Claire meets local groups over court closures

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Last week I met with local Kirkcaldy solicitors and Victim Support over the changes being imposed on Kirkcaldy and Cupar Sheriff Courts by the Scottish Government. The changes will see the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court with trials moving to Dundee and jury trials no longer taking place in Kirkcaldy, with trials moving to Dunfermline. The move of all jury trials from Kirkcaldy to Dunfermline would see an increase in jury trials by 283%, leading to concerns about delays.

During the meeting we discussed the impacts these changes will have on access of justice for those within the Kingdom. Concerns raised included the potential for increases in delays, other concerns raised included the cost and travel implications for victims and jurors, the number of courts available and the failure for justice to be delivered locally. Continue reading →

Claire calls for court closures rethink in Holyrood debate

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Today I called for the Scottish Government to reconsider their support for court closures across Scotland, including Cupar Sheriff Court, during Scottish Labour Party Business in Holyrood. Todays debate will be the only opportunity to discuss the closures in Parliament out with the Justice Committee and it was important to highlight the Scottish Government’s decisions to accept all the recommendations from Shaping Scotland’s Court Service without proper scrutiny. 

The paper, published this month by the Scottish Court Service, recommends the closure of courts across Scotland, including Cupar Sheriff Court in Fife due to its proximity to Dundee. Other courts affected by the recommendations include Dingwall, Arbroath, Stonehaven and Haddington. Continue reading →

Scottish Coal concerns raised in Parliament

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The past two days, during topical and general questions in the Scottish Parliament , I have questioned the Energy Minister Fergus Ewing on the liquidation of Scottish Coal. Administrators Blaire Nimmo and Tony Friar have so far laid off 590 workers across Scotland including 18 of the 28 jobs at St Ninian’s at Kelty.

The news of Scottish Coal’s liquidation comes after St Ninians gained permission to extract a further 70,000 tonnes of coal from the site near Kelty. We have seen this week, in the report from Coalfields Regeneration Trust,that in Scotland deprivation is higher in coalfield areas than non-coalfield areas. Scottish Coal’s liquidation will, sadly, only add to that. Continue reading →

DE Shoes closure another blow for high streets

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The sad news that DE Shoes and Foot Factory have failed to find a buyer and will be closing their stores, in Fife and beyond, is a devastating blow for their workers and local high streets.

The Dundee based company that has been in existence for 146 years however after failing to sell the company the decision has been taken to close, with the loss of more than 160 jobs across Scotland. The decisions to close was taken after the company suffered a pre-tax loss of nearly £500,000.

In Fife DE Shoes have stores in Cowdenbeath, Cupar and St Andrews, however these will now be holding a closing down sale with 25% off all stock before finally closing.

Week by week we are hearing news of more high street chains going into receivership, shops being shut and jobs lost. Towns throughout the Kingdom and across Scotland are at the risk of turning into ghost towns if vital help is not given.

With staff being faced with finding themselves out of a job any day now we must work together to ensure that we get through the recession. We have the skills and resources right here on our doorstep but we need investment in jobs and education to provide opportunities for the people of Fife.


Claire hits out at ‘flawed’ court proposals

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I have raised in Parliament my concerns to the Justice Secretary after the Scottish Court Service outlined moves to end jury trials at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court over the next 10 years. This will take place without Parliamentary approval, with all jury trials that would have been heard at Kirkcaldy moving to Dunfermline.

The proposal also highlights plans to close Cupar Sheriff Court due to its proximity to Dundee Sheriff Court. This is subject to Parliamentary approval and if approved this change will take place in May 2014.

The move of jury trials to Dunfermline is despite the Kirkcaldy court being the busier of the two courts and the consultation recognising the ‘strength of comments made to us that Kirkcaldy would be more appropriate location for a Sheriff and jury centre serving East Fife.”

I highlighted these changes and my concerns in a question to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill during Topical Questions. I asked the Cabinet Secretary what meetings he had with the Scottish Court Service on these proposals and if he shares concerns that this change will have a negative impact on witnesses and victims.

In his reply the Cabinet Secretary claimed there should be ‘greater trust and faith’ given to the Scottish Court Service and the Lord President.

However, statistics released to me has shown that in the past year almost three times as many jury trials took place in Kirkcaldy compared to Dunfermline, with the court also sitting for almost twice as many days and had almost double the indictments.

If these statistics remain consistent this would mean an increase in jury trials at Dunfermline Sheriff Court by 283%, with an increase in the number of days it sits by 172%. This has led to real fears of delays as a result of the changes proposed.

The decision to close Cupar Sheriff Court is despite concerns raised by increased travel distance and cost for court users.

The Scottish Court Service admitted that the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court “will result in additional travel distance, time and cost to some court users in travelling to Dundee…we recognise that for some travel may be more difficult because of limited public transport options.”

Recently it has also been announced that the Scottish Government have taken the decision to end Fife’s Drugs Court initiative at the close of the financial year 2013/14. The court had been running as a pilot project, in partnership with Fife Council, NHS Fife, Fife Police and the Scottish Court Service, since 2002.

I visited both Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline Sheriff Courts during the Consultation period before submitting my own response outlining why both courts should remain accessible to jury trials and why Cupar Sheriff Court should remain open.

I have also continually raised my concerns in the Scottish Parliament that local and rural courts may be closed due to Scottish Government cuts and I have met with local groups including local Kirkcaldy solicitors to hear their concerns over the potential changes to courts in the Kingdom.

The people of Fife deserve justice to be delivered locally and in a meaningful way. There are real concerns that moving jury trials out of Kirkcaldy and closing Cupar Sheriff Court will lead to an increase in trials delayed.

Going to court can be an extremely emotional time and lives can essentially be on hold until they see an end to the case. The Scottish Government should be making the process easier, not harder, for all involved but by stopping jury trials in Kirkcaldy and closing Cupar they will be penalising the victims and the innocent.

The views of solicitors and the general public have been ignored as these flawed proposals regarding Kirkcaldy are set to be pushed through.

It is not about blindly trusting the SCS and Lord President but about ensuring the best justice system is in place and there will be no unintended consequences that will adversely affect the Kingdom.

The decision by the Scottish Court Service, coupled with the extremely disappointing decision by the Scottish Government to stop funding the Drugs Court may lead to significant gaps in the provision of dealing with justice issues across the Kingdom.

These decisions will only add further strain to the local justice system. Stopping jury trials in Kirkcaldy will put increased pressures on the justice services in Fife and it will be the victims who lose out. I will continue to raise this matter in the Scottish Parliament.

Solution needs to be found for Wemyss Caves

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Yesterday in Parliament I called for a ‘sustainable solution’ to be found that will save the Wemyss Caves from the threat of coastal erosion and vandalism during a debate on the caves in the Scottish Parliament. The debate was brought to Parliament to highlight the threats faced by the caves along with congratulating the Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society.

The Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society was founded in 1986 to protect and save as much of the Wemyss Caves and their unique drawings as possible. They aim to draw attention to the Heritage that is being destroyed by, amongst other things, coastal erosion and vandalism. They want to collect and record information on the caves, to preserve them and promote them as a tourist attraction and to encourage others to take an interest.

The Society holds open Sundays where they offer guided tours of the cave and the Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problems of Eosion Trust also aim to digitally preserve the markings found in the cave. A copy of my speech can be found below.

Taken from the Scottish Parliament Official Report: 

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): I welcome the opportunity to speak in this evening’s debate and I congratulate David Torrance on securing this slot. I welcome members of the Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society to the chamber. I hope that they find the debate an interesting and positive contribution to their work.

The society was established in 1986. I recognise its commitment and hard work in highlighting the importance of the caves and campaigning for their preservation. The society does a lot of work to gather and record information on the caves and to encourage others to take an interest. This debate is not its first engagement with Parliament. In 2000 it brought a petition to the Parliament following the loss of the foreshore path to coastal erosion and it received support from the Public Petitions Committee for further efforts to be made to protect the caves.

The Wemyss caves are a group of seven natural caves that lie along the coast immediately to the west of the village of West Wemyss. They are statutorily protected scheduled ancient monuments and are recognised as being of national importance.

The drawings in the Wemyss caves are unique. They depict Pictish symbols, early Christian imagery and Viking representations. They tell the story of the coast and the communities that lived and traded there and of those who smuggled there. The drawings provide important information for our understanding of Pictish imagery and how it represents life as well as death. They expand our knowledge of early drawing and carving techniques. Most importantly, they connect modern generations to history in a way that textbooks just cannot do.

The caves are difficult to access and the society is to be congratulated on the opportunities that it offers people to visit them through guided tours. The knowledge of the guides adds much to the experience of visiting the caves. It is not always easy to see the drawings, so the guides’ expertise adds greatly to the experience.

There is potential for greater public engagement, but there are significant challenges to achieving that. Over the years the caves have been vulnerable to vandalism. A combination of wilful damage and neglect has led to a compromising of the quality of what the caves have to offer. The society recognised that fact when it formed, partly as a response to vandalism and fires being lit in the caves, which led to some of the work being lost for ever.

It is worth recognising that the caves are on private property. Clearly Fife Council and Historic Scotland have key interests in the future of the caves and, given their national importance, surely the Scottish Government also has a role in ensuring their future. However, the caves are on private land as part of the Wemyss estate, so there should be some responsibility and engagement at that level, too.

Although vandalism, natural weathering and inherent geographical instability have all played a part in the deterioration of the caves in their landscape, coastal erosion has been and continues to be the greater challenge. Since 1989 Fife Council and Historic Scotland have invested in coastal defence works, but the challenge of success in this area must not be underestimated. This stretch of coastline is experiencing considerable coastal erosion. The coastline has retreated by at least 30m since 1974, which presents challenges not only to the caves but to many villages and communities along Fife’s coastline. The caves are at the mercy of the elements.

The Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion Trust—otherwise known as SCAPE—has been involved in recording the Pictish carvings in particular. As Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, recently recognised,

“SCAPE has led the field in highlighting the erosion of coastal sites and it is a credit to its members and research that it has found a way to use incredibly accessible mobile technology to improve the national records through the creative use of local expertise.”

We need to consider all options for the caves. Coastal erosion presents significant challenges to achieving a long-term or permanent solution, but we need to consider the options for long-term management.

A sustainable solution needs to be found that means that the knowledge that the drawings give us and the insight that they provide into the history of the shoreline and of Scotland can be saved. We should not underestimate the threat of coastal erosion or how difficult and costly coastal protection is, but we can be committed to a future for these important historical depictions.

 

Claire meets with Fife Housing to discuss Bedroom Tax

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Recently I met with local housing association Fife Housing along with the Deputy Leader of Fife Council, David Ross to discuss the effects of the Bedroom Tax on the Kingdom. According to Fife Housing Association one in five of their tenants will be affected by the Bedroom Tax within the region.

The Bedroom Tax is an issue for many across the Kingdom and I was pleased to meet with Fife Housing and Councillor David Ross to raise and discuss the concerns I have. I am aware that Fife Housing is taking steps to train their staff to deal with the difficult situation but they will be faced with real challenges as a result.

An analysis of Fife Housing’s housing stock shows that the Association holds only 82 one bed properties compared to 2,364 properties with two beds or more. These statistics show that there simply isn’t enough 1 bedroom properties to accommodate those that would want to downsize. This will result in people being penalised for living in a two bedroom flat despite not having any alternative as there is no smaller house available.

The people of Fife will feel let down by both Westminster and Holyrood on this issue. The UK Government should not be introducing such a policy and the Scottish Government need to be doing more to stop it adversely impacting residents across the country.

We are calling on the Scottish Government to introduce emergency legislation to avoid evictions due to the bedroom tax and provide funding for Local Authorities and housing associations to meet the challenges they are facing. Unless the Scottish Government takes action to mitigate the effects of the bedroom tax we could see vulnerable families at risk of losing their homes.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire calls for Scottish Government rethink over Drugs Court closure

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I am extremely disappointed to learn of the Scottish Government’s decision to stop funding the Drug Court initiative in Fife and I have called on the Scottish Government to reconsider its decision.

The withdrawal of the Drug Court in Fife will leave a significant gap in the provision of dealing with the issue of drugs in the Kingdom and it will only add further pressures onto other agencies working with those with addiction problems.

This latest decision, along with the proposed closures and changes to court services across Fife by the Scottish Government will only add further strain to the local justice system and potentially lead to job losses.

Funding for the Drug Court had been provided on an annual basis, however during discussions to move to a 2 year funding model the Scottish Government informed Fife Council that the decision has been taken to end the Drug Court in Fife by the close of the financial year 2013/2014.

The Fife Drug Court has been running as a pilot project since 2002 in partnership with Fife Council, NHS Fife, Fife Police and the Scottish Court Service.

I will be writing to the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill with a number of questions regarding the closure and will be seeking a meeting to discuss this issue.

Buy Local Eat Scottish

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This week I have spoken about the success and challenges faced by butchers in the current climate during a Scottish Parliament debate on local food. As the granddaughter of a butcher, who worked in the industry since he left school, I understand the skills involved and welcomed the opportunity to have this debate in Parliament.

There are undoubtedly opportunities for local butchers in today’s markets and reports of increased footfalls amongst local butcher shops are encouraging. I also understand that many are now promoting online sales which is vital in today’s marketplace.

There are undoubtedly benefits to shopping locally, a shorter supply chain, higher quality and traceability. However, we can’t hide from the fact that many families across Scotland are facing harsh economic challenges. When faced with the choice of spending £3.24 for a lb of pork sausages at a farmers market or £1.38 at a supermarket many households have to prioritise price before other factors.

The debate was held by Nigel Don MSP who aimed to congratulate farmers’ markets and food purveyors across the country. Nigel Don also hosed a successful Farmers Market in the   Scottish Parliament to highlight Scotland’s finest food and drink, promoting the ethos of ‘Buy local, eat Scottish.’

I was delighted to see that the farmers market in Parliament included two Fife companies, St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company and Eden Brewery and was delighted to talk to both them and mention them during the debate along with Fife’s fantastic reputation for food and drink.

Last year I held a debate in Parliament highlighting the excellent work of Fife Diet and their Food Manifesto and I called for a wider debate on our relationship with food, particularly on what and how we eat. The recent revelations that have emerged from the horsemeat scandal shows that a wider debate is still essential. It is important that low income families are not excluded from the benefits that come from shopping locally and regardless of what you can afford for food, you still deserve to have confidence in the quality of what you are buying.

Scottish Labour Calls for Microchipping of Dogs

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Today I visited Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in West Calder to announce that Scottish Labour is supporting compulsory microchipping of dogs.

Microchipping has a number of advantages, it helps return stray dogs, allows easy identification of those undertaking animal cruelty on their dogs, ensures owners of dangerous dogs are held to account and is a deterrent to dog theft.

With their being close to 3,000 stray dogs a year in Scotland, microchipping is a great help is reuniting worried owners. At the same time by quickly reuniting owners there is a saving made on the public purse through reduced kennelling costs.

Compulsory dog chipping is currently in place in Northern Ireland, England is planning on introducing it south of the border by 2016, a consultation on the issue has just concluded in Wales, the results of which are due soon. Currently the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce compulsory microchipping in Scotland.

With plans across the rest of Britain, Scotland face being left behind on the issue of microchipping. It is important that the Scottish Government takes action to ensure Scotland comes into line with the rest of the UK.

Dog owners already have to ensure their dog is wearing a collar and tag but microchipping can hold much more information whilst it cannot be removed.

Dogs Trust, who do invaluable work in rehoming lost and abandoned dogs, microchip dogs for free, helping reduce the costs for the owner. It was great to meet with the staff in West Calder and see first-hand the work they do in chipping, scanning and taking care of their dogs.