As an MSP I often find that the most important work I do is right here in the Highlands and not in scrutinising legislation and debating on the floor of Holyrood, although that is very important too.
Most people will be aware that they can contact me at my regional office in Dingwall to seek advice or assistance on a wide range of issues and, last year, over 500 of you got in touch to ask for help on a huge range of matters.
Sometimes a case is a matter that the Scottish Parliament has no power to deal with, such as a visa for a visiting friend or a benefits issue but my determination to ensure that the interests of constituents are given a full airing with the appropriate authority has often seen me dealing with Westminster about reserved matters
Some of the cases I have dealt with have developed into major campaigns, such as my Level Crossing barrier campaign and my recent consultation with the Lochaber community against the privatisation of the Invernevis Council care home.
At other times, all it takes is a single letter from a constituent about a particular local difficulty such as the case in December when an Avoch resident contacted me to ask for my assistance in having a bus shelter added to the village.
It was a simple matter for me to write to Highland Council just before Christmas to ask what could be done to keep members of the local community out of the rain and driving wind while waiting for a bus.
To Highland Council's credit there was a reply from my former colleague Neil Gillies, Director of Transport, Environmental and Community services, on my desk a few days after the festive break to let me know that the addition of a bus shelter in Avoch for the Inverness service is now identified as a high priority and would be progressed in March after the Council had completed tender negotiations with a new supplier of this sort of equipment.
Unfortunately this shelter couldn't be installed in time to spare the people of Avoch from the terrible wind, snow and rain this winter but hopefully that discomfort will be lessened in time for the next wave of bad weather.
Recently I have been involved in lobbying for a more considered approach to the Westminster Coalition Government's decision to cut costs relating to maritime safety.
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Their decision to scrap the next generation of Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft based at RAF Kinloss has not only devastated the Moray community but also worried all who make their living from the seas around Scotland.
They have also signalled their intention to do away with emergency tugs stationed around our coast. These appalling decisions have been swiftly followed by another to leave Scotland with just one 24-hour and one part-time Coastguard centre, closing all others around our coastline and risking the loss of local knowledge, often so crucial in emergency situations.
I really do hope they see the folly of their ways and feel that these decisions are a very good example of why the powers over these matters should be devolved so that people who know and care about Scotland get to make the decisions which matter to us.
Finally, the Scottish election is approaching and I hope I will be in a position after 5 May to write my next Chatterbox article as your new constituency MSP, but that decision is entirely in your hands.
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