Looking Back on a Year of Achievement

As we enter the month of May, we are afforded the chance to reflect on what can only be described as a momentous year for Scotland. We mark the symbolic anniversary of the Scottish elections which saw Scottish history made before our eyes as the SNP formed government for the first time. And looking back it has been a truly sensational year of success for the SNP and indeed for Scotland.

Before entering power the SNP pledged to make Scotland healthier, wealthier, safer, smarter, stronger and greener. And after being granted the backing of the Scottish people to form Government we have wasted no time in getting on with the job. In a short twelve months we have delivered substantially on our manifesto pledges and moved Scotland closer to realising these goals.

Amongst other achievements we have removed tolls on the Forth and Tay Road Bridges, scrapped the graduate endowment for students and secured the 2014 Commonwealth Games for Scotland. We have reduced prescription charges to £5.00 with plans to phase them out completely by 2011. We have taken measures to deliver more visible police presence and an additional 1,000 police officers, helping to make our local communities safer and stronger. The SNP has taken significant strides to tackle Scotland''s housing shortage with a raft of plans including the establishment of an expert panel led housing supply task force and £5 million pounds of investment into rural homes for rent.

Locally in Banff & Buchan the impact of SNP governance is plain to see. In the last year we have seen Peterhead Prison saved from closure, council tax frozen, business rates for small businesses cut and a third dental school planned for our regional city of Aberdeen.

As I travel around the constituency, I meet farmers who feel the Government is addressing their concerns, fishermen who feel they are finally being listened to, business people who believe the Government is giving them a chance to grow their business and families who are better off as a result of the council tax freeze. With a record number of new businesses starting up across the area and more money in people's pockets, Banff & Buchan is an area that is flourishing and moving forward.

On a more subtle level, there has been a sea change in the way politics is done in Scotland and in the way people relate to it. As the SNP demonstrate our competence to the people of Scotland there is renewed confidence in Scotland as a nation, in our political institutions and our ability to govern ourselves. As we prove our calibre through successful, effective policies in the best interest of Scotland's people there is a growing sense that Scotland can hold its own and prosper as a country in its own right. And through the National Conversation, the SNP Government has breathed new life into democracy by bringing the debate over independence, devolution and everything in between, beyond the Parliament and directly to the people. It is time for the people of Scotland to democratically have their say on the issues that affect them.

But all of this is only the beginning. The SNP has ambitious visions for Scotland and we intend to continue relentlessly pushing for Scotland's best interests at home and abroad. And for my part as I look back on a year of SNP successes I also look forward to the many achievements to follow and to serving all of my constituents to the best of my ability in the years ahead. As both Member of Scottish Parliament for Banff & Buchan and Government Minister it has been the most exciting year I could ever imagine spending in politics and a true honour. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Banff & Buchan for giving me this privilege.