Police Scotland concerns in Fife

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Today in an exclusive from the Courier the impact on Police Scotland’s “challenging” budget has been laid bare.

According to a whistleblower from Fife, moral amongst local officers is “dreadful” and the number of staff “decimated”.

Concerns have also been raised that the force came close to not being able to pay wages on time. This has been denied by the Scottish Police Authority, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland, although the latter did admit that managing their budgets was “challenging”. Continue reading →

Programme for Government Speech

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Yesterday I spoke during the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government debate.

I raised concerns around local policing and Police Scotland’s budget, the use of tasers within British Transport Police and the Scottish Government’s planes to merge BTP with Police Scotland.

I also raised the plans for a domestic abuse bill and the need for such legislation following the publication of statistics around Clare’s Law. Continue reading →

Cleft Lip and Palate Campaign

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Today I met with campaigners, including from Fife, who are opposing plans to centralise cleft lip and palate surgery to a single site in Scotland.

As a result, those within Fife would have to travel to Glasgow to receive such surgery. Previously the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh also offered cleft lip and palate surgery.

Campaigners today were handing over a petition with over 6,000 signatures and I hope that NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government listen to their concerns.

You can find out more and sign the petition here

Coalfields Home Internationals

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I was delighted to attend the recent Coalfields Home Internationals at Forthbank Stadium to watch teams from Benarty and Alloa battle it out with teams from Derby, Hartlepool, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil.

Coalfield Regeneration Trust do a great job in supporting and empowering coalfield communities across the country and this football tournament was the culmination of a nationwide competition that pitted teams of 14 to 16 year olds against each other.

I was delighted that my region was hosting the final and that two local teams had made it through the Scottish section. I was also pleased to see Kelty & Blairadam Pipe Band providing the entertainment throughout the day.

Congratulations to the team from Hartlepool who were the overall winners.

Clare’s Law

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Today it has been revealed that almost a 1,000 Scots have applied to find out if their partner has an abusive past.

Clare’s Law saw 926 applications under the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse. 391 of these resulted in the applicant receiving information about a potentially dangerous partner.

Whilst these figures show the success of Clare’s Law they also show the scale of the problem.

That almost a thousand women felt the need to check their partner’s history – and 42% received information about a potentially dangerous partner – indicates that much more has to be done to tackle domestic abuse in Scotland.

That is why Scottish Labour is calling for the introduction of domestic abuse courts within Scotland’s courts to ensure these serious crimes are dealt with as a priority.

You can read more on Heart Scotland’s Website.

Newburgh Train Station

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Recently I visited Newburgh in the north of my region where I met with locals who are campaigning for a re-opening of the local train station.

Like another such projects that I support, including Levenmouth Rail Campaign, the area in and around Newburgh would benefit greatly from its reintroduction.

The Newburgh Train Station Campaign is a campaign which deserves greater support and I was delighted to sign up to it. I have also written to the Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP, to call for action.

If you want to join me in supporting this campaign you can visit their website here: http://newburghtrainstation.org.uk/

Claire calls for better ScotRail services during Edinburgh Festival

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I have called for better services during the Edinburgh Festival season following a weekend of complaints regarding ScotRail services from Fife to Edinburgh.

Over the weekend many commuters were left stranded in Edinburgh as they were turned away from trains that had reached full capacity.

Saturday saw the worst of the complaints as commuters were returning from Hibernian v Dunfermline at Easter Road and the Edinburgh festivals but many Fife services only ran with two carriages.

Whilst I appreciate that it can be difficult to gauge the number of commuters during any one weekend it is inevitable that during the Edinburgh festivals the number of passengers using Sctorail to go to and from the capital will rise.

Continue reading →

2016 Coalfields Home Internationals

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I’m pleased to support the 2016 Coalfields Home Internationals – which take place at the end of this month – with a motion in Parliament. Good luck to all teams taking part, including the teams from Benarty and Alloa, in my region.

I lodged the motion after meeting with staff at the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in their offices in Alloa last week. I was pleased to catch up with the team and hear about the work they are doing to support former coalfield communities across Scotland. Continue reading →

Claire hosts quad bike roundtable in Kirkcaldy

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Today I held a roundtable meeting in Kirkcaldy to tackle the growing instances of illegal anti-social behaviour on quad bikes and motorised vehicles in the area. This was an opportunity for those concerned about anti-social behaviour on motorised vehicles to get round the table and try and find a solution.

The meeting follows my recent visit to Rabbit Braes, which has been described as a ‘problematic area’ after concerned locals got in touch with me to highlight a rise in dangerous behaviour on such vehicles.

It is clear that the problem in Kirkcaldy is escalating and following my campaign in Levenmouth it is important that we all work together to replicate the success we had in tackling such behaviour.

Locals are rightly concerned for their safety. These vehicles are being used in parks and pathways causing huge danger to children, residents and dog walkers. Many fear it is only a matter of time before a serious injury takes place. Continue reading →

ScotRail to increase peak time Fife Circle services

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I am delighted to have secured a victory in my campaign for better rail services in Fife after ScotRail have confirmed to me that they were planning to increase the number of coaches during peak time services.

Train services, or rather lack of train services, is one of the biggest issues to fill my inbox as an MSP. From the Levenmouth Rail Link to peak time services on the Fife Circle it is clear that the Kingdom often gets short changed.

That is why I am pleased to see that ScotRail is committed to increasing the number of coaches available for their peak time service to 5, when electric trains are introduced to the Edinburgh and Glasgow route. However, it is worth remembering that this service was originally scheduled to run with 6 coaches so there is still room for improvement.

Continue reading →