I recently joined with a number of fellow MSP’s and campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament to support Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s campaign calling for five year sentences for animal cruelty offences in Scotland. There is no place for animal cruelty in Scotland. This is why I have regularly stood up against it. I have […]
I opened a Scottish Labour Party debate in the Scottish Parliament on fiance. I moved a motion in my name stating: “That the Parliament believes that income tax should be increased to allow greater investment in public services.” The issue at the core of the debate is our public services, and how we fund […]
This week at FMQ’s I questioned the First Minister on cuts to our Fire and Rescue services. It is sadly the case that Scotland has lost 24% of its fire safety inspecting officers since 2013/14 and it is the responsibility of Government to make sure that the Fire and Rescue Service has the resources that […]
Why would any Government in a civilised society continue to roll out a new policy that it knows is going to hurt tens of thousands of people, will drive people into debt and towards relying on charity to feed themselves, and will result in even more people in our country being driven into […]
At First Minister’s Questions I highlighted that too many children in Scotland are being let down when it comes to mental health services. We can do better for them. It is clear that nothing needs more investment than mental health services, particularly children’s mental health services. Actions speak louder than words. The Scottish Government need to […]
Parliament started back following Summer recess last week, and kicked off with the Programme for Government for the year ahead. The First Minister unveiled her plans for the upcoming legislative programme for the year, with plans to introduce 16 new bills during the 2017-18 session of the Scottish Parliament. These bills will cover a range […]
The facts are fairly sobering, in the areas where the pilots have been run for Universal Credit, Citizens Advice Scotland are reporting that they have seen a 15% rise in rent arrears issues compared to a national decrease of 2%, an 87% increase in Crisis Grant issues compared to a national increase of 9%, and […]
I was pleased to give my support to the Too Much Information campaign in Parliament this today. In April 2016, The National Autistic Society launched Too Much Information, its biggest ever campaign to increase public understanding of autism. The coinciding report, Too Much Information: why the public needs to understand autism better, revealed that 99.5 […]
This week I raised specific questions with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney about the lack of funding in our schools. Mr Swinney is pushing ahead with a number of education reforms but, in my view, is failing to address the key issues for education which are the cuts in recent […]
I would urge anyone that is interested to come for a visit to the Scottish Parliament to see the Prestonpans Tapestry which is currently on display in the main foyer. The Prestonpans Tapestry tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s journey from exile to victory on the battlefield in 1745 against the Redcoat British […]