Scotland missing out on trained physiotherapists

IN THE Scottish Parliament this week, we saw the ethos of the people's Parliament being met as hundreds of physiotherapy students and graduates made the trek to Edinburgh to lobby their MSPs.

I had the opportunity to meet with students from outwith Banff and Buchan, as well as those from the constituency.

The reason they came to Parliament was to highlight the depressing fact that, four months after graduating, 81% were still looking for their first job. This seems at odds with the bizarre situation we currently have, as there are 28,000 patients in Scotland waiting to see a physiotherapist.

If a patient has to wait, they run the risk that their condition becomes chronic due to lack of early physiotherapy intervention. The fact is that there is a pool of talent that is not being drawn from, and this is wasteful and damaging. If these graduates are not employed and trained, we will not have the senior or specialist physiotherapists in the future on whom the NHS heavily relies.

In order to maintain their skills, many graduates are seeking work abroad, and this will be a drain on our skilled workforce. And with the latest estimates suggesting that it takes £28,580 to train a physiotherapy graduate, the job shortage would represent a potential wasted investment of £2.5 million. The Scottish Executive must and should be doing more to protect taxpayers' investment. We have the opportunity to act to prevent a crisis, and this must be acted upon.

Scotland can ill afford to lose our well-trained graduates, who are desperately needed to treat patients more quickly, as many patients can be seen by a physiotherapist rather than having to wait to see a consultant.

I must say that I was very impressed with they way the students from Banff and Buchan made their case. It shows that the public can and should become involved in politics.

Speaking both as a local politician and as someone who has had the need of physiotherapy treatment in the past, I hope that once those students graduate, a job will be waiting for them.

There was welcome news with the release that a record number of overseas visitors came to Scotland last year. There were nearly 2.4 million tourists in 2005, a 50% increase on 2001 – which happened to be the year of a double blow for the industry with the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the World Trade Centre attacks. The reason that this is significant is that the tourism industry is worth an estimated £4.2 billion to the Scottish economy, with £1.2 billion spent by overseas visitors alone. More could be done, however, to promote Scotland as a tourist destination, and in particular the North-east.

Tourism can part fill the financial gap of communities whose main industries have dwindled. I know for a fact that the North-east has a great deal to offer that would greatly interest many of those visitors from abroad who seek Scotland as a place to visit. After all, we have breathtaking scenery, warm and friendly people, local food and other produce, which has a distinctive flavour that encapsulates the Scottish larder. And our coastal and historical sites add to the unique selling point that the North-east offers.

But as we know, the car remains the primary means of travel for tourists. Travel by car in industrial countries accounts for more than 70% of all tourists' journeys. That is why my party, the SNP, have called for more transport investment. Scotland needs world-class transport connections to attract greater numbers of tourists in the future. The roads that service the North of Scotland have been deeply under-funded, which has led to great driver frustration. At times this has caused grave accidents. If we are really serious about making Scotland a premier holiday tourist destination, we have to invest in our transport infrastructure for the benefit of tourists and locals alike. It's time that Scotland achieved its tourism potential.

Party takes heart from power surge

LAST week, once I had finished with my surgeries I headed down to Perth to take part in my party's annual conference, and I must say I was heartened to observe that the national Press was full of articles stating that the SNP were on the brink of Government.

This gave everyone an extra bounce in their step. Conference is more than just a debating shop, it is a remarkable beehive where we are all together working and thinking with the goal of a common purpose, and to build on the positive press coverage of the conference gives my party the chance to stock the cupboard with new and fresh ideas to take into Government.

It also allows people the opportunity to see what alterative ideas and policies are on offer for Scotland's future.

Climate for change

ONE of the main areas of debate is that of our environment and climate change. Indeed, Scotland has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop our exceptional and extensive green energy resources. The political debate in our country must now focus on what is possible for Scotland as we enter a new and pressing period for energy production and use. I have no doubt that the decisions we take now will decide whether we are world-leaders.

As you may be aware, the SNP and I oppose the building of any new nuclear power stations. We believe that Scotland is well placed to be a leader in renewable energy, and as such it is our aim that Scotland by 2020 should produce 50% of its energy by means of renewables.

The fact is, Scotland has 25% of Europe's wind power, 10% of Europe's wave power and 10% of Europe's tidal power. These are Scotland's natural resources and we should be harnessing them to benefit Scotland's people.

Investment in these other forms of energy must be a high priority in Scotland's energy programme. As we all know, fossil fuels will not last forever, and nuclear power produces harmful waste that will last for generations to come. Energy is Scotland's opportunity and Scotland's challenge. It's time for Scotland to be energy wise and make decisions that will benefit us today and for the long-term; decisions that our children and their children can be proud of.

One of our new ideas is that nearly half of Scottish homes should be producing some of their own energy needs within 10 years. We set this vision out last week, stating that it is our aim of having wind turbines on roofs and in gardens, with solar panels and bio-fuel burners in more than a million of the 2.5 million homes in the country.

The impact of one million small turbines would be the equivalent of having half of a nuclear power station generating at capacity.

Wrong role models

WE need to tackle the real root cause of drugs in society; namely the supply of the deadly cargo, and the social factors that lead people into the arms of these pedlars of destruction.

We should be going after the Mr Bigs of the drugs world, not those people that are ensnared in their iron grip. For too long, drug dealers have thought of themselves as above the law. We need to change that impression; we need to aim to dismantle the profit from drugs.

It sends out the wrong message to children in estates who often see drug dealers as role models.