We will remember them
The month of November is associated with Remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the two World Wars and in subsequent conflicts up to the present day. This year, as well as attending the Remembrance Service, I was pleased to go to the Hollybush House fundraising concert and, in Cumnock, to the presentation of new colours to the Cumnock and District Branch of the Royal British Legion, Scotland. In London, there was the yearly reunion of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. I was originally attached to the Royal Marines and I have taken a close interest ever since. This year’s theme was the Army and the event was held in the Royal Chelsea Hospital. What a privilege it was to meet some of the veterans there, as well as serving soldiers recently back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and to learn about the history of the building.
Our service men and women do an outstanding job and we all owe them a debt of gratitude and a duty of care, particularly those who have developed health problems as a result of their military service. I was therefore pleased with the Government’s announcement of an expansion of NHS priority treatment for all Armed Forces veterans whose injuries or ill health may be due to their service. I understand the Scottish Executive intends to implement this in Scotland.
Alan Johnson the Secretary of State for Health also announced a new model of community mental health services for veterans which will be piloted across the UK. I will be making sure our local expertise at Hollybush House is given due recognition. I visited Hollybush recently with Stephen Twigg the Minister for Veterans and he was very impressed with the facilities.
Defence Budget
Of course defence is a highly political issue not just in relation to conflicts but also the amount of money spent on meeting the defence needs of the nation. During a debate in the House of Lords several former Chiefs of Defence staff criticised the Government’s policy on the defence budget. They are supposed to be non-political but you could have fooled me. The Tory defence spokespersons have made accusations in the House of Commons over the level of defence spending without making any commitments themselves or saying how they would spend the defence budget differently. So let’s look at the facts. The Comprehensive Spending Review which outlines Government expenditure for a three year period, provides for an additional £7.7 billion funding for defence by 2011, continuing the longest period of sustained real term growth in planned defence spending for over 30 years. This should be seen in comparison to the last five years under the Tories, when the defence budget was cut by half a billion a year. At a time of operational intensity especially in Iraq and Afghanistan the Government has made it clear that it will provide all the resources commanders need to achieve operational success. The additional costs of these operations are separate from the defence spending settlement. I attended a briefing by General Sir Richard Dannet, Chief of the Defence Staff last week who said that the Army had never been so well equipped.
Not the happiest of months
I won’t pretend this has been the happiest of months for the Government with the very serious breach of procedure leading to the loss of personal data from the Child Benefit database. An investigation is underway but there is currently no evidence that it is in the possession of anyone outwith Government property. All affected customers have received a letter of apology informing them of the situation and Child Benefit payments will continue to be paid as before. However if anyone has a problem they should contact my office and we will deal with it as soon as possible. (Tel.01292 262906)
To add to our woes it is now clear that members of our party have breached the requirements of the Political Funding and Referendums Bill which Labour brought in to make funding of political parties more transparent. I am angry that we have been let down like this but I have confidence that Gordon Brown will get it sorted out. There is no easy answer to the funding of political parties. The only way a level playing field which doesn’t rely on big money donors can really be achieved is through state funding which is not a popular option with the taxpayer. However there is no excuse for acting outside the law.
Glendoune Community Association wins TV Vote for Lottery Cash
Christmas came early last week in Girvan when Glendoune Community Association won the public phone in vote for the People’s Millions Lottery grant featured on STV each night. Their Healthy Communities Initiative was the worthy winner of an £80,000 award. The project can now create a multi use games area and provide new sporting equipment available to people of all ages and abilities. This is a great way to contribute to improving the overall health and fitness of local people and I congratulate everyone who has worked so hard to achieve this result. It was a great week for Ayrshire, as earlier in the week the Barony Trust Project near Auchinleck and Quarriers Sport for All project at Seafield School, Ardrossan were also winners. Ayrshire folk certainly know how to use their phones.
Digital Switchover
Constituents from the Carrick area continue to come to me with me issues relating to TV reception and the impending digital switchover. Last week I raised their concerns in Parliament at Scottish Questions. I asked the Minister if he could guarantee that everyone will be able to access STV as their default ITV channel after switchover. As readers know, people in Girvan are subject to a postcode lottery for both analogue and digital, whereby some get Ulster, some people get Borders, and others get access to STV. The Minister of State, David Cairns replied that he had raised my concerns with Digital UK in advance of my planned meeting with Ivan Kennedy, the Community Liaison Executive of Digital UK so that he could address these points. I will keep you posted on developments.
