Central Scotland List MSP, Ms Linda Fabiani, has been appointed Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, in the new Scottish government, led by Alex Salmond.

Ms Fabiani expressed her delight on being appointed as a minister by Alex Salmond following his election as the very first SNP First Minister in the Scottish Parliament. She will work directly from the First Ministers office and will have responsibility for representing the Scottish government in its dealings with the European parliament as well as covering a number of other portfolios including the arts, architecture, built heritage, Historic Scotland and lottery funding, major events strategy and Gaelic.

Speaking after her appointment, Ms Fabiani said:

“I am delighted to be a member of the new Scottish government and a part of the first SNP government in history. The last couple of weeks have been very exciting and, the Scottish political landscape is now very interesting and is one which I hope will herald a new era in Scottish politics, an era of co-operation and effective decision-making based on the interests of Scotland’s people and not merely the interests of a single political party.

“I am looking forward immensely to my new role and getting to grips with a large workload. Like everyone else in the new SNP government I feel it is an absolute privilege to serve my country and I will do all I can to ensure that I promote Scotland’s interests and represent her people honestly and positively.

Central Scotland MSP Linda Fabiani voiced her support for charity Shelter Scotland’s new campaign “It’s Time To Get A Move In”, calling for 30,000 more affordable rented homes to be built over the next 3 years in order to meet the commitment of new homelessness legislation to house all unintentionally homeless people by 2012. The Strathaven based MSP said:

“Shelter Scotland has highlighted the increasing strain the housing system in Scotland is under, which has not been alleviated by the inadequate level of government investment in affordable housing options.

The situation in South Lanarkshire is no better than the national picture. Just last year we saw 954 more houses lost from the council stock, whilst the local housing strategy promises to deliver just 225 new affordable homes each year.

We already have unacceptably long council house waiting lists, particularly in pressured areas such as East Kilbride, and the investment in affordable homes is clearly not enough to meet the needs of our communities.

I welcome the new homelessness legislation which entitles all unintentionally homeless people to be given homes by 2012, but I share Shelter’s concerns that the already strained housing system simply won’t be able to deliver effectively on this statutory commitment without urgent investment over the next few years.

There is a big difference between having the right to a home and the homes actually being available in reality.

Whichever government is in power after May 2007 has to act to ensure all newly-eligible homeless can be housed without further reducing lets to people who are already languishing for years on council waiting lists.

The Executive’s 2007 Spending Review offers a late opportunity for the current Labour/Lib Dem government to show commitment to tackling the affordable housing crisis which has grown under their watch. I applaud Shelter for its contribution to the debate and urge the Executive to listen to its message.”

Following their latest visit to the Scottish Parliament Petitions Committee, Central Scotland MSP Linda Fabiani paid tribute to Madge Clark and Jeanette Kelly of the Murray Owen Carers Group in East Kilbride for their persistent and determined campaigning on behalf of elderly carers looking after adults with learning disabilities.

The campaigners first petitioned the Scottish Parliament in 2004, following their personal experiences in East Kilbride when suitable accommodation and care was not available for their own adult children, when they could no longer look after them at home. This led them to take up the campaign on behalf of elderly people in similar circumstances across Scotland. The petition, which has been ongoing for almost 3 years now, calls for action to ensure adults with learning disabilities who are cared for at home by elderly parents receive the same level of support and community care as there is given to those discharged from hospitals.

Ms Fabiani, who attended the latest public petitions committee meeting with the campaigners and has been an active supporter throughout, said:

“It has been a long-drawn out journey for Madge and Jeanette, and I am in complete admiration of their positive attitude, their spirit and their determination during an often frustrating campaign.

As a result of their persistence, specific recommendations for action to tackle the issue have been drawn up and presented to the Executive, and I am glad that the petition will remain open until a satisfactory solution has been reached.

It is vital that we act urgently to ensure elderly carers have the security of knowing that their sons and daughters will receive effective emergency care, and be placed in suitable independent housing, before the time comes when they are simply too old or too ill to do it themselves.

They need the chance in their later years to look after their own health, and they deserve respect from society and support from their communities, after so many years tirelessly caring for their children with complex needs.

Adults with learning disabilities who live with elderly parents should have the same right as hospital-discharged patients to be housed on their own within communities. They should not be pushed to the end of housing waiting lists. We must avoid giving the perception that they are not quite as important as those who are discharged from institutions.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Madge and Jeanette the plight of elderly carers has been brought to the political centre stage and I hope the Executive will act urgently on the specific recommendations being put to them. “

Strathaven based MSP Linda Fabiani again raised the issue in Parliament of the council’s flawed plans to decant pupils to East Kilbride whilst rebuilding Strathaven Academy, during a debate on school transport safety in the Scottish Parliament last night (Thursday). The MSP urged the council to finally listen to the serious concerns which have been expressed by parents, pupils and members of the local community about their plans, put the needs of the Avondale community first, and investigate alternative sites for the school.

Ms Fabiani said:

“I raised the issue of the Strathaven Academy rebuild during the debate on school transport safety as it is a frustrating example of safety issues and the concerns of the local community being steamrollered over by the council during its decision making process.

It is staggering the way the council have stubbornly refused to re-consider their plan to bus Strathaven Academy pupils to East Kilbride for 2 years, despite public protest, without fully considering the safety implications, and without investigating the alternative options”

During the debate Transport Minister Tavish Scott agreed with me that the safety issues which could arise from this long-distance decant were an extremely important matter, so it’s time for South Lanarkshire Council to also start taking them seriously.

The important safety considerations I raised are just one aspect of a PFI funded school rebuild plan which is overly expensive, ill-considered and ill-fitted to the needs of the community. It is still not too late for the council to listen to the reasoned voices of the campaigners, act in the interests of Avondale’s students, and investigate other options which would avoid this unnecessary disruption to their education. “

Commenting on the news that the waiting list for IVF treatment for Lanarkshire based patients has more than doubled in the last year, and is twice the wait faced by those based in Glasgow and Clyde being treated at the same unit, Central Scotland MSP Linda Fabiani called for an immediate end to the postcode lottery for infertility treatment in Scotland.

Lanarkshire based patients who have contacted Glasgow Royal Infirmary to find out when their treatment will start have been told the waiting list is now around 26 months. In April 2005 the figure was 11 months1.

Commenting, Ms Fabiani said:

“This is a completely unacceptable situation where the people of Lanarkshire are facing massive increases in waiting times for IVF treatment compared with other areas, and are not even being kept properly informed of the additional time they are having to wait.

People who are waiting for infertility treatment are facing a stressful enough time without the disappointment and frustration of even lengthier delays, and we need to ensure that there is equal access to available services regardless of where you live. It is time the government ended this geographical discrimination.

I have written to Lanarkshire Health Board for an explanation of why the waiting times have increased so dramatically this year, and what steps are being taken to improve the situation.

The government committed itself to improving equality of access to infertility treatment in 2005, after it became clear that the published guidance was not always being followed and provision varied from board to board.

Yet it has still not published the outcome of the consultation on this issue, over a year after it was completed.

It is time for less talking and more urgent action to end the postcode lottery and give everyone in Scotland equal access to infertility treatment“

Central Scotland MSP Linda Fabiani expressed delight that East Kilbride born Kate Dickie has been named as Britain’s most promising up and coming actress.

Following widespread critical acclaim for her role in the Scottish film “Red Road”, Ms Dickie has been chosen for inclusion in the European Film Board’s influential Shooting Stars List 2007. The list includes the names of 25 future talents from across Europe.

Ms Fabiani said:-

“Kate is already a recognisable face in Scotland for her TV work in programmes such as Taggart and Tinseltown.

Now with the success of her debut film Red Road it is fantastic to see local talent making an impact on the European stage.

To be selected for the European Film Board’s Shooting Stars list bodes well for her future – in previous years this list has included names such as Daniel Craig, now James Bond, and Rachel Weisz, who went on to win an Oscar last year!

Kate’s star is on the ascendancy and I am sure everyone in East Kilbride and across Scotland will watch her career develop with interest.

I wish her every success for the future “

Alyn Smith, the SNP MEP added,

“Europe’s Shooting Stars programme has picked some real winners in the last few years and I’m sure Kate will more than live up to their standards.

“It’s excellent to see a young Scottish actress being able to make such an impression in the film industry through a Scottish film.

“Congratulations to Kate and to all involved in Red Road.”