Window on Westminster : November Sandra Osborne MP
Reassurance on Lifeboat Charges
Ofcom has informed me that, contrary to fears that the RNLI could have their fees for the use of VHF frequencies vastly increased from £40,000 to £260,000, the reality is that they are more likely to pay less than at present.
The speculation that they would be hit with a massive increase was set off by Ofcom’s own consultation document which covered charges for the whole maritime and aeronautical sector including charities like RNLI and Search and Rescue. While the reassurance is welcome it could all have been avoided had they approached this sensitive issue in a different way. Along with several colleague MPs who represent coastal areas, I have called for the fees to be set at nil in the case of these vital charities supported and financed by volunteers.
Home Coming Parade
I was proud to attend the Home Coming Parade in Ayr for the four hundred Officers and Soldiers from the Royal Highland Fusiliers the Second Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland after six months active service in Afghanistan.
I congratulate all those involved in organising this fitting tribute to our troops. I was also immensely proud of the reception given to the soldiers by the large crowd who had assembled from all over Ayrshire and beyond.
It showed that people are well aware of the difficult and testing job that our troops are doing there. As part of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee I am involved in the committee's current enquiry into the Government's policy in Afghanistan and I am planning to see the situation there on the ground for myself in the near future.
Last meeting of the Burns Monument Trustees
I have just attended the last meeting of the Burns Monument and Museum Trust of which I have been a trustee for 11 years. The Trust was established in 1814 to erect a Monument to Robert Burns in Ayrshire, which was opened in Alloway in 1823. In 1881 the Trust purchased Burns Cottage, which was then returned it to its original state. Over a hundred years of concentrated collecting has built up the world’s finest collection of original Burns documents, works of art and artefacts.
Many distinguished people have served the Trust well over the years and it is of course sad to see it wound up. However, it is for very good reasons. After years of fighting for national recognition its responsibilities are being taken over by the National Trust for Scotland.
Tough Economic Times
Gordon Brown is taking steps to protect the most vulnerable and to support families and businesses through the economic downturn. That's why the Government is keeping up public sector investment to help families and the economy through these tough times. And that’s why the Government took steps to make lenders do more to support homeowners in England and Wales at risk of repossession. The Scottish Government must act without delay to bring in similar measures to protect Scottish homeowners. The SNP administration in Scotland are alone in failing to see why such action is an obvious priority. They are prepared to let homeowners in Scotland have less protection than the rest of the UK rather than admit that they need to catch up.
The Government is also urging gas and electric companies as well as petrol companies to pass on the latest drop in world oil prices to consumers.
The Prime Minister is also working with international partners to tackle the root causes in the global financial system and to try to get banks lending to each other again.
Scottish Independence losing friends fast
The idea that Scotland would be better off going it alone has fewer friends these days. It's because I am passionate about Scotland that I want it to be in the United Kingdom to help ensure our prosperity in good times and underpin our security in bad times
The UK government has promised support of up to £500 billion to recapitalise banks and to underpin bank inter-lending. Of this, £37.5bn has gone to recapitalise Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Lloyds TSB. To put that figure into context, the entire budget of the Scottish government is £30bn a year Very few serious commentators believe that Scotland on its own could have rescued our two great banks. The SNP's case for independence is in tatters.
Contrast this with the economic pain of some of our nearest neighbours. Ireland has brought in an emergency budget raising taxes and cutting child benefit; Iceland is close to bankruptcy. Norway's oil fund has in recent months lost all the profits it has made in the last decade. Until now these were the countries that the SNP were always telling us Scotland should envy.
