Dave Thompson MSP

On the 15th October, the First Minister and the Prime Minister signed a historic agreement that grants legal powers to the Scottish Parliament to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence. This is but one step in Scotland’s Home Rule journey and, importantly, the Edinburgh Agreement ensures that the Scottish Parliament will design and deliver the referendum for the people of Scotland.

The signing of this agreement marks the beginning of the end of the campaign to secure independence for Scotland. The Scottish Government will present a positive, ambitious vision for a flourishing, fairer, family friendly, progressive, and healthier Scotland, and I am confident that we will deliver a yes vote in Autumn 2014.

A number of folks have raised concerns over the maintenance and cleaning of National Cycle Route 7, which runs alongside the A9. Later this month I will be meeting with representatives from Transports Scotland and SUSTRANS on the route in the Drumochter Pass to raise these concerns.

Under the Scotland Act 2012, the Scottish Parliament now has the power to reduce the drink driving limit. The UK (along with Malta) has the highest limit in Europe, and I have been a long time campaigner to see this reduced.

While I am delighted that the Scottish Government has launched a consultation on reducing this limit, it is unfortunate that more powers have not been devolved to allow us to vary the penalties for drinking and driving, with harsher penalties for repeat and serious offenders, and to give the police powers to randomly breathalyse drivers.

I have written to the Secretary of State for Justice, asking that more extensive powers be devolved to the Scottish Parliament to allow us to develop a more comprehensive solution. Every life lost on our roads due to drink driving is a tragedy, and I want Scotland to have the best legislation in the world to tackle this.