Building on success

With the summer recess drawing to a close MSPs have returned to Holyrood for yet another parliamentary year. And on the very first day back an idea of the activity in store was revealed with an ambitious programme for government.

In our second annual programme, the SNP Government outlined plans designed to build on the successes of the last year. The agenda combined long-term measures to strengthen the economy, protect our environment and create fairer means of delivering public services to the people of Scotland, with more short term initiatives to provide relief to hard pressed Scottish households and businesses in the here and now.

The SNP is committed to making Scotland a wealthier and fairer country. This is why we have consistently fought to abolish the unfair council tax. We believe that this regressive tax is wholly unjust and out of place in a progressive Scotland. And we have moved to put these convictions fully into action with a proposed bill to scrap the council tax.

The only way to secure a genuinely fair system is through a local income tax based on the ability to pay. This would not only be more equitable across the board but would lift 85,000 people in Scotland from poverty and see the average Scottish family save between £350 and £535 a year.

As well as commonsense initiatives like this, there was much in the programme for rural constituencies like Banff & Buchan. The SNP Government is acutely aware of the distinctive issues which face remote communities in Scotland and the need to treat these issues differently.

Schools are one such matter which is why we are planning a bill to protect rural schools from closure. Since 1999 more than 50 rural schools in Scotland have been closed. In that time three have been kept open by Ministers and I am proud to say that all three decisions were taken under the SNP's tenure. As the most rural constituency in mainland Scotland this will come as reassuring news to parents and families in Banff & Buchan.

Also amongst the raft of measures were the a bill which will fully implement the rates relief scheme for small business, a bill to make Scotland a world leader in the fight against climate change and a bill to make our public services more efficient and ultimately reap savings for the taxpayer.

This was a programme with a clear vision – to make Scotland healthier, wealthier and fairer. By putting in place measures to boost the economy, to conserve our environment and to improve our fundamental education, health and justice services we are making progress year on year to deliver on that goal. The SNP is looking ahead with confidence and ambition for Scotland.

Ending a tax on the sick

But it is not only through legislation that the SNP is making a difference to the lives of the people of Scotland. In the current climate as the cost of living rises we are taking action on all fronts to ease the burden on ordinary people.

We recently moved to scrap car parking charges at NHS hospitals across Scotland. This put an end to what was essentially an indirect tax on ill health and strengthened the fundamental principle of the NHS – that healthcare should be free at the point of delivery.

Car parking charges put an unfair financial burden on hospital patients, staff and their relatives at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. I was also pleased to note that this included two hospitals in Grampian health board, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin. In these tough economic times every saving matters and this move will help ease the strain on family budgets when it is most needed.