Figures released by Housing Minister Stewart Maxwell showed that 94% of respondents to the Government’s “Firm Foundations” housing strategy consultation supported plans to end the right-to-buy on new social housing. In addition there was overwhelming support for increasing the number of new homes being built to 35,000 over the next decade (89%).

Ms Fabiani said:

“The SNP Government is taking action to address the real need for more social and affordable housing in East Kilbride, and across the country.

“Over the last few years the number of council houses built has been woefully inadequate to meet the needs of the population of East Kilbride.

“It is deplorable that the Labour and Conservative parties sought to oppose restrictions on the sale of future new build social housing projects. Their stance, if it had been successful, would have ensured our public sector housing stock would continue to dwindle and people in the town would continue to be frustrated at the lack of opportunities available to them in the public rented sector.

“It is clear that if councils and housing associations are not allowed to keep new housing stock that the current public housing situation will only be exacerbated. The policy put forward by the SNP and passed in parliament will ensure that a new generation of public sector housing stock will be kept for the use of future generations of the East Kilbride public.

“People in East Kilbride need access to affordable social housing, and I hope that South Lanarkshire Council will act to ensure that the lack of public sector housing in East Kilbride will be addressed in the near future.”

The decision to abolish the starting rate of income tax of ten pence in the pound means that taxes will increase for over 324,000 people in Scotland from the beginning of April. Twelve percent of all Scottish tax payers pay the 10% rate, and they will see their tax payments double this week from 10% to 20%.

Ms Fabiani said:

“At just the same time when the SNP is abolishing the council tax and easing the burden on Scottish taxpayers we have the labour government increasing the tax burden for the lowest earners in society. It is a stark contrast between the policies of the SNP and the Labour Party. The SNP want to get rid of an unfair tax burden while Labour is adding to it.

“This week we have seen the SNP cut prescription charges, scrap the graduate endowment and increase free personal and nursing care. There are clear differences between the progressive policies being pursued by the SNP in comparison with those of the Labour Party.

“The effect of doubling the tax bill for hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland will feel like a kick in the teeth to hard working men and women who will find they are taking home a lighter wage packet from now on.  

“Far from helping the less well off this tax hike comes at a time when food and energy prices are rising which will only increase the impact it has on peoples finances.

“In October 2000 Wendy Alexander, then Communities Minister, said that the ten pence starting rate of income tax contributed to women earning £65,000 more in their working lives. Does she now accept that her claim in 2000 has now been turned on its head and women will be earning considerably less?

The new policies coming into force from April 1st 2008 include:

• A reduction in prescription charges, moving towards full abolition by 2011.
• Council Tax freeze for 2008/09, benefiting householders across Scotland.
• End of the £2,289 graduate endowment, benefiting students who graduated last year, and students currently in the system.

• Small Business Bonus Scheme, benefiting 150,000 small businesses in Scotland.
• Free personal and nursing care payments to older people in care homes rising in line with inflation, benefiting more than 9,000 people.

April 1st will also see introduction of
• Extension to Emergency Workers Act
• Vulnerable Witnesses Act

Commenting on the implementation of these policies Ms Fabiani said:

“April 1st 2008 marks a historic day for Scotland and for its first SNP Government. We have proven to the people that we are a Government which is committed to delivering on its key manifesto pledges as we have done exactly that.

“The policies which we have implemented will directly benefit the people of Scotland and increase fairness at all levels of our society.

 
“Our reduction and eventual removal of prescription charges will end an unfair tax on those suffering from ill-health, and particularly those who need regular medication.

“The new relationship the Government has now forged with local authorities in Scotland has directly led to a freezing of council tax across the country, resulting in more money in people’s pockets and local authorities having greater flexibility and responsibility to deliver at local level.

“The ending of the graduate endowment fee will mean students in Tayside and across Scotland will no longer have this additional burden of debt awaiting them after graduation. It was an unfair tax in the first place and it is long overdue to be removed.

“In terms of private enterprise, our small business scheme will see the start of the abolition of business rates for 120,000 small firms across Scotland and significantly reduced business rates for a further 30,000. If we want to have a flourishing economy then there must be a concerted effort to change our enterprise culture stemming from local level all the way to the national picture.

“At the heart of the measures this Government has implemented is to ensure that Scotland is a country which is not burdened by an inefficient tax system, or disincentives to further education, or hindrances to our historically enterprising business culture. We have and will continue to put in place policies which will put Scotland at the forefront of forward-thinking societies with a modern outlook befitting of our European and global position in the twenty-first century. The active benefits brought about by our policies will mean that the people of East Kilbride and South Lanarkshire will be able observe a wider culture of innovation and efficiency in Scotland.”

The report provides a summary and analysis of the 387 responses that members of the public and housing industry submitted following Firm Foundations’ publication in October 2007.

Welcoming the report Ms Fabiani said:
“With South Lanarkshire Council just announcing its intention to build social housing on the site of the old Greenhills Primary school the publication of this report is timely. The Firm Foundations report detailed proposals to improve supply, quality and choice in Scotland’s housing - a criteria that I think most people in East Kilbride would agree on.

“The Scottish Government is grateful to everyone who took part in this discussion and delighted at receiving contributions from a large and diverse group of people and organisations.

“Over the coming weeks we will discuss responses with CoSLA and other stakeholders. Following these discussions, the Scottish Government will announce the direction of its policies for meeting Scotland’s housing needs in June.”

END
NOTES:
On October 31, 2007, the Scottish Government published its discussion document Firm Foundations: the future of housing in Scotland. This described the Government’s vision for an increased supply of housing across all tenures, all of which is delivered on the basis of higher environmental and design standards; more choice of housing that those on lower incomes can afford; housing developments that contribute to the creation of sustainable, mixed communities; and social housing that provides better value for public expenditure.

To achieve that vision, Firm Foundations proposed:

·       Setting a target to increase the rate of new housing supply to at least 35,000 houses a year by the middle of the next decade

·       Launching a Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative
·       Helping first time buyers through the creation of LIFT: the Government’s low cost initiative for first time buyers

·       Encouraging the private rented sector to flourish and play a full role in meeting housing need
·       Improving the choice available to homeless people
·       Offering local authorities financial incentives to build new council houses
·       Ending the right to buy on all new social housing
·       Using more efficient delivery to increase the supply of new housing association housing
·       Modernising the regulation of social housing

By the time the consultation period ended on January 25, the Government had received 387 responses from local authorities, tenant and community groups, housing associations and a range of other housing stakeholders and private individuals.

The Government appointed Tribal Communications to analyse and summarise the responses.

An Autism Toolkit is also being developed to offer guidance to education authorities and schools in identifying and supporting children and young people with autism. The Autism Toolkit is due to be launched later this year.

Commenting on the new guidance Ms Fabiani said:

“With over 2,500 people in South Lanarkshire affected by autism it is vital that we ensure they have a strong support network around them and education is a key part of this.

“By providing new guidance the Scottish Government is aiming to improve the services open to those affected by autism and increasing knowledge on the issues surrounding the condition.

“I look forward to seeing the publication of the Autism Toolkit which will address how best to ensure young people with autism are given the maximum level of support. I am sure this will provide much reassurance to the families of people who have autism.

”I would also like to see the UK Government ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

“It is a year since the UK Government signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities yet it has still not ratified it. Ratification could bring additional rights for disabled people in Scotland and across the whole of the UK.

“Formal ratification of the treaty would deliver a package of measures that will support and enhance the lives and rights of disabled people. It should be given whole hearted support by the UK Government as soon as possible.”

The move is part a package of changes to national training programmes jointly announced by the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland, a new body created by the amalgamation of Careers Scotland, learndirect Scotland and most of the skills and training functions of the Enterprise Networks.

Ms Fabiani said:
“This Skills Strategy, Skills for Scotland, is a welcome vision for the development and utilisation of our skills base in Scotland, which will better meet the needs of individuals and employers.

“A town such as East Kilbride, with its high level of industrial development, will benefit hugely from the establishment of Skills Development Scotland.

“We are keen to expand the opportunities for skills development amongst employers and employees so that the chances available to people reflect the skills that are needed in a modern society. 

“Far from this government lacking in its ambitions for Scotland we are showing that we are all to ready to invest in Scotland’s working future. 

“This programme of skills training includes developing a Modern Apprenticeship in Life Sciences, supporting adult Modern Apprenticeships in the construction and engineering related sectors (e.g. plumbing and bricklaying, electricians, shipbuilding, car maintenance and painting), producing an increase in the number of adult MAs in this sector by 50 per cent,  increasing the number of 16-19 year old MAs by 10 per cent in all construction and engineering related sectors and providing an additional 6,500 Level 2 MAs.

“With the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow we expect an additional 1,200 jobs to be created in construction and engineering and we can see the clear need to continue skills development in this area.

“We know that these Modern Apprenticeships are being welcomed by Scottish industry because they will help to address the issue of an ageing workforce and tackle the current skills shortages.

“There is also a dire need to tackle the housing shortages in towns like East Kilbride and the Scottish Government will be meeting the challenge of substantially increasing the levels of new homes in Scotland. We need to have the skills base to meet the challenges that lie ahead in these areas”

The level of funding more than doubles the 2007/08 figure of £10.13 million and will be used across Scotland for alcohol screening, prevention and treatment services.

The package forms part of an additional £85 million funding commitment to tackle alcohol misuse over the next three years.

Commenting on the increased funding Ms Fabiani said:

“This record funding demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to address Scotland’s complex relationship with alcohol.

“Far too many Scots drink above the recommended amounts on a regular basis - often without realising that they are doing so, and without understanding the impact it is having on their health.

“This funding is to ensure that people across Scotland have access to advice and support about their drinking and to treatment services where necessary.

“The Scottish Government is also developing a long term strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse. We plan to publish our proposals for action before the summer.“The £2,455,698 being allocated to NHS Lanarkshire will go some way to help tackling the alcohol problems we see right across Lanarkshire. The fact NHS Lanarkshire has received the third highest funding in the country gives some indication of the scale of the problem we have to deal with locally. This money should aid us in dealing with some of the health and social issues that alcohol causes.”

The MSPs constituency office which was shared by all the SNP Central Scotland List MSPs is no longer based in the old Dalziel High School in Motherwell, which has for the last few years been a council run business centre, after North Lanarkshire Council opened a new office building for the use of local businesses.

The new purpose built premises is a replacement for the much older building and is part of a broader redevelopment of Motherwell town centre that NLC plan to carry out in coming years.

The new constituency office address for Linda Fabiani is:

Dalziel Building
Suite 3.3,
7 Scott Street,
Motherwell,
ML1 1PN.

Linda’s contact details remain the same:

Tel: 01698 265925

Fax: 01698 269033

Email: Linda.Fabiani.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

The campaign to scrap the Graduate Endowment ran right across the country which culminated with a lobby of Parliament by students on Thursday.

Commenting on the parliamentary decision to scrap the graduate fee Linda Fabiani MSP said:

“The SNP have always believed that Education should be free for all and not based on your ability to pay.

“There are nearly 10,000 students who are liable to pay the £2,289 fee and removing that will be a welcome boost to both them and their families.

“Too many of our young people start their adult life snowed under with debt and I am delighted that the Parliament has seen sense and given them this financial boost and reiterated our belief in the principle of free education.  

“No longer will our graduates be entering the work place heavily in debt before they have started earning a wage. 

“The Liberals introduced this tax on learning and the Labour Party gave us the mantra of ‘Education, Education, Education’ but it has taken an SNP Government to give us back the right to a free education that is accessible to all who have the ability.

”A disincentive has been removed for those wishing to go further with their education and the passing of this Bill means that students who graduated from June 2007 onwards will not have to pay the endowment fee.

“This Bill has been supported by student bodies who know first hand the difficulties that were caused by the Graduate Endowment and its abolition is a welcome lifting of the financial burden placed on today’s students.

”’The Graduate Endowment raised less than 1% per year in revenue for the further and higher education system and Scotland’s universities will continue to be amongst the very best in the world”

The grant scheme will provide funding for projects which support young people involved, or at risk from violence, alcohol, drugs or antisocial behaviour as well as support for initiatives such as youth drop-in services and residential, environmental and outdoor activities including climbing walls, skate parks, mountain bikes and canoes and yachts.

Youth organisations and projects from across South Lanarkshire will be able to apply for a share of the money, which will be administered by YouthLink Scotland, the national youth work agency.

Commenting Ms Fabiani said;

“This is the first time that the cash seized from criminals will be reinvested in youth organisations and projects in every part of Scotland and young people in South Lanarkshire are to benefit to the tune of £176,000.

“The grant scheme is designed to give young people the opportunity to realise their potential and enable them to have real hopes and aspirations for the future.  It is imperative that we give our young people positive things to do with their lives and demonstrate the vast possibilities that lie before them.

“I would strongly encourage local groups to apply for this funding, and take advantage of the opportunity it presents for young people.”