February 23rd, 2011

FERRY CONCERNS

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP has accused the Scottish Government of playing politics with the Gourock-Dunoon ferry tender.

Newspaper reports have revealed leaked e-mails which show former Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson offered an private company an effective monopoly of the service. This throws in doubt the viability of retaining the town-to-town service the community has bveen calling for.

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “The Scottish Government has been caught yet again playing politics with the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service and an important issue for communities on both sides of the water.

“It would appear that ministers’ public assurances do not match the deals they are offering in secret and the people of Gourock who rely on this service are right to be suspicious.

“I am also worried about the consequences these deals will have on jobs and the integrity of the transport hub we have in Gourock as it appears the interests of that community are not a priority for the Scottish Government.”

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport-environment/ministers-in-secret-ferry-talks-1.1086692

February 22nd, 2011

JOBS DISAPPOINTMENT

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has expressed his disappointment at the handling of the Blairs redundancies, which has cost nearly 100 jobs.

The MSP has been dealing with prospective buyers, receivers, the banks, current management and even the Scottish Government in a bid to save the jobs.

While new owners have now taken over the company, the MSP believes delays in the deal prevented further jobs being saved.

He said: “I am pleased that we have new owners at Blairs who are committed to building on that famous name and growing the company.

“While I wish the new owners every success, I am disappointed with the way that the receivers Ernst and Young have handled this and I believe more jobs could have been saved if they had put the wider economic concerns before short-term gain.

“When I raised the issue of Blairs with the First Minister back in January, there was an offer on the table and I warned we had 48 hours to save more than 100 jobs. Sadly I was proved right.

“The receivers held out for a better offer and their gamble failed when a higher bid fell through – this community lost 100 jobs as a result.

“I have followed the twists and turns of this developing situation for seven weeks, having discussions on an almost daily basis with the insolvency practitioners, the bank, prospective buyers, existing management, the local authority and even the Scottish Government in the hope that we could find a satisfactory conclusion.

“I believe insolvency practitioners should be accountable for the damage their decisions have on people’s lives and have contacted the Enterprise Minister Jim Mather to make him aware about this case.

“I understand that the minister has now met with the insolvency practitioners and he used the Blairs situation as a case study. I await any conclusion on actions that the Scottish Government will be able to take in order that lessons can be learned from this distressing experience.”

February 22nd, 2011

STROKE UNIT SHOCK 

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has expressed concern at the poor record of getting stroke patients appropriate treatment at the Inverclyde Royal.

In a parliamentary question, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon admitted the hospital was failing to meet targets for stroke admissions and had the worst record in Scotland.

Only six per cent were admitted to the stroke unit on the day of admission to hospital and 18 per cent within one day. National tragets are 60 per cent and 90 per cent.

He said: “Stroke patients in Inverclyde deserve the same standard of treatment that is afforded in other parts of the country and it is unacceptable that we should far so below the required standard.

“While I acknowledge the renewed efforts by the health board to meet the national targets, I am concerned that we were allowed to fall so far behind other hospitals.

“I will be writing to the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to ensure this is monitored closely and ensure significant improvements are made.”

S3W-38446 – Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) (Date Lodged Friday, December 17, 2010): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17106 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 October 2008, whether it will provide an update on the information provided.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, January 24, 2011): There is clear evidence of the benefits from ensuring that people who have had a stroke are admitted to a stroke unit as quickly as possible. In revising its clinical standards for stroke service in June 2009 to bring them into line with the new SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Guideline on stroke management, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) set a more challenging standard than previously for admission to a stroke unit. The standard that NHS Boards are now expected to meet is that:

1. 60% of all patients admitted to hospital with diagnosis of stroke should be admitted to a stroke unit on the day of admission to hospital, and 2. 90% of patients should be admitted to a stroke unit within one day of admission.

Each Scottish hospital”s performance in relation to this standard in 2009 is shown in the following table:

NHS Board Hospital On Day of Admission (%) Within One Day of Admission

NHS Ayrshire and Arran Ayr Hospital 66 81
Crosshouse Hospital 55 71

NHS Borders Borders General Hospital 17 48
NHS Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway Royal 38 67
Galloway Community Hospital* 0 0
NHS Fife Queen Margaret Hospital 25 59
Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy 38 69
NHS Forth Valley Forth Valley 27 52
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Royal Infirmary Glasgow 27 62
Stobhill Hospital 18 59
Western Infirmary Glasgow 62 81
Southern General Hospital 73 79
Inverclyde Royal Hospital 6 18
Royal Alexandra Hospital 27 59
Vale of Leven Hospital 11 20
NHS Grampian Aberdeen Royal Infirmary 64 75
Dr Grays, Elgin* 0 0
NHS Highland Raigmore Hospital 17 40
Lorn and Islands Hospital 64 75
Belford Hospital* 0 0
Caithness Hospital* 0 0
NHS Lanarkshire Hairmyres Hospital 45 70
Monklands Hospital 43 80
Wishaw General Hospital 35 82
NHS Lothian Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 21 50
St Johns Hospital 28 52
Western General Hospital 38 59
NHS Orkney Orkney* 38 38
NHS Shetland Shetland* 0 0
NHS Tayside Ninewells 30 70
Perth Royal Infirmary* 3 7
NHS Western Isles Western Isles** 35 35

Transport Scotland has agreed a further investigation into the issues surrounding the A78 junction at Inverkip following a public meeting.

A two-hour meeting was held at Inverkip Marina, chaired by Duncan McNeil MSP, and involved Transport Scotland, Amey, Inverkip Community Council and other elected representatives.

Transport Scotland will now carry out a ‘conflict survey’ of the Inverkip junction on the A78 using video technology to study the extent of the traffic problems.

Road bosses will also report back on issues surrounding the traffic lights at Ravenscraig School.

They also confirmed that they are looking at the findings of the recent road safety and accident analysis at the Bankfoot roundabout with a view to implementing the recommendations to improve safety and have agreed to keep all parties updated on this.

Transport Scotland had carried out a survey of the A78 at Inverkip last summer but the low cost solutions they had proposed were not considered to be sufficient to deal with the high accident rate there by the community.

Mr McNeil had called for last night’s meeting as a result. He said: “I am pleased that Transport Scotland has agreed to take a closer look at the Inverkip junction and report back on the issues surrounding the lights at Ravenscraig and Bankfoot roundabout.

“While progress was made, we haven’t resolved any of these issues yet and we will have to wait to see the eventual outcome of these discussions.

“This was a positive step and my only regret is that this level of public engagement wasn’t agreed to earlier.”

Councillor Gerry Dorrian said: “I thank Duncan McNeil for organising this meeting, everyone who attended agreed this was worthwhile and there were frank discussion on all of the issues.

“I hope progress can be made on the issues taking into account the strong views among the Inverkip community.”

February 15th, 2011

HOUSING CUTS FURY 

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil fears the area’s impressive house building and modernisation programme will be jeopardised by swingeing cuts imposed by the Scottish Government.

Mr McNeil joined local housing reps at a rally at the Scottish Parliament to protest at the huge spending reductions in the Housing and Regeneration budget passed this week.

Staff from Clock, Oaktree and Care and Repair Inverclyde came through to Edinburgh to demonstrate about the 19 per cent cut.

The MSP is concerned that cuts to the housing association grants will push up rents and hold up new projects from going ahead.

He said: “Housing yet again is the big loser in the Scottish Government’s budget and this undermines the good work being done in the area by housing associations like Cloch and Oaktree.

“So they are right to be angry at the Scottish Government’s failure to prioritise housing and I am sure that tenants will share this disappointment.

“I am delighted that Inverclyde Council has been able to protect services like Care and Repair but I fear it will become increasing difficult to sustain the housing standards we aspire to.”

According to the Scottish Draft Budget 2011-12, the Housing and Regeneration Budget will fall from £488m in 2010-11 to £393m in 2011-12, a drop of 19.4%.

February 3rd, 2011

COLLEGE CUTS FURY 

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has challenged the Scottish Government over the £5.7 million funding cut that has put jobs and student provision at risk at the James Watt College.

The MSP met with JWC principal Sue Pinder at the Scottish Parliament this week to hear her proposals to deal with the funding shortfall.

And he took his concerns to Angela Constance, Minister for Lifelong Learning, in the chamber this week, asking her to take into account the cuts will have on employment and skills in the area.

The MSP said: “With such a high demand for further education places at the moment, this is exactly the wrong time to be cutting the budgets of colleges like James Watt.

“I have real concerns, both short-term and long-term, that the draconian cuts being imposed on further education by the Scottish Government will diminish the provision for students in our area.

“In tough economic times, we need to invest in our colleges and equip young people with the skills required for a tough labour market.

“If we fail to do this, the consequences may be higher youth unemployment and skills gap for the industries we need to sustain our communities.”

January 28th, 2011

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RISE

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has challenged the Scottish Government to tackle youth unemployment after it emerged that more than a quarter of people unemployed are aged between 18-24.

Mr McNeil believes the Scottish Government must makes jobs a priority as he pulls together his budget for the coming year.

The MSP points to the successful Future Jobs Fund and the creation of more apprenticeship places as ways of tackling youth unemployment.

According to the latest figures released by the GMB trade union, there are 530 18-24 year olds unemployed, which is nearly 27 per cent of the total unemployment claimant count.

Mr McNeil said: “During the Thatcher years, a generation of young people were thrown on the scrapheap and we cannot allow this SNP Government to make the same mistake.

“Inverclyde needs a budget for jobs and John Swinney needs to make tackling youth unemployment as a priority.

“We had Scotland’s best performing Future Jobs Fund in Inverclyde before the Tory Government withdrew funding and the Scottish Government needs to match Labour’s pledge to re-instate it.

“And every young person who wants should be guaranteed an apprenticeship – we have a responsibility to create opportunities for young people in these difficult times.”

January 18th, 2011

SOLD OUT

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP has accused Scottish Enterprise of selling out Inverclyde after the regeneration budget was slashed.
In response to the news that Riverside Inverclyde is to face a 70 per cent cut with no guarantee of future funding, the MSP wrote to Scottish Enterprise informing bosses he has lost confidence them.
He also urged Scottish Government ministers to reverse the decision to cut regeneration in Inverclyde to fund job creation in the North East of Scotland.
Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “The 70 per cent cut in Riverside Inverclyde’s budget was imposed without consultation and will take place with immediate effect, which is completely unacceptable.
“The proposals jeopardise current plans for the area but much more importantly with no firm budgets beyond 2012, threaten Inverclyde’s future prosperity.
“This situation has come about due an agreement between the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to reprofile budgets which created a £70 National Renewables Infrastructure Fund, which excluded Inverclyde.
“In effect, we now have a situation that Inverclyde – despite its disadvantages – is being required to take cuts to create jobs in parts of Scotland more resilient to cuts in public spending.
“Scottish Enterprise is selling out our present and our future I have completely lost confidence in its commitment to Inverclyde.”