Press Release, 23rd October

Make a Difference Day 

Duncan McNeil MSP praised the dedication of over 900 Marie Curie shop volunteers in Scotland as he/she joined the team at the Marie Curie Shop in Port Glasgow to celebrate Make a Difference Day.

Duncan McNeil thanked Marie Curie shop volunteers for their commitment and spoke to the public about the difference that volunteering makes. NAME also turned his/her hand to taking donations, stacking racks and shelves, pricing goods and serving customers.Make a Difference Day on 24 October 2015 is a celebration of volunteering which started in the USA 24 years ago and aims to raise awareness of the benefits of volunteering and contribution that volunteers make to their local communities.

Duncan McNeil MSP said:

“It was great to meet with the volunteers and see the fantastic work they do supporting Marie Curie. These volunteers are making a really positive difference to the local community.”

Richard Meade, Marie Curie Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Scotland said:

“We wouldn’t be able to run our shops without members of the local community giving their time and skills and would encourage anyone interested in helping us, and the people that we support, to get in touch.”

Wednesday 12^th November, 2014

Press Release

7,000 A staggering seven thousand workers in Inverclyde are earning below the National Living Wage of £7.85 an hour new figures show.

The revelation comes after the SNP rejected Labour’s proposals to pay all workers on public sector contracts the Living Wage in Parliament last week.  This is the second time this year the party has blocked attempts to give workers in Inverclyde a pay rise.

The move has angered local MSP Duncan McNeil who said that Labour’s proposal would have been an important step forward to ensuring all workers in the area are paid the hourly rate.

Duncan McNeil said:

“The SNP’s failure to support low paid workers will come as a disappointment to my constituents”

“Labour’s proposal would make a real difference to people struggling with rising rents, mounting energy bills and spirally child care costs”

“It’s time the SNP got serious about better pay for workers in Inverclydeand across Scotland.”

01 August 2014                                                                                

Mr Stuart McMillan MSP

West of Scotland

4 Argyle Street

Greenock

PA15 1XA                                                                                                                      

Dear Stuart

 Thank you for your letter requesting a debate which I received on Thursday 31^st July.

I share your recognition of the need to engage with genuine undecided voters.   I believe it is in all of our intereststhat people have the information necessary, which in turn would increase turnout and bring about a conclusive result.

Indeed, it has been a rewarding experience over the last few months speaking with undecided voters on the doorsteps and at our locally organised events, answering their questions, listening to their concerns and discussing the implications of Independence.   Personally, I think this is one of the best ways to engage with the public.

This is in contrast with the adversarial politics which have unfortunately been evident at some local public events, which sadly have not engaged with undecided voters but which were dominated by people who have already made up their minds.

While I welcome the opportunity to debate with you and others as to the merits of devolution versus Independence, I cannot accept your suggestion that you should be the sole facilitator of this event.   I believe strongly that in the interests of fairness that we have an independent facilitator for the debate.  

In order to be of assistance I have approached local radio presenter Willie Stewart who we both know and trust.   I am sure you would agree Willie would make a good facilitator and convenor of such an event.     Willie is well known in the community and has a wide knowledge and has attended many various local events on the referendum debate across Inverclyde.   I think we could be confident he could do this job in a fair and impartial manner.  

I/

I believe the radio would be an excellent medium, to cover a one to one debate, as you have suggested, and would have the great advantage of reaching people in their homes right across Inverclyde.

Willie has confirmed his interest in convening and broadcasting the debate on local radio.   May I suggest we both nominate a colleague to discuss the necessary rules of engagement on our behalf to bring about a debate which we both believe would be considered to be fair and informative with the focus on genuine undecided voters that we both agree we need to engage with.

Yours sincerely

Duncan McNeil MSP

The Scottish Parliament’s health committee which I convene recently launched a call for views on the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

The proposed legislation introduced by independent MSP Margo MacDonald, will provide a means for certain people who are approaching the end of their lives, to seek assistance to end their lives at a time of their own choosing.

The MSP’s previous attempt to change the law was unsuccessful, but she believes the public now has greater awareness of the issue giving her new Bill a better chance of passing.

As my mailbag will confirm, this is a topic that has polarised public opinion and there are clearly strong views on both sides of the debate.

There is no doubt that legalising assisted suicide would be a huge change in how we treat people at the end of their lives, and there are a number of important moral and ethical issues that need to be explored as part of this debate.

This is why as a committee, we want to hear from as wide a range of people as possible – from GPs, pharmacists and the wider medical profession who would have a role in assisting in a person’s suicide to the third sector, police and legal profession.

Hearing from the experts is important, but we also want to hear from members of the public who are for and against, as well as individuals who may be affected by the proposed legislation.

We will use these views as a platform for debate as to how people are treated at the end of life.

To submit evidence to the Committee you can email HealthandSport@scottish.parliament.uk by Friday 6 June. To read more about the consultation you can visit the Scottish Parliament’s website at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk

Comments made by Alex Salmond in his recent interview with GQ magazine dominated the headlines this week.

 He provoked an angry response from the Ukraine community in Scotland for expressing his admiration of President Putin who according to Amnesty International has cracked down on political dissent, encouraged arbitrary arrests and corrupted the judicial process.

 But Putin wasn’t the only one to receive Salmond’s praise. He also described the media mogul Rupert Murdoch – whose papers where embroiled in the phone hacking scandal – as a ‘remarkable man’.

 To cap it all off, during his interview he appeared to characterise Scotland as a ‘nation of drunks’.

 In the backdrop of all this, there were stories that didn’t make the headlines, but which are impacting on our young, the old and the type of society we want to be.

 It was confirmed that the SNP’s education policies are sucking the life out of our local colleges.

A survey of numeracy in Scottish schools revealed that the number of primary school pupils doing well in maths has dropped hurting their life chances.

And the crisis in our hospitals was highlighted yet again in an inspection of the Southern General, which found patients who were cognitively impaired being moved from ward to ward hampering their recovery.

These are the issues that are of real concern to the people of Scotland. And these are the issues that Alex Salmond needs to focus on.

 He should spend less time being interviewed in fashion magazines and more time taking action to help ordinary working people.

 Unfortunately for us all, Scotland will be on pause as long as the First Minister’s vanity project continues.