Protecting the NHS

There are few people who are valued more in our society than the hardworking doctors, nurses and other staff members in the NHS who strive constantly to care for us in times of ill health. People in Scotland have a special place in their heart for the NHS, so it is scarcely any wonder that claims of cutbacks and job losses are deeply alarming to people.

South of the border, the previous Labour government cut back spending on the NHS by more than £3 billion which inevitably had a knock on effect to the amount of money that Scotland receives under the Barnett formula. Yet, in contrast to that decision, the SNP Government committed to protecting the NHS and as a result it saw its budget in Scotland rise above inflation despite Scotland’s funding being cut.

In response to some of the irresponsible claims that other parties have put about, the Health Secretary has made a guarantee to NHS workers that there will be no compulsory redundancies. Times are certainly tight, and like all public services the NHS must seek to operate as efficiently as possible, but I know that this commitment will be enormously comforting to NHS staff and to members of the public.

With record funding levels and record low waiting times, the NHS in Scotland faces the challenges ahead from a position of strength and the SNP Government will continue to protect it during the difficult times ahead.

Scotland’s offshore potential

I have written before about the enormous economic potential that Scotland’s developing offshore renewables industry has for Banff & Buchan yet that potential was recently put into figures that would surely make anyone sit up and take notice. The Offshore Valuation Study which was published to coincide with the All Energy conference in Aberdeen found that the practical offshore resource in Scotland’s seas is a staggering 206 Gigawatts.

To put that figure into some kind of context, if just one third of that resource was successfully harnessed then the value in electricity sales would be an estimated £14 billion by 2050. Scotland has the advantage of having 25% of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal energy potential and 10% of Europe’s wave potential in the waters off our shores.

Across the UK it is estimated that up to 145,000 jobs could be created as a result of the emerging green industry and a significant number are likely to be in Peterhead, with the town having recently taken another step towards becoming a hub for the industry thanks to progress on Scottish Enterprise’s plans to develop an industrial park for the offshore renewables industry.

Yet to fully take advantage of the potential that exists, as the Offshore Valuation Study rightly points out, will require the development of a European super-grid. With such a grid, which has been identified by the European Union as a key infrastructure project, Scotland will gain access to a continental marketplace where we can sell the excess renewable energy we produce. The importance of developing that infrastructure to Scotland’s economy can scarcely be underestimated.

The SNP has long been calling for support for such a measure, and we will continue to do so, but as long as Scotland does not have its own voice in Europe, we need the new UK Government to live up to its responsibilities and take a leading role in pushing for the construction of such a super-grid. Its commitment to doing so will be an early test it can expect to face and for the sake of Scotland’s future it must not be found wanting.