February 2010 diary column
25 February 2010
February 2010 diary column
Licencing regime — update.
Regular readers will be well aware of my ongoing concerns over the impact of the new liquor licencing regime on small and medium-sized businesses across the constituency. So severe has it been that approximately 30% of licence-holders in Wigtownshire and the Stewartry have decided not to continue holding a licence, with the result that I’m sure many readers will have seen menus which now state that, due to the new regulations, wine, beer and spirits are no longer available. As I’ve said before, the businesses affected play no part in fostering binge drinking or anti-social behaviour — they simply allow people to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine with their meal. They are also vitally important to our tourist trade.
So I was delighted to arrange a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice a couple of weeks ago which I attended along with representatives of the Dumfries & Galloway Licenced Trades Association. It was encouraging, and I got the distinct impression that the full reality of the new regime has been recognised at last. There was talk of looking at increasing the number of bandings (there are currently 4) and ‘decoupling’ them, so that you could, for instance, increase in licence fee in the top band while lowering it in the bottom one. That would give the flexibility that is so lacking in the current legislation and would allow our holidaymakers, and ourselves, the luxury of enjoying a glass of wine with our toasted panini once again.
Cancelled consultation.
The decision to postpone the NHS consultation on the future of our healthcare services for about 18 months took everyone by surprise. I have to say that I think it was the right decision, as the whole process was inevitably going to become enveloped in, firstly, Westminster elections, secondly the elections to the Health Board itself and, finally, the next Scottish Parliament elections of May 2011. As the end result will eventually have to be signed off and agreed to by the Scottish Health Minister, I can understand the Board’s desire to seek the shelter of some very long grass until comparative political calm surrounds the process.
I hope that the Board will use the extra time it has given itself wisely, and takes on board the very solid public reaction against its own preferred option C. Unless significant changes are made, taking account of the public’s antipathy to option C, then no progress will have been made at all. In the meantime, however, we will elect 10 new members to the NHS Board, and it will be extremely interesting to see if, and how, that changes the direction of the Board’s strategy. Health-wise, we are in for a very interesting 18 months or so.
Befriending (and eating!)
I was delighted to once again chair the Dumfries & Galloway Befrienders Burns Supper which, after only four years, has to be held in the Easterbrook Hall due to the demand for tickets. Once again, the
quality of speakers was absolutely first class and I don’t think anyone could have gone away dissatisfied. Most importantly, the evening raised almost £2,500 for this most worthy of causes — one which teams up volunteering ‘befrienders’ with some very vulnerable young people, ensuring that they experience the value and worth of a true friend — something that is all too often sadly absent from their lives.
A wee kist o’ verse.
At the Befrienders Burns Supper I learned that the famous Howff Club had organised a poetry competition across the region last year in recognition of the Year of Homecoming. It was open to all primary and secondary school pupils, and entries were to be mainly in the Scottish dialect. Over 600 entries were received and the top 100 have been printed in an enchanting book called ‘A Wee Kist o’ Verse’. I am not a great reader of poetry, but I was entranced by this publication for the sheer quality of the entries — especially when their ages are taken into account. My personal favourite is by a 9 year old from Upper Nithsdale called ‘Walking wae ma grandpa’ which finishes with the line:-
“I’m glad that God made Grandpa unrushed and young — like me!”
As a grandpa myself, I just love that.
Openings.
Openings seem to be like buses. You don’t get one for ages, and then 3 come along together. So it was over the last month when, in the space of a week, I took part in the opening of 3 new facilities, all of which will be of considerable benefit to their users. The first was a new supported housing project for the homeless in Stranraer. ‘Quay Head View’ must be one of the most advanced facilities of its type in the country — it is aimed at giving homeless people the confidence and skills they lack, rather than just giving them a key to a house and forgetting all about them. The Communities Minister officially opened the building, but I was delighted to introduce him and indeed to welcome him to my constituency.
Next, I was kindly invited to open the newly refurbished pharmacy in Whithorn, and a most impressive refurbishment it is. It was good to see a young couple putting in the commitment to ensure that Whithorn maintains an independent pharmacy, and one that is very up to date in both the quality of the facility itself and the services that it offers. I wish the new owners every possible success.
Finally, I was honoured to open another refurbished facility — the visitor centre at Tongland Power Station, near Kirkcudbright. This centre is focussing on schools and is not a ‘walk-in’ facility, but I was impressed by Scottish Power’s commitment to working with schools and educating our young people about hydro electricity in particular, and about energy creation in this day and age of environmental concern as well. I hope they keep up that good work.
Freedom of Information.
A significant milestone was marked in the Scottish Parliament to note the 5th Anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act in Scotland. It was that Act which, almost single-handedly, pressurised the Parliament into taking an early decision to publish all Members expenses claims online thus establishing our system as the ‘benchmark’ for the various inquiries into the Westminster system that have taken place. While F.O.I. was never meant to be the happy hunting ground for muck-raking journalists that some believe it has become, I do believe that the positives greatly outweigh the negatives in that the result has been a far greater degree of accountability across the whole of the public sector. That has to be right, and worthy of note 5 years on.
Insatiable birds.
No doubt it is a direct result of this colder than usual winter, but I didn’t think it possible that the small birds in my garden could eat their way through the vast amount of peanuts and suet balls that we provide for them. Keeping them topped up is an almost constant chore, albeit a very rewarding one, but there must be a growing shortage of peanuts on the world market if everyone else is getting through them as quickly as I am!
Illegal fishing.
Recent meetings have made me aware of the increasing incidents of illegal fishing in our inshore waters. Each incident, on its own, may not be a big problem, but the cumulative impact of many incidents is, both to our environment and to the sustainability of this small but significant industry. What seems to exacerbate the problem is the lack of joint working between all the relevant agencies who could, and should, play a part in policing and preventing such incidents. So I was very pleased to help to bring together representatives from the Council, the Police and the Marine Agency to discuss a joined-up approach over the coming year. I was even more pleased that a protocol was agreed which will lead to greatly improved joint working in an increased effort to bring these environmental vandals to book. They have been warned.