As I mentioned in the last edition of West Word, I was delighted to launch the Sunart Community shares offer in Strontian with Dave Hollings (Community Shares Scotland) and Jamie McIntyre (Director of Sunart Community Company and resident of Strontian) on October 3rd to help raise money towards an £850,000 community hydro scheme that will provide not only an economic boost to the area (by making money from water) but will also aid the environment as well.
Since then the group have raised over £135,000 through selling community shares in their first six weeks and are nearly half way to their first investment target which will allow the build to go ahead and I have also taken up some shares, so in a small way, I too can help the community and the environment.
Once again, I would like to wish everyone involved in the project every success and I look forward to news of the project commencing in 2015.
If you are interested to find out more about Sunart Community Renewable, you can do so by contacting Dale (Project Manager) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by visiting the website at:
www.sunartcommunityrenewables.co.uk
I recently used Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment Portfolio Question Time in the Parliament to ask the Scottish Government when the details of future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments to farmers and crofters would be known and which areas would be affected by area three payments.
It is welcome news to get confirmation that crofters will see a rise in their payments but I wait with interest to see how the intricacies of those payments will be delivered.
Farming and crofting communities are part of the fabric of Skye, Lochaber and Badnoch, therefore it is important that we know at the earliest opportunity the details of future CAP payments and how area three will affect crofters in particular.
I will continue to stick up for farmers and crofters and I will press the Government again soon for more details on CAP, and I look forward to the specifics of the area three payments being revealed in due course.
Following on from that, another important matter to crofters was discussed by RACCE in relation to the increasing populations of wild geese in crofting areas. I backed the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF), by proposing to seek more detail from the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, with regard to questions that require answering on The Wild Geese Petition.
The petition by Patrick Krause on behalf of the SCF, calls on the Scottish Government to address the problems created by increasing populations of wild geese in crofting areas as a matter of priority and to discuss how resources can be allocated to ensure this threat to the future of crofting is averted.
It is our intention to list very simply in a letter to the Minister questions that need answered in relation to the wild geese petition and ask that those questions to be answered properly.
I look forward to the response and I will update you when I receive some clarity on the matter.
Link to RACCE Report from meeting on 12 November 2014:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=9632
I recently (18/11/12) delivered a speech in the Parliament outlining my praise for the new drink driving limit that has been reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, which will come into effect in Scotland on December 5.
I have been campaigning since I entered the Parliament in 2007 to have the drink driving limit reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg; therefore it is great news to know that on December 5 this year, prior to the drink fuelled festive period, the new law will be introduced.
In particular, it was gratifying that the Cabinet Secretary for justice took the time in the Parliament to pay tribute to my contribution to the law change, describing me as “tireless campaigner for a lower drink-drive limit”.
Indeed, I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, took part in debates, hosted a number of events in the Parliament and pressed the UK Government on the matter, and they eventually agreed to devolve the issue via The Scotland Act 2012 which came into force last year.
Therefore, it was a great privilege to speak in the Parliament knowing that I had furthered the case for the reduction in the drink driving limit and in turn made our roads safer, thereby reducing injuries and fatalities in the process.
It is significant that the Scottish Government, once it had power; acted so quickly, unlike Westminster where the limit is still 80mg, and unlike every European country bar Malta.
This website was established while I was a Member of the Scottish Parliament.
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