Browsed by
Month: February 2017

Dumbarton Reporter Column – 28th February 2017

Dumbarton Reporter Column – 28th February 2017

Council Meeting – SNP Supports Local Communities Last week’s Council budget saw no real surprises, perhaps with the exception of Labour’s new love of the Council Tax freeze they spent 5 years complaining about; it must an election year. In contrast to Labour’s budget of cuts in services and election grandstanding, where they have once again put more on the Council Credit Card, the SNP proposed a no cuts, no extra borrowing budget and asked for all budgets to go…

Read More Read More

Yemen

Yemen

The SNP share public concerns on the very grave situation in Yemen On 19th December Brendan O’Hara, MP for Argyll and Bute, condemned the use of cluster munitions by the Saudi-led coalition and called on the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon MP, and the UK government to immediately end arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to fulfil its obligations under the Cluster Munitions Convention to prevent non-signatories from using such weapons. These calls were repeated by Hannah Bardell…

Read More Read More

Local Bookmakers

Local Bookmakers

Local bookmakers shops are important to our high streets and they provide jobs, and tax revenue as well as enjoyment. My SNP colleagues and I are keen to support local bookies – and indeed all local businesses – as part of our desire to support local communities in general. This support for local business is why the SNP Scottish Government recently announced an extensive package of support for businesses in Scotland on business rates. With this support, 7 in 10…

Read More Read More

Unaccompanied Children in Greece and Italy

Unaccompanied Children in Greece and Italy

The SNP are a co-sponsor of the forthcoming Backbench Business debate on the situation for unaccompanied children in Greece and Italy, which has received cross-party support. The low figure of children taken by the UK Government under the Dubs scheme does not match that commitment. The refugee crisis has not gone away and people are still fleeing the continued violence in Syria and other countries, which creates a risk for increased numbers of unaccompanied children falling prey to human traffickers….

Read More Read More

STATEMENT FROM MARTIN DOCHERTY-HUGHES MP FOLLOWING COAL AUTHORITY MEETING

STATEMENT FROM MARTIN DOCHERTY-HUGHES MP FOLLOWING COAL AUTHORITY MEETING

On Friday (17 February) I met with Tim Marples of the Coal Authority and other Senior Coal Authority Officers, and received an update on the coal shaft collapse at Hardgate. We discussed in detail a number of issues, including:   An historic overview of coal mines in the area. Works to date and work still to be completed. The extent of the damage to utilities and sewage. Noise pollution from pumping stations impacting on local residents and the provision of…

Read More Read More

TORY VOTING ID PLOY WOULD DISENFRANCHISE POOREST

TORY VOTING ID PLOY WOULD DISENFRANCHISE POOREST

UK government plans to require compulsory ID for voting have been described as a “Tory ploy that would disenfranchise the poorest” – with more than half of adults living in low-income households not owning a full driving licence. The UK government announced plans late last year to pilot compulsory ID for voting. Local authorities will trial different forms of ID, including driving licences, passports and utility bills. The plans were criticised by the Electoral Reform Commission as a “blunt instrument”….

Read More Read More

UKG CONCENTRIX SHAMBLES MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN

UKG CONCENTRIX SHAMBLES MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN

LEGISLATION NEEDED TO PROTECT LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES The SNP have called for new legislation to ensure that the UK government’s tax credit shambles – where thousands of families faced hardship after their vital tax credit payments were cut off without warning or good cause by HMRC contractor Concentrix – can never happen again. Concentrix was employed by HMRC to cut error and fraud in the tax credit system but the contract was scrapped when the company faced a…

Read More Read More

NEW NUCLEAR SUBMARINE COVER UP ‘CHILLING’

NEW NUCLEAR SUBMARINE COVER UP ‘CHILLING’

MoD TOP BRASS ‘TOO SCARED TO TELL PRIME MINISTER’ ABOUT SUBMARINE FAILURES   Scottish National Party Defence spokesperson Brendan O’Hara MP has said reports that the entire UK fleet of attack submarines has been out of operation due to urgent repair and maintenance work leaving the UK’s maritime defence capacity highly vulnerable – is ‘chilling’.   The UK’s seven hunter-killer vessels are understood to be ‘non-operational’. It is also reported that the prime minister has – unbelievably ‘been kept in…

Read More Read More