Dave Thompson MSP

I am delighted that the person selected to succeed me as the SNP candidate for the Scottish Elections in 2016 has been named as Katie Forbes, which followed a spirited campaign against other talented women on the all-female shortlist.

Katie is very sharp, she is fluent in Gaelic and has benefited from commercial work and training. She is a superb candidate and will be a fantastic MSP if she is elected next year and I wish her all the best with her upcoming campaign, which I look forward to supporting.

Merchant Navy Day took place on the 3rd of September. I tabled a Motion at the Scottish Parliament to acknowledge the campaign by Seafarers UK to celebrate the day; recognising Scotland's ancient seafaring and trading tradition, as a way to appreciate the great work Merchant Navy sea men and women do and the sacrifices they make all around the world.

My own father, John, was in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War as a ship's baker, travelling all around the world, taking part in Atlantic convoys, and he survived being torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Northern men in particular were much sought after in the Merchant fleet due to their seafaring traditions, so it is only right that they should be recognised and celebrated.

It was great to have my proposed Cross Party Group (CPG) on "Consumer Affairs" approved by the Parliament, as Consumer Affairs cuts across a lot of issues that are important to the Highlands. Such as, the impact of high delivery charges on rural consumers and the perennial problem of nuisance calls. We intend, among other things, to look into what a more advanced devolution settlement might mean for Consumer Affairs.

I am also in the process of trying to set up a CPG on "Religious Freedom". The first exploratory gathering of interested parties took place recently and I look forward to updating readers on the group's progress in subsequent editions, as I seek to get the group formally recognised.

The new Scottish Government Energy Efficiency Scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland, is welcome news. The £224m scheme is designed to provide full funding to help people make their homes warmer and more comfortable by installing a range of energy efficiency measures. Assistance is available to homeowners and private sector tenants who have lived in their property for at least six months and will focus on those on low incomes, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Some of the potential measures include, wall insulation, loft insulation, draught-proofing, central heating and solar panels. This is great news, especially as the scheme is targeted to those on low incomes, the elderly, or those in receipt of certain social security payments that otherwise might not be able to afford energy saving upgrades and previous recipients of help can also apply.

Meanwhile, it is fantastic new that a new campaign will encourage people to contact Home Energy Scotland, which is a Scottish Government programme, managed by the Energy Saving Trust, so folk can access free advice on reducing their fuel bills.

The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment (RACCE) Committee, of which I am a member, recently asked the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, to delay changing the orders on Marine Protected Areas, pending an evidence hearing of the Committee on the 23rd of September, which I am glad to report was accepted. The hearing will listen directly to the concerns of local fishermen.

It is my belief that the excluded areas for prawn trawlers should be shrunk to the absolute minimum required to protect the marine features and therefore limit the negative effects the current proposals will have on fishermen.

It is not unreasonable to expect a balance to be struck between the needs of fishermen, particularly trawlermen, and environment protection. The latter I accept is vitally important, but not at the expense of seriously damaging the local fishing economy.

The RACCE Committee are also in the process of scrutinising the Scottish Government's Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. It is important that the valuable knowledge, experience and expertise of everyone in Scotland with a vested interest in the land of Scotland participates in the process, which is why it was appropriate to hear from a range of interested parties when the Committee met recently in the Parliament.

The needs of tenant farmers and deer management are issues that are to the fore and more generally, the question of just how Scotland's land should be owned and how that land ought to be managed to benefit us all, permeates the process.

The Committee will produce a report on its findings of the Scottish Government's Land Reform Bill by the end of 2015.