September 19th, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has expressed his disappointment that Finance Secretary John Swinney failed again to give assurances about future funding for Riverside Inverclyde.

Mr McNeil had asked the minister during a debate on enterprise zones whether Inverclyde would be considered and would they complement the existing work for URCs.

The Scottish Government slashed Riverside Inverclyde’s budget by 60 per cent earlier this year and has failed to give any commitment to future funding despite only being half way through a 10-year project.

He now fears Inverclyde could face another round of regeneration cuts.

Mr McNeil said: “This project is vital to our future economic prospects and has been a real concern that the Scottish Government does not share our ambitions for Inverclyde.

“With the shift to enterprise zones in other parts of the country, I would have hoped that John Swinney would have assured us this would have no impact on our plans and given Inverclyde a firm commitment over the future of our regeneration plans.

“In Inverclyde, we remember the last enterprise zone introduced by the Thatcher government, and it had not last impact as unscrupulous companies moved on after the subsidy ran out.”
“Rather than repeat the mistakes of the past, the Scottish Government should be supporting regeneration projects that are working for communities like Inverclyde.”

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): I would expect a place such as Inverclyde to be high on the cabinet secretary’s priority list. Can he assure us that the enterprise zone work that the Government is going to carry out will be in addition to; supportive of and complementary to the existing work of the urban regeneration companies in such areas rather than to its detriment?

John Swinney: All the approaches that we have had about enterprise zones will be assessed dispassionately to determine how the maximum economic impact can be achieved. Support is being directed to different parts of the country in different ways. Mr McNeil has asked questions about urban regeneration company issues on a number of occasions in the past. I point out, in passing, that he was unable to support the provisions in the budget that supported the urban regeneration company in Inverclyde, but that is history. I assure him that the Government’s approach will be to look dispassionately at the opportunities to strengthen economic impact in all parts of the country.

August 29th, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has contacted the makers of hit TV show Waterloo Road about relocating to Inverclyde.

Shed Productions announced they are to move the show to Scotland next year and are currently scouting locations up north.

The MSP has now approached the Waterloo Road team about using some of the old schools in Inverclyde as their set.

He said: “One of the consequences of our new school estate is that we have some school buildings still in good condition which are not being used and I believe they would be an ideal setting for Waterloo Road.

“I have spoken with Inverclyde Council, Scottish Enterprise and Riverside Inverclyde about putting together an attractive offer for Shed Productions to move here.

“Inverclyde has a proud association with the arts, from Richard Wilson to Sweet Sixteen, from the new arts guild theatre to the drama, sound and make-up courses being run at James Watt College.

“It would be a great boost the area to have such a popular TV show filmed here in Inverclyde and I will be working with other local agencies to see if we can make this work.”

August 17th, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has called on the Tory and SNP governments to wake up to unemployment in Inverclyde.

The latest figures show the number of people out of work in Inverclyde has jumped by 200 in just two months. Worryingly, more than half are women.

The number of Job Seekers Allowance claimants is now 5.8 per cent, above the Scottish average of 4.3 per cent

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “These scandalous figures should be a wake-up call to both George Osborne and Alex Salmond, who seem completely devoid of any ideas on how to get people in the UK, Scotland or Inverclyde back to work.
“This represents a real unemployment crisis that is hitting women and young people the hardest and the inaction from London and Edinburgh is leaving people in this community struggling for work.
“Inverclyde is stuck between a Tory economic policy actively causing unemployment, and an SNP approach which isn’t doing enough to stop it.
“During the recent by-election, the First Minister repeatedly talked of his big plans to reindustrialise Inverclyde, yet we are still waiting while the dole queue lengthens.”

August 10th, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP has invited the Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham to Inverclyde to see for herself the misery drug addiction is spreading.

The MSP was shocked this week to see drug deaths in the community rise to a 10-year high while the national average plummeted 11 per cent.

He wants answers to why our drug prevention strategy is not have the right impact in Inverclyde and wants to get the Scottish Government involved.

The MSP also plans to meet with Robert Murphy and Joe McIlwee, corporate director and chair of the Community Health and Care Partnership, in a bid to tackle the problem.

He said: “While the minister is obviously pleased with the 11 per cent drop in drug deaths across the country, too many people are still dying from addiction with Scotland having the sixth highest drug toll in the world, twice that of the UK.

“I am particularly concerned that drug deaths have doubled in Inverclyde, and hit a 10-year high.

“I think it would be appropriate for the minister to come to Inverclyde to see for herself the challenges we face, and work with us to overcome them.

“It is clear that the drug prevention strategy we have in place, through the methadone programme and other things, isn’t working for Inverclyde.”

August 7th, 2011

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde Duncan McNeil has called for assurances over the future of two local care homes impacted by the financial crisis at Southern Cross.

Mr McNeil is concerned about weekend reports that put doubts over the future of Merino Court and Newark Care Homes and has written to Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon about the worrying situation.

He said: “The priority here has to be that alternative providers maintain current staffing levels and high standard of care.

“I have been concerned for some time about the developing situation in the Southern Cross homes in Inverclyde and wrote to the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon asking for assurances over patient care.

“I am satisfied that she agrees with me that we must do all we can to allow people to stay in their current home although this has not been ruled out by the working group she has put in place.

“I will be taking a close interest in this, both locally and nationally as the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s health committee, to ensure residents are protected during this difficult process.”

30th June 2011

On the election of Iain McKenzie as the new MP for Inverclyde:

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “This was a by-election no one wanted and David Cairn’s untimely death leaves a huge hole in this community.

“But in Iain McKenzie we have a first class MP who has a track record of working hard and delivering for Inverclyde,

“I am confident he will prove to be a strong voice for Inverclyde at Westminster.”

July 14th, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil, MSP has slammed the decision to close the Clyde coastguard.

The UK Government announced it was to close the Greenock-based service despite a strong case being made for it to be retained.

Mr McNeil has also written to the First Minister asking what representations he made on behalf of the Clyde Coastguard, especially as the Aberdeen, Lerwick and Stornoway bases have been retained.

He said: “Inverclyde and the west of Scotland have been let down by both the UK and Scottish Governments who have been playing politics with this from the start.

“This is a flawed decision based on political considerations and not the facts or the safety requirements.

“Greenock has the busiest coastguard centre in the country, which deals with MOD traffic, busy ferry routes, cargo traffic and an increasing number of cruise ships, and merits a 24-hour coastguard centre.

“It is a real concern that it hasn’t even been considered as a day centre and will be closed all together.

“The First Minister assured me that he would be trying to secure a ‘victory for Scotland’ on this issue. This is certainly not what has been achieved and I will be writing to him to determine exactly what representations he has made.”

March 10th, 2011

Tribute to Lee Jeans heroines

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, has paid tribute to the 240 women who took part in the Lee Jeans sit-in at the Scottish Parliament.

On the 30th anniversary, the MSP invited former trade union convener Helen Monaghan and ex-workers Margaret Wallace and Catherine Robertson to Edinburgh to hear a debate he had secured on the historic protest.

The women also met with Labour leader Iain Gray, deputy leader Johann Lamont and Port Glasgow MSP Trish Godman.

Mr McNeil said: “Although they didn’t realise it at the time, these women captured the imagination of a country that was being crushed by unemployment at the time.

“They became an inspiration to workers all over the world, not just for the principled stand they took but because they won that fight and kept their jobs.

“In these difficult times, with unemployment rising, they represent a timely reminder of what people can achieve if they stand together and recognise the importance of the right to work.”

S3M-07898# Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Scottish Labour): 30th Anniversary of the Lee Jeans Sit-in— That the Parliament remembers the 240 women who staged what it sees as a historic sit-in at the Lee Jeans factory in Greenock 30 years ago, beginning on 5 February 1981; notes that the workers barricaded themselves into the canteen for seven months in protest at the decision to close the factory; salutes the workers for capturing the imagination of the whole country and achieving a landmark victory against a US multinational; wishes the former convener, Helen Monaghan, and machinists, Margaret Wallace and Catherine Robertson, well for the 30th anniversary reunion event that they have organised, and considers the Lee Jeans sit-in to be an inspiration to women workers all over the world.

Link to debate -

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/business/orsearch/ReportView.aspx?r=6175

24 June, 2011

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has expressed his disappointment at the latest failure to take action on the A78 junctions.

The MSP has now called on Transport Minister Keith Brown to take action after he agreed to meet with a small group of residents, at Mr McNeil’s invite.

He said: “It is no surprise to me that the transport agencies have again refused to take action over this accident black spot, it is time that we seen real political leadership from the minister in charge.

“I am disappointed that Transport Minister Keith Brown has not taken up my invitation to speak at a public meeting and has instead chosen to hide behind his officials at a closed meeting with councillors and the community council.

“This is the same minister who has found plenty of time to campaign in Inverclyde when a by-election was called but is still refusing to explain his lack of action on the A78 to the people of Inverkip.”