Land Reform

My two Committees in Parliament are deeply involved in the Land Reform Bill. And that has meant getting out and about in Scotland.

So I’ve been travelling all over Scotland in the last couple of weeks.

Today I’m just back from the Isle of Lewis and one thing struck me. The roads are pretty good and a lot less busy than we have in the North-East. So what is the policy of the local council towards free school transport? In fact more generous than Aberdeenshire.

So the assertions that our council has been more generous than elsewhere is found to be wrong. And in fact it seems that many councils do better than the Liberals on Aberdeenshire.

So when the people of Macduff, Sandhaven, Fetterangus, Longside and elsewhere felt let down when new charges came in last year, it seems they were entirely justified.
Chalmers Hospital

At long last a ‘win’ for the North-East. I first discussed the Chalmers Hospital redevelopment with Grampian Health in the middle of last year. And they promised me that we’d get an answer by the end of October.

Well it’s not just been the campaigners who’ve been chewing their nails but a whole community as far afield as Turiff who’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting.

But now we really do owe a huge debt of gratitude to the campaigners who’ve worked so hard and so publicly and made my role in chivvying and questioning so much easier and more effective. But it’s properly their victory, the community’s victory.

But when will we get our new hospital? Don’t know. Will the Scottish Executive authorise a new build? Not sure. But will we relax now? Definitely not!

Peterhead Prison

With one win under our belt, we need an early decision on another ‘running sore’. The Scottish Prison Service has been holding the sword of Damocles over Peterhead Prison for two years now and the uncertainty is unbearable.

But the reasons for the further delay are probably helpful to Peterhead’s cause.

The new First Minister wants to make his decisions based on what prisons deliver more than on simply their costs. And on this score Peterhead comes out well ahead of the pack.

With the staff having won a stack of awards and with the cost per prisoner below the target for 2002-2003, they desrve a result to match that with the Banff Chalmers Hospital ‘win’.

Transport

I’ve been speaking in Parliament about the need for better roads in our area. And I’ll continue to do so until we see the A90 at least being improved.

But my trip to Stornoway showed that some areas of Scotland really suffer. The return airfare was £280 from Glasgow. Wow!

I read recently about a flight in Australia where the stewardess closed the door and welcomed passengers aboard. She then had to admit that there was no pilot aboard and open up again to let one on.

Just like transport provision for the North-East. No one at the wheel.