Central Scotland MSPs Linda Fabiani and Christina McKelvie joined First Minister Alex Salmond and the families of servicemen and women this week at an ecumenical service in Motherwell Cathedral to honour members of the armed forces killed or injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking after the service, Ms Fabiani, whose home constituency of East Kilbride has a strong armed forces tradition, said:

“This has been an extremely moving occasion which has powerfully highlighted the bravery of our servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and the scale of the sacrifice that has been made by so many of them.

“Like other Members of the Scottish Parliament, some of my constituents have paid the ultimate price, such as Corporal John Harrison of East Kilbride, who was killed just last month during a heroic rescue mission in Afghanistan.

“It is so important that, as a nation, we show appreciation and respect for the families who have borne the loss of loved ones, for the servicemen and women who have returned home, sometimes with terrible injuries, and for those members of our armed forces who are still in harm’s way every day.”

Fellow Central Scotland MSP, Christina McKelvie said:

“Regardless of what we think about the rights and wrongs of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, our servicemen and women deserve our gratitude.

“We must never forget or take for granted the sacrifices that they have made, which is why I hope that today’s service will be only the first of its kind.

“A big part of the respect that we owe to our armed forces must take the form of adequate care and support for veterans, which is why I am very pleased that the Scottish Government put in place a range of measures, from significantly increased finding for the charity Combat Stress to a guarantee of access for injured veterans to state-of-the-art prosthetics from NHS Scotland.”

The Service of Remembrance which took place in Motherwell Cathedral on Thursday 29 October was the first large ecumenical service of its kind in the UK.

The Scottish Government published a paper of commitments to Veterans and Armed Forces Communities in July 2008. It can be read at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/CommitmentsPaper2008.

S3M-05060 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Skillbuild 2009, Congratulations to National Construction College Scotland— That the Parliament congratulates the National Construction College Scotland for its success at the recent Skillbuild 2009 competition held at South Lanarkshire College, with particular congratulations to Mark Doris, winner of the gold medal for reinforced bitumen membrane roofing and Stephen Ferguson and Graeme Highlands, winners of the gold and silver medals respectively for roof sheeting and cladding.

S3M-05036 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Skillbuild 2009, Congratulations to South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride— That the Parliament notes that South Lanarkshire College successfully hosted the Skillbuild 2009 Competition; offers congratulations to all Scottish winners in their construction categories, including Douglas Robertson and Steven Butler, both students of South Lanarkshire College, who won the bronze medal for carpentry and the silver medal for roof slating and tiling respectively; notes the ongoing success of South Lanarkshire College, and congratulates all those involved.

Linda Fabiani MSP has welcomed the announcement of the latest round of grant funding to support jobs in East Kilbride.

In his speech to SNP annual conference, First Minister Alex Salmond announced £19 million of Scottish Government grants to Scottish businesses, including East Kilbride company Premium Mobile Distribution Ltd which will receive £75,000 to create five new jobs

The funding will come from Regional Selective Assistance, the main national scheme of financial assistance to industry, which provides grants to investment projects that will create and safeguard employment.

The First Minister said:

“It is particularly important in the current economic climate that we use all of the tools available to boost and stimulate Scotland’s economy.

“RSA helps to attract investment into our communities, creating opportunities for employment and supporting much needed jobs, which will increase growth and ensure a strong economic recovery.”

Welcoming the news, SNP MSP Ms Fabiani said that her home constituency of East Kilbride has particularly benefited from RSA grants. She said:

“At least one East Kilbride company has accepted an RSA grant in every quarter since the SNP Scottish Government was elected.

“The First Minister’s latest announcement of the award to Premium Mobile Distribution brings the value of grants accepted by East Kilbride employers to over £3,800,000, supporting 207 new jobs and safeguarding many more existing ones.

“There is no doubt that East Kilbride has taken a hit from Gordon Brown’s recession and a lot of jobs have been lost in the town.

“But this kind of targeted investment by the Scottish Government helps to provide a sound basis for helping East Kilbride to not only stay on its feet but also for the local economy to recover and grow in the long term.”

Linda Fabiani MSP has written to Robert Wiseman Jr, managing director of East Kilbride-based Robert Wiseman Dairies to congratulate him on the company being shortlisted for the highly sought-after Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards, which are given to Scottish companies which demonstrate the business benefits of environmental best practice.

Robert Wiseman Dairies’ headquarters in East Kilbride is one of forty shortlisted nominees to be narrowed down to eight winners, who will receive their awards from Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham at a ceremony in the Scottish Parliament on 28 November.

The VIBES awards are now in their tenth year and are regarded as a signifier of the very best environmental practices in business.

Ms Fabiani, whose home constituency is East Kilbride, said:

“It is great news for East Kilbride that a local business is amongst those setting the standards for green business practices in Scotland.

“I hope that other local businesses will be inspired by Wiseman Dairies’ example in adopting good environmental practice and enter the VIBES awards in future years.

“I congratulate all those at Robert Wiseman Dairies who have worked for this achievement and wish them the very best of luck at the awards ceremony on 28 November.”

For further information about the VIBES awards go to www.vibes.org.uk

Linda Fabiani, SNP MSP for Central Scotland, has commented on the new Clydesdale Bank banknote designs, introduced to mark the Year of Homecoming celebrations and with features to aid visually impaired people:

“Our distinctive banknotes are one of the things appreciated by visitors to our country as something uniquely Scottish, as well as being a bit of a source of pride for people who live here.

“Each of the individuals portrayed on these new notes, from Alexander Fleming on the £5 to Charles Rennie Mackintosh on the £100, represent part of Scotland’s contribution to the world. I’m particularly pleased that a great Scotswoman, the suffragist and surgeon Elsie Inglis, is represented on the £50.

“The World Heritage sites depicted on the reverse show the breathtaking natural and man-made beauty and extraordinary breadth of history to be found in Scotland.

“The additional features to help people with visual impairments use the notes with confidence are very welcome.

“These are a fitting set of designs to mark our nation’s Year of Homecoming.”

MSP praises local charity and “community spirit” of East Kilbride company which helped them

During a Scottish Parliament debate on the subject of dementia, Linda Fabiani MSP has spoken of how “hugely impressed” she has been with the “great passion and belief” of the East Kilbride and District Dementia Carers Group.

Linda told fellow MSPs that the Group, from her home constituency of East Kilbride, has since 1991 “pushed out the boundaries” of dementia care, helping people to maintain their independence, continue to live at home and join in social activities. She said:

“I thought it was great when the group told me that, although the users might not remember that they had a day out or where they went, as the old clichés might suggest, they will have the sense of wellbeing that is so important because it maintains the sense of life and of being worth while.

“We should never forget that, because it is just as important as many of the other aspects.”

The SNP MSP also praised local East Kilbride company Ecebs for its decision to spend its staff team-building day redecorating the premises of the Dementia Carers Group. Describing the gesture as a “wonderful example of community spirit”, Linda said:
“There were benefits for both sides. Ecebs benefited from its teamwork and the dementia group benefited from the work that was carried out for them.

“I hope that other small and large companies that tune into some of what we talk about in Parliament will take up that idea, rather than pay consultants a fortune to run team-building exercises, which can be done in the local community.”

Ms Fabiani, has praised the efforts of the East Kilbride and District Dementia Carers Group, during a debate in the Scottish Parliament.

Ms Fabiani was speaking on a motion which seeks to establish the principle of a charter of rights for people with dementia in order to challenge the attitudes and practices that deny dementia suffers their rights.

Ms Fabiani, stated during the debate that she has been highly impressed by the work of the dementia unit in Greenhills, East Kilbride, and praised the passion and dedication of the staff.

Ms Fabiani said:

“The staff of the dementia carers group have risen to continual challenges since they began giving their great service in 1991. They have created an excellent environment in which to care for their client group and work extremely hard to maintain support for the centre.

“In East Kilbride, there is a projected increase of those suffering from dementia of 51percent over a ten year period, and the work of this unit will be needed more than ever. Without it many dementia suffers and their families would be worse off.”

END

Notes:
Ms Fabiani’s speech can be read at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1008-02.htm#Col20518

Strathaven based MSP Linda Fabiani, has criticised the level of payments due by South Lanarkshire Council to Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnerships (PFI/PPP), as a drain on the public finances at a time when budgets are being squeezed.

The council is due to make payments to PFI/PPP contractors of 90million pounds over the next three years due to the previous administrations use of this discredited method of financing public projects.

Speaking during a debate in the Scottish Parliament Ms Fabiani, asked of the effect that such payments is having on the public purse, to be informed that the bill nationally in the next three years alone is over 2billion pounds and that this figure will increase year on year to an estimated one billion pound annual repayment by 2024.

Ms Fabiani said:

“These figures demonstrate the madness of PFI/PPP funding for public infrastructure in place of traditional methods of procurement. In East Kilbride alone the cost of the school rebuilding programme using the PPP method will be over one billion pounds over the life of the contracts. It is ludicrous sums of money to be spending on the public purse when other methods of purchasing are far cheaper and better value for money.

“These PFI/PPP contracts impact severely on departmental budgets which are already being restricted by Westminster spending cuts and, I’m sure those trying their best to manage local authority finances would rather have this money to spend on services, rather than being tied to onerous and unnecessary repayments that are worth more than the value of the goods that have been purchased.

“Over the next three years South Lanarkshire Council will repay 90million pounds for PFI/PPP projects and this level of repayment will continue to impact on public funds for a whole generation.

S3M-04869 Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Nova Scotia Day— That the Parliament welcomes the proclamation signed by Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia, that “Whereas it is fitting in Scotland’s International year of Homecoming to recognize the strong historic, linguistic and cultural links Nova Scotia shares with Scotland; and whereas these links go far back to the time of Sir William Alexander, who played an important role in the beginning of European migration to Nova Scotia and is commemorated by a statue in Victoria Park, a public space located in our province’s capital city of Halifax; and whereas through Sir William’s personal efforts the foundation of Nova Scotia was laid by Royal Charter in 1621 through which our province later received its coat of arms and flag and in recognition that Sir William and the Knights Baronet of Nova Scotia represent a foundation of the affectionate relationship enjoyed between Nova Scotia and Scotland; and whereas it is fitting to acknowledge those who have influenced Nova Scotia’s language, culture and heritage which, having evolved over the centuries, can be proudly acknowledged as diverse because of the vibrant cultures that have shaped our history”, that 10 September 2009 be Nova Scotia Day and that Nova Scotia will continue to build on its mutual historic, linguistic, cultural and entrepreneurial ties with Scotland.

Linda Fabiani MSP has been appointed to the board of directors of Scotland’s Futures Forum.

Scotland’s Futures Forum was created by the Scottish Parliament to help MSPs, along with policy makers, businesses, academics, and the wider community of Scotland, look beyond immediate horizons to some of the challenges and opportunities we will face in the future.

Reacting to her appointment, the SNP MSP for Central Scotland said:

“The Forum creates an important space at Holyrood – space to increase accessibility and participation between MSPs and those that we serve. I look forward to helping the Forum develop these principles further in the coming years.”

Further information about Scotland’s Futures Forum can be found at http://scotlandfutureforum.org/