her concerns after The Scottish Court Service launched their consultation on court closures last week. The potential changes that could emerge from the consultation include denying Kirkcaldy Sherriff Court the right to hold jury trails, with Dunfermline becoming the central court for jury trails in the area.

The potential changes could also see the amalgamation of Kirkcaldy justice of the peace court into Kirkcaldy Sherriff Court. The report also earmarks Cupar Sherriff Court for closure.

The Scottish Court Service consultation comes on the back of the draft budget announcement last week that will see the Scottish Court Service budget cut by £10.9 million over the next two years.

Claire Baker has previously spoken in the Scottish Parliament about her concerns that local and rural courts could be closed due to Scottish Government cuts.

Speaking from Kirkcaldy Claire Baker MSP said;

“The people of Kirkcaldy deserve justice to be delivered locally and in a meaningful way. I have grave concerns that by moving jury trails out of Kirkcaldy and into Dunfermline that we will see an increase in delays for trials.

“Any delays will just add to what is already a stressful ordeal for victims when what we should be seeing is a system that makes it easier for victims to see justice delivered.

“These potential closures raise serious questions that the Scottish Government must answer and I will be writing to the Justice Secretary to raise my concerns. This further round of budget cuts announced by the SNP in their draft budget may prove to be the final nail in the coffin for local courts across Scotland and Fife.”

 

 

Claire Baker MSP calls for better local bus services ahead of budget

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Claire Baker MSP attended Unite the union’s campaign to improve and protect local bus services ahead of this week’s budget announcement. The event took place in the Scottish Parliament, with a lobbying of Parliament at the front entrance, followed by a well-attended meeting in a Committee Room

The Unite lobby highlighted the impact of SNP’s previous decision to cut Bus Service Operator’s Grant by 17% which has resulted in higher bus fares and the withdrawal of services. The cut to the Bus Service Operator’s Grant, during the height of a recession, has also led to the loss of jobs in the industry.

Scottish Labour had previously led a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the issue.

Claire Baker said:

“It is the local communities across Fife and the whole of Scotland that are having to pay the price of the cut administered by the SNP Government. Fares are rising whilst the numbers of services are being reduced so people are paying more but getting less and that simply is not fair. Continue reading →

Claire Hosts Fife Diet Debate in the Scottish Parliament

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Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, today hosted a members debate in the Scottish Parliament on welcoming Fife Diet’s new food manifesto for 2012. The well attended debate discussed many of the points laid out in the manifesto and in general about Scotland’s relationship with food.

Fife Diet, who watched the debate from the public gallery, produced the manifesto as part of their contribution to the food and drink policy framework with aims to ‘look afresh at the values that underpin how we organise our food economy’.

Points raised by the manifesto include the Soup Test where every child will leave school knowing how to make a pot of soup. Current statistics show that up to 57% of 18-25 year olds are leaving home without the knowledge of how to cook simple recipes such as Spaghetti Bolognese. The manifesto also suggests a plastic bag tax and farm apprenticeships amongst other points.

Speaking in Parliament after the debate Claire Baker said:

“It was great to discuss the food manifesto in the Scottish Parliament and offer MSPs from all parties the opportunity to discuss our relationship towards food in Scotland, particularly as we are in the midst of Scottish food and drink fortnight. Continue reading →

Unemployment in Scotland now above UK average

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Figures realised today by the Office for National Statistics have shown that unemployment in Scotland has reached 223,000, a rise of 4,000 between May and July. The UK average unemployment rate stands at 8.1% but in Scotland this raises to 8.2%.

Locally the amount of people claiming job seekers allowance in Mid Scotland and Fife stands at 17,143. Kirkcaldy has the highest number of claimants with 3,339 followed by Mid Fife and Glenrothes (2,355), Cowdenbeath (2,331) and Dunfermline (2,037).

16,700 jobs have been cut from the Scottish public sector with 11,300 being directly cut by the Scottish Government.

Commenting on the new figures, Claire Baker said:

“Plan A is not working and neither is Plan McB. We are now in the longest double-dip recession since the Second World War and this is happening under the watch of both the Conservative led coalition and the SNP Government.

“It is not as simple as one government blaming the other. Whilst the double dip recession was created through George Osborne cutting too far too fast, unemployment in Scotland is now above the UK average and it is the actions of John Swinney in Bute House that has resulted in the cut of 11,300 Scottish public sectors jobs.

“Locally many areas in Fife are above the Scottish average in those claiming job seekers allowance, including Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. What they desperately need is the Scottish Government to create jobs here in Fife rather than China, Poland and Spain like they have done with the Forth crossing. The skills and resources are right here on our doorstep but they need the opportunities the current Government simply isn’t affording them.”