Dave Thompson MSP

I was able to attend a demonstration of Avonline’s service at Broadford Service point, and I was very impressed with the speed on offer. This new standard of satellite broadband addresses many of the problems experienced with the medium in the past, and will broaden access to broadband particularly in remote and rural areas.

This comes as Highlands and Islands Enterprise is making a significant investment in terrestrial services, and I will continue to press for these services to be distributed as widely as possible. There are also pioneering community developments such as the one servicing Knoydart and Small Isles which provides access to broadband, and I am pleased to welcome an improved satellite service which will increase the options for you.

The Highlands and Islands face greater challenges in delivering the same quality of broadband connection as urban areas. This improved satellite service is one of the solutions that can help close the gap between rural and urban service. In addition to community projects and terrestrial ASDL I hope that soon all of you have access to a reliable and fast broadband connection.

I was delighted to note that the Post Office Ltd secured a renewed contract to provide DVLA services. The Post Office is a much loved institution, and is a vital service in rural and remote areas. This contract extension is great news and is a welcome boost for the long term future. This will stabilise an income stream for many of the smaller outfits, but the challenge to both government and Post Office limited is to build on this by making good on the promise to make the post office the front office for government.
Last week I spoke in Neil Findlay’s debate on Tax Justice. Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty are running a campaign to highlight the damage that tax avoidance does both in Scotland and internationally. Multinational corporations use imaginative accounting techniques to avoid paying $160 billion in corporation tax in developing countries every year. This is three times the global aid budget. While so many around the world suffer in the most awful poverty, it is disgraceful that Governments are being deprived of these tax incomes that could help provide basic needs like sanitation and education to the millions who do not have access.

In the UK, the gap between the amount of tax due and tax collected was £32 billion last year. Imagine what we could do with all that dodged tax, especially in an economic climate where so many families are struggling. Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty are calling for a more transparent financial system, and for companies to report their profits for every country they operate in. This would be a step in the right direction to help combat tax evasion both at home and internationally, and I hope the Scottish and UK Governments respond to this campaign and bring tax justice to all.

There have been concerns raised in some quarters over the implementation of the Crofting Reform Act, and in particular some are worried that this will require crofters to spy on their neighbours. I raised these concerns with Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and I was pleased to hear that the Crofting Commission intends to discuss the issue at the crofting assessors conference in Inverness on the 21st and 22nd November. Reporting on the use of crofting lands is important to ensure that funds are not being misused, but it is vital that we do not damage the integrity that is vitally important within crofting communities.