Supporting Deaf Awareness Week

Speaking with a young person at the NDCS Reception at the Scottish Parliament

This week is Deaf Awareness Week, which runs between 19th and 23rd May, and I have again called on the Scottish Government to close the attainment gap for deaf learners in Scotland. This follows the publication of the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) ‘Close the Gap’ report which outlines the need to improve education and employment outcomes for deaf young people in Scotland.

Last week I attended the NDCS reception at the Scottish Parliament and it was a real pleasure to be able to speak with the young people who were there. I strongly believe that all children and young people in Scotland should have the best start in life and that they should be supported to reach their full potential. Worryingly however, recent research commissioned by the University of Edinburgh by the NDCS has highlighted a significant gap in educational attainment and life chances that exists for deaf children in Scotland.

Moreover, research by the NDCS shows that almost 10% of deaf young people leave school with no qualifications; that only a third of deaf young people qualifying for Higher Education; only a quarter of deaf young people entering Higher Education; and that a quarter of school leavers moving into employment but only one sixth of deaf young people doing the same.

This is simply an unacceptable situation to be in and I therefore call on the Scottish Government to recognize and commit to do more to close the gap in school attainment for deaf young people in Scotland.

Time for Alex Neil to step down

Following a successful Freedom of Information request from my Scottish Labour colleague and Motherwell and Wishaw MSP John Pentland, new information has come into the public domain which puts more pressure on Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Alex Neil to come clean on his role in the decision to reverse an already agreed mental health plan for Lanarkshire – which included changes at Monklands hospital in his own constituency. In light of these revelations, this week I signed a motion of no-confidence in Mr Neil, put forward by Scottish Labour.

This motion was debated yesterday in the Scottish Parliament. The explanations given by both the First Minister and other SNP Members for Alex Neil’s actions were simply not acceptable. It is clear that Alex Neil misled Parliament and his SNP colleagues should have recognised this and voted in favour of the motion, like Members from every other Party in the Parliament. That they did not reflects the contempt that the SNP hold for the Parliament itself.

The new information shows that NHS Lanarkshire’s Modernising Mental Health proposals, which were the product of great amount of hard work and a lengthy consultation process, were overturned overnight on the order of Alex Neil. Indeed, the plans had wide spread support, not only from health professionals and service users, but from the previous Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon. They were also in line with the Scottish Government’s own Mental Health Strategy. There was no good reason given for this and instead Alex Neil made it clear he wanted NHS Lanarkshire to switch to a previously rejected plan.

Indeed, further revelations this week that the potentially deadly substance asbestos was found in the two wards where mental health patients are treated shows just how damaging this decision has been. Alex Neil knows that Monklands is riddled with asbestos and that a move to community based mental services was judged by clinicians and patients as being in the best interest of good patient care. Yet he still insisted that the services remain at the hospital.

As the Ministerial Code makes abundantly clear, and Alex Neil knows all too well, Ministers should exercise extreme caution before intervening in portfolio matters within their constituencies. However, it is clear that Mr Neil made a decisive intervention here and not only that, this new information shows that the continued to be involved even after he had supposedly withdrawn his involvement.

There can be no doubt that this change and the subsequent delay had real impact on the provision of services within NHS Lanarkshire. The Cabinet Secretary used his position to push forward his preferred option on this constituency matter, which was against the consensus opinion. This has been a sorry affair and it’s about time Alex Neil held up his hands and stood down.

Scottish Labour to Reform Rental Market

I was pleased to back plans to reform the private rented sector in Scotland, detailed within Scottish Labours proposed amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill which would cap rent rises. In South Lanarkshire there are 10,000 private renters, with the figure at 6,000 in North Lanarkshire and 4,000 in Falkirk and for me these people have been ignored for too long.

Labours proposals would also make 3 years the market standard for renting tenure in Scotland, offering renters in Central Scotland peace of mind in their homes.

The SNP Government voted against these plans at the Stage 2 reading of the Housing Bill, but Scottish Labour will table them again for the third and final reading. It is crucial that they support these plans in order to deliver a fairer deal for families in Central Scotland and across the country.

Recent studies have shown that over 100,000 private rented households in Scotland live in poverty, and renters cut back on food and heating bills to pay rent.

We need to take action on this now. Nearly half of all private rented households are families with children and it is an absolute scandal that these families have to choose between heating and eating because of spiralling rent costs. Capping rent cost and offering greater security of tenure offers these families a home, not just a roof over their heads.

There are around 20,000 private renters across Central Scotland and we can deliver positive change for them now. The SNP were wrong to vote against these plans and I will campaign to see them delivered through the Housing Bill. It’s time to stand up for Scotland’s renting families.

Extending the Living Wage Vital

Recently proposals from Scottish Labour to deliver the living wage to workers on public contracts were defeated as the SNP and Conservatives voted to block amendments to the Procurement Reform Bill. As a long time campaigner for the living wage, I believe the time has now come to actively promote the payment of it in the private sector. I would therefore urge the Scottish Government to back a tax rebate for firms who pay it, and would also encourage them to establish a National Living Wage Strategy.

The living wage cannot be something the Scottish Government pay lip service to. They voted with the Tories to block Labour proposals to deliver a pay rise to cleaners, caterers, retail and other staff working on public contracts across Scotland.

Across Central Scotland there are tens of thousands of workers being paid less than the living wage, currently set at £7.65 an hour. In Falkirk, there are 10,395 workers (19% of the total workforce) being paid less than the living wage, with the figure in North Lanarkshire 20,068 (17.3%), and 15,543 (15.7%) in South Lanarkshire. Being paid the living wage would mean an annual raise of £2,600 to a full time minimum wage worker.

The living wage is good for our communities and good for our economy here in Central Scotland. It is vital that we do more to promote it.

It is now time to step the campaign up a gear. Labour is proposing a £1000 tax rebate to employers who pay the living wage, as well as establishing a National Living Wage Strategy reporting and accountable to Parliament, to further the case for the living wage so that everyone gets a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

I know from my surgeries, correspondence and from speaking to people on the doorstep across Central Scotland what a huge difference the living wage would make to people suffering from rising rents, mounting energy bills and spiralling child care costs.

Research has shown the practical effects. 47% of people would use the living wage boost to pay bills, it is a pay rise which is desperately needed for the people of Central Scotland and the 400,000 people across Scotland who are not paid the living wage.

That is why we need to promote it more effectively and aggressively to protect communities and grow the economy in Central Scotland and across the country.

Supporting Fair Trade Palm Oil

Palm Oil is one of the worlds most traded agricultural commodities and is present in more than half the packaged products we buy in shops (it remains a fairly hidden ingredient and is often simply labelled ‘vegetable oil’). The controversy surrounding palm oil mainly comes from the large plantations in the Far East where large areas are being destroyed to make more room for oil palms. However, it does grow naturally in West African countries like Nigeria and Ghana.

The huge plantations that have sprung up across the Far East produce cheaper palm oil in bigger quantities, with 87% of the world’s production now coming from that area. The environment has suffered as a consequence of these big plantations while whole areas of rainforest have been and still are being destroyed. According to the UN, 98% of Indonesia’s rainforest could be destroyed by 2022. This has also meant that small holder farmers in Africa can’t compete with mass production prices which means that the fruit they grow naturally gets wasted.

That’s why Traidcraft are working with smallholder farmers and processors in Ghana to produce fair trade palm oil in a way that protects the environment. Since it’s so widely used, there’s bags of potential to help poor communities.

I would strongly encourage people to make every effort to use these products. I am all too aware that people across Central Scotland are struggling with their finances and it therefore just won’t be an option for many. However not only are these products great for the planet and of real quality, they give fairer prices, fairer wages, and extra money for community projects which will make a huge difference to farmers, processors and their communities.

Find out more about this here.

Alex Salmond wrong on EU Membership

Membership of the European Union is the issue that shows beyond all doubt that Alex Salmond and his Nationalist cohorts will say anything to get Scotland to vote for separation.

For years the Nationalists asserted that a separate Scotland would be waved into the EU with no questions asked. In fact, Alex Salmond even cited legal advice during an interview with the BBC to back up this claim. However, after the Scottish Government spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a court battle to keep it secret, the SNP were forced to admit that the legal advice never existed in the first place.

More recently (Tues 13/5) the First Minister was interviewed on Sky and once again wasn’t honest about EU membership. This time he asserted that a separate Scotland would be able to join the European Union within 18 months of leaving the UK under Article 48 of the European Treaty.

However, the reality is that European leaders have made clear that a separate Scotland would need to apply under Article 49. That means that entry negotiations would not be able to take place until we had completely separated from the UK.

When you consider that Croatia, the most recent country to join the EU, applied for membership in 2003 but did not formally join until 2013 then it is clear that Alex Salmond isn’t coming clean about the consequences of separation.

Alex Salmond can’t just continue to tell us that it will be alright on the night and hope that’s enough. The idea that Scots can be expected to go to the polls in September without honest answers from the Nationalists on such important issues is not a credible position.

Visiting Forth Valley Royal Hospital

I was pleased to be able to visit Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH) in Larbert with the Scottish Parliament Business Exchange and learn about Serco, a company who provide a range of services at the hospital.

FVRH was opened by The Queen & Duke of Edinburgh in July 2011 and is the largest healthcare project so far completed in Scotland. It occupies 96,000 sq.m., has 4,000 rooms and 860 beds. It is the most technologically advanced hospital in the UK, and the only UK hospital so far to use automatic guided vehicles (robots) to deliver patient meals and move linen and other supplies.

Serco is an international service company, based in UK, which combines commercial know-how with a public service ethos. This visit was a great opportunity to understand & discuss Serco’s ethos and scope. They provide innovative, award-winning services at FVRH, including Healthy Living Plus Award catering, cleaning, portering, maintenance & security. I was really impressed by the high quality of service provided at FVRH and we should be proud of the staff who work so hard to ensure this is possible.

Scottish Government must do more to tackle Fuel Poverty

Following Scottish Labours debate at the Scottish Parliament on the 23rd of April to discuss the growing crisis of fuel poverty, I have called on the Scottish Government to turn their words into actions and do something about the problem. New figures released show that fuel poverty in Scotland has increased dramatically in the past few years, with 900,000 households in Scotland now living in fuel poverty.

This is a national scandal. Despite all the rhetoric from the SNP, the number of households in fuel poverty has actually gone up since 2007 and the Scottish Government has failed to spend the money it has to combat this growing scourge.

Right across Scotland, thousands of households are living in fuel poverty. In South Lanarkshire, nearly 40% of people live in fuel poverty, with over 25% in North Lanarkshire and over 20% in Falkirk in the same position.

Many of us will have received our fuel bills for the winter months. I am shocked at the plight of many of my constituents who are struggling to pay the costs of keeping their home warm in winter. For well over a million Scots, their fuel bills are so high that they are now classed as being in fuel poverty.

It’s really important for the Scottish Government to act. The SNP talk a lot about how things might be better after independence, but households need help now. I find it outrageous that the SNP have failed to spend the money they have on helping to insulate homes and helping to reduce fuel bills.

What is even worse is that the SNP are refusing to back our calls for an energy price freeze. Alex Salmond has met with the ‘Big 6’ energy companies eight times since 2010. Not once has he ever asked them to freeze their prices. Not once has the SNP’s Energy Minister asked them to cut their bills.

So rather than speaking up for our poorest, Alex Salmond would instead back the big energy companies. As thousands more Scots slip into fuel poverty because of his government’s incompetence, Alex Salmond takes the side of big business.

Thousands in Central Scotland in Low Pay Jobs

I have recently called for the living wage to be extended to more workers across Central Scotland after figures showed thousands of people in the area are in low paid jobs.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics indicate that in Falkirk, nearly 10,395 workers (18.9%) earn less than the living wage. In North Lanarkshire, there are 20,068 workers (17.3%) in the same position, and in South Lanarkshire the figure is 15,543 (15.7%).

These figures are hugely concerning, and underline why we need to extend the living wage to more workers as soon as possible across Central Scotland. It is simply wrong that tens of thousands of people in Central Scotland are not given a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

The living wage must be extended to workers on public contracts via the Procurement Reform Bill, and I have written to both Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney to press the case. Scottish Labour will seek to amend the bill when it has its final reading in Holyrood soon.

The living wage is currently set at £7.65 an hour, and would mean a pay rise of over £2,600 to a full time worker on the minimum wage. Scotland spends £10 billion a year on public contracts and this money should be used to deliver fairer pay for workers across Central Scotland.

Delivering the living wage will make a huge difference for people facing rising energy bills, mounting debts and spiralling child care costs. It will also improve our local economy, with more money being spent in Central Scotland rather than going into the pockets of Chief Executives.

The SNP boast that they delivered the living wage for public sector staff. What they don’t tell you is that cleaning, catering and retail staff in their departments have their jobs subcontracted out, meaning they aren’t entitled to the living wage.

It is a disgrace that this low pay loophole exists. We need to close it to deliver better wages for working people in Central Scotland and across the country.