Strathaven based Minister for Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP, has welcomed a decision by the Scottish Qualifications Authority to make questions on Scottish history a mandatory part of the Higher history exam.

From school year 2010/11 the exam will now contain a mandatory Scottish section. The decision follows a successful campaign by teachers, academics and politicians.

Commenting on the decision Ms Fabiani said:

“This is extremely welcome news after years of Scottish history playing a poor relation to other areas of study.

“The Scottish National Party campaigned alongside teachers, academics and others on this issue and I am delighted that the SQA have taken this historic decision!

“It is particularly important because for the first time Scottish school students can now measure history as a subject against their own Scottish experience and their view of the modern world.

“There are truths to be learned from historical analysis that inform and educate what we do today and our children deserve to know and understand their own heritage.”

Hundreds of pensioner households are to benefit this winter from significant extra measures announced this week as part of the Scottish Government’s central heating programme.

£7 million is being earmarked to deliver much-needed help to eligible pensioners under the scheme, who are most in need and are without heating and hot water this winter.

Speaking on the announcement Linda Fabiani MSP, stressed that as well as giving additional priority to the most vulnerable applicants who are without heating and water, capacity in this year’s programme will be increased to avoid lengthening the waiting times for others - particularly those seeking first-time installations.

Scottish Gas will speed up delivery in this financial year to achieve up to a further 1,600 installations, bringing the total number of central heating systems installed under the programme to 15,000 this financial year - more than in any previous year of the programme.

Ms Fabiani said:
“We are doing all we can this winter to help the most vulnerable pensioners who are eligible for a new central heating system under the fuel poverty programme and whose existing system has broken down beyond repair.

“It is important that we give extra priority to vulnerable pensioners who face this winter in homes without heating and hot water. We will focus this extra spending on increasing capacity in this year’s programme to avoid making waiting lists longer.

“We also recognise that there are underlying issues with the design of the fuel poverty programmes and we are examining these.”

Scottish Gas, which manages the central heating programme, will identify from existing information from applicants and inspections, those who are likely to be without heating and hot water and those who are the most vulnerable. Those people will be given greater priority than they have at present.

The central heating programme helps pensioners in fuel poverty by providing a new central heating system where they do not have one or, for pensioners most likely to be in fuel poverty, replacing partial and inefficient systems. The programme also replaces systems that have broken beyond repair.

This is not an emergency repair scheme and the greatest impact on fuel poverty is achieved where a system is provided for the first time. The practical situation is that a pensioner who is eligible for a new system and whose present system is broken beyond repair, may not be able to make other arrangements until the system is replaced. This is a particularly acute problem in the winter.

Linda Fabiani MSP, is calling on all constituents to remain vigilant following the loss of bank account details, national insurance numbers and other personal information belonging to over 25 million individuals.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday announced that “two password-protected discs containing a full copy of HMRC’s entire data in relation to the payment of child benefit were sent to the NAO, by HMRC’s internal post system operated by the courier TNT. The package was not recorded or registered.”

Commenting on the loss of personal data by HMRC, Ms Fabiani said:

“This is a major error by HMRC with clear implications for many families in East Kilbride.

“We all have a responsibility now to watch our accounts closely, and ensure that we report any suspicious behaviour either to HMRC or our banks.”

Nigel Evans MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud has said “If they are not encrypted, not password protected, then clearly this sort of information, if it’s generally readable, could be an amazing resource to an ID fraudster.

“It is quite chilling that this sort of information isn’t in the hands of the Government.”

ENDS

NOTES

Advice to constituents:

If you have any concerns, please contact HMRC on 0845 302 1444 between 8am and 8pm on any day of the week (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and new Years Day).

If you see any suspicious activity in your bank statements, please contact your bank immediately.

The following steps can also be taken to help prevent identity fraud:

Keep your personal and confidential documents secure

Regularly check your bank and credit card accounts for unusual transactions

Regularly obtain a copy of your credit report from credit reference agencies Callcredit, Equifax or Experian, and monitor it for discrepancies

When you move home, redirect your mail from your old address to your new address for at least a year.

Always shred before disposing of documentation – bank and credit card statements, utility bills, receipts, direct mail containing any personal information, mortgage applications etc

Going away? If you’re planning to be away from home, you’ll want to make sure you don’t leave any obvious clues, like a pile of mail on your doormat, contact Royal Mail about their ‘Keepsafe’ service which will hold your mail for up to two months, and deliver it on your return. For more information visit www.royalmail.com

Never give out any personal information to unidentified individuals or organisations who contact you by phone, email or face-to-face

Visit www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/ <http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/>  for information on different types of fraud

Never respond to e-mails asking for personal or financial information. Be especially careful when sending personal information over the internet. 

If you receive an email that warns, with little or no notice, that an account will be shut down unless you reconfirm billing or security information, you should not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the institution cited in the email using a telephone number or web site address you know to be genuine.

Use up-to-date anti-virus software and a personal firewall and, if your computer uses the Microsoft Windows operating system, keep it updated from the Microsoft website. Be extra careful if using Internet cafes or any PC which is not your own and over which you have no control. If in doubt, a good place to get help and guidance on how to stay safe online is your bank’s website. Check regularly for specific information and guidance on protecting your PC and yourself online.

Avoid emailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial information through a web site, look for the ‘lock’ icon on the browser’s status bar. It signals that personal information is secure during transmission.

Never give personal information to people calling from companies you have not dealt with before. Always check the identity of these people by calling them back.  Obtain their office number from directory enquiries and then confirm their position with the switchboard before speaking to them

If you have been a victim of identity fraud involving the use of plastic cards, online banking or cheques, the matter should be reported direct to the financial institution concerned. They will then be responsible for further investigation and, where appropriate, onward reporting to the police. Other incidents should be reported to the relevant organisation and, dependent on their advice, to your local police station

Strathaven based, Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP, welcomed the Scottish Governments budget spending review which has opened the way for a 50 percent cut in business rates in South Lanarkshire.

The 50percent cut in business rates for small businesses will begin next year and the following year will see a further 50percent reduction with all businesses rated under £8000 paying no rates from 2010.

Welcoming this boost for local businesses, Linda Fabiani said:

“As part of our wider economic strategy the SNP is determined to support the small business sector which had been let down under the Labour and Lib Dem administration.

“Small businesses drive the local economy. They are a source of entrepreneurship and innovation and create a huge number of jobs as 98percent of all businesses are classified as small in Scotland

“The SNP Government’s plans for cutting business rates are designed to target small businesses and deliver meaningful help to them while at the same time benefiting the wider economy.

“With the large business sector in East Kilbride this is sure to be welcome news for many businesses.

Strathaven based, Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP, welcomed the Scottish Governments budget spending review which has opened the way for a council tax freeze in South Lanarkshire.

Welcoming the opportunity for a historic tax freeze, Linda Fabiani said:

“In 10 years the Labour Party increased the council tax in South Lanarkshire by 52 percent.

“I am delighted that this government has come to an agreement with COSLA over a freeze in council tax over the coming year.

“This meets the SNP’s commitment to make life fairer and wealthier for the people of South Lanarkshire and the whole of Scotland, I warmly welcome that.”

Local Strathaven based MSP and Minister for Europe, Linda Fabiani, has praised the Scottish Government’s plans to reform housing provision across Scotland by aiming to build 35,000 new homes each year by 2015, and to give first time buyers and tenants a better deal in the housing sector.

Ms Fabiani was speaking after the government lunched a discussion document ‘Firm Foundations - The Future of Housing in Scotland’, giving details of the Scottish Government’s proposals for increasing housing supply and choice.

Ms Fabiani said:

“We are recognising that there is a need for an adequate supply of affordable housing across all tenures in Scotland.

“We know the central role that home ownership plays in the housing system and we want to offer more help for people to buy their homes.

“However, we also understand the need for a thriving social sector that can offer more choice to those who cannot afford to, or do not wish to buy.

“We know only to well the problems of a housing shortage in East Kilbride, it is all too often that people in the town simply cannot find accommodation which is suitable to their needs, and this is particularly so when considering the lack of available council housing.

There is such a low turnover of council housing in East Kilbride that people can wait years before getting a house or flat.

“The current housing system is simply not meeting our needs as a country or a town. This government aims to change this by focusing on building 35,000 new homes a year by 2015 right across Scotland.

“We also intend to establish a Low-cost Initiative for First Time buyers and expand assistance to them through a mix of Government grants, shared equity schemes, and mortgage related products and services.

“We intend to reverse the 30 year run-down of the local authority landlord role. This reflects our belief that local authorities have a continuing and developing role to play in the provision of social rented housing.

“Local authorities see little point in building new houses for rent if they are lost through the Right to Buy. Many housing associations share this view.

“We therefore propose to end the right to buy for all new social housing built by local authorities and housing associations - with an exception for existing tenants already eligible to buy their houses.

“In short, this government will ensure that new social housing is safeguarded as a public asset for the benefit of current and future generations of tenants.

“We are inviting communities, councils, social landlords, developers, tenants and lenders to comment on the proposals, which address every element of the housing system.”

The consultation runs for 12 weeks and responses are welcome by January 25, 2008.