MSP Joan McAlpine has written to Stagecoach boss Martin Griffiths blasting the company’s decision to remove its evening service between Dumfries and Thornhill.

 

The timetable for the 246 service was amended without warning on July 8^th – leaving customers wishing to travel after 8pm stranded.

 

The SNP MSP says that the company’s decision to amend the route without consultation was an ‘appalling’ way to treat its customers – and highlighted that constituents had discovered cuts to a number of other services across the region.

 

Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:

 

“I have been contacted by constituents in mid and upper Nithsdale who are rightly angry at the introduction, without prior warning, of an amended timetable for the 246 bus on the 8th of July, which entirely removes the late service between Dumfries and Thornhill. I am told that upon further inspection, constituents discovered another 108 cuts to bus routes throughout Dumfries and Galloway.

 

“Constituents have also been told that, as the 246 route is a commercial one, there is no need to consult on timetable changes. I find this an appalling way to treat customers. The 246 bus serves rural communities and these cuts will only serve to exacerbate rural decline by making it impossible to travel by public transport after 8pm. If indeed there is no obligation to consult this does not preclude a responsible company from doing so, and at the same time engaging with the local communities about how to attract them to utilise services so that they become commercially sustainable.

 

“I have urged the Chief Executive of Stagecoach to revisit this decision as a matter of urgency.”

 

MSP Joan McAlpine backed calls for the UK Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey to return to the Commons and give a statement, after a watchdog found she misled Parliament about Universal Credit.

 

The Work and Pensions Secretary apologised to the Commons last week after being caught ‘misleading’ parliament over comments by the National Audit Office on the social security system.

 

She said she had “mistakenly” told MPs on Monday the National Audit Office felt the benefit was progressing too slowly and should be rolled out faster – when In fact the watchdog had outlined a catalogue of failings in the system.

MSP Joan McAlpine said the apology did not go far enough.

Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:

 

“Universal Credit was rolled out in Dumfries and Galloway in May – and since then there has been a lot of confusion and concern throughout the region. The fact is that the rollout has been a shambles and is causing unnecessary hardship to people who have already suffered so much at the hands of Tory austerity.

 

“The government has been happy to mislead not just the Commons, but the public about Universal Credit for years, now they’ve been found out. 

“All of Esther McVey’s lines in defence of Universal Credit have been torpedoed by the National Audit Office, which is why she was so desperate to undermine them on Monday. We knew she was wrong then, but her partial apology is just not enough and poses more questions than answers. 

“Esther McVey needs to come back immediately and give a statement on Universal Credit, this time advising how she will address the concerns of the NAO, why she lied to the House and why she appears at odds with her own DWP officials. 

“The Tories are in chaos, crisis managing rather than leading. They need to get a grip instead of ruining people’s lives.”

MSP Joan McAlpine has said delays to a £160 million farm payments review show that Scotland’s farmers are being taken for granted by the UK government.

 

Last year Michael Gove agreed to review the amount of EU CAP funding Scottish farmers were receiving after the SNP said they were being short changed by £160 million.

 

There was outrage at the Royal Highland Show last week when UK Environment secretary Michael Gove failed to give the Scottish farming industry any assurance that the long-promised review into the allocation of £160m of convergence funding would go ahead.

The Scottish Government and the National Farmers Union had expected a commitment that cash for Scotland’s per hectare subsidy support would be brought more in line with the European average.

 

However, Mr Gove made no commitment to a review.

 

Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:

 

“Farmers across Dumfries and Galloway are being short changed by the UK Government.

 

“The UK only qualified for an uplift in CAP payments from Brussels because of Scotland’s status. The Treasury received £190 million, and only distributed £30 million of that in Scotland, despite the money being earned here.

 

“There are deep concerns about the indefinite delay to the £160 million farm payments review. The SNP has written to Mr Gove asking for a timetable for a review – it is unacceptable for farmers to be asked to take decisions on the post-Brexit period without the full facts.

“The issue here is one of certainty and trust, and for this review to be delayed yet again sends the message that Scotland’s needs in agricultural funding discussions are of insufficient priority to the UK Government to merit any form of prompt action. 

“The Scottish Government has confirmed less favoured area support scheme (LFASS) payments in Scotland will continue into 2019.”

 

Notes

Under the last CAP reform, the EU set out to redistribute direct payments more equitably across Europe based on average Euros per hectare. Member states receiving less than 90% of the EU average – including the UK – were awarded an uplift. Without the Scottish rate, there would have been no uplift for the UK, however Scottish farmers received only £30 million of the £190 million awarded to the UK.

 

Joan McAlpine MSP has backed calls for an investigation into the source of mysterious cash donations to the local Conservative Party.

 

It was revealed this week by Investigative Journalism platform ‘The Ferret’ that Conservative Party branches in Dumfries and Galloway have been the biggest beneficiaries of large donations from a mystery trust. 

 

Sixteen donations from the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT) – a secret organisation without a fixed address or known current trustees – totalling £56,100 went to party branches in Dumfries and Galloway.

 

The House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee Chair Pete Wishart has now raised a complaint with The Electoral Commission, that regulates election spending – asking for an investigation. There are concerns that unincorporated organisations  could “exploit loopholes in electoral law” and “shield political donors from scrutiny”.

 

The news comes after it was revealed by the BBC that another secret trust with strong links to a senior Scottish Tory funnelled large sums of money to the DUP ahead of the Brexit referendum.

 

South Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine commented:

 

“It is very concerning that a murky organisation which has been bankrolling the Tories across Scotland has donated the largest sum of money to branches in Dumfries and Galloway. Though given the mountain of electoral material dropped through local letter boxes, maybe not so surprising.

 

“Tory election spending in Scotland has more than trebled in five years – from £276, 000 in 2011 to over £978’000 in 2016. In the year before the 2016 Holyrood vote the SUAT contributed £28’000 to fund a Tory surge, alongside other secretive organisations.

 

“It’s difficult to know where that money comes from because these trusts refuse to reveal their trustees or donors.

 

“This latest revelation comes just days after the BBC uncovered a trail of illegal activity from Senior Scottish Tory Richard Cook – the man behind yet another shadowy trust known as the Constitutional Research Council. The CRC was responsible for a record £435,000 donation to the DUP in the lead up the EU Referendum.

 

“The Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster, Pete Wishart, has intervened and asked the Electoral Commission to investigate. I too will be asking the Electoral Commission to look into the SUAT – given that constituencies across the south of Scotland are affected.”

 

Notes:

 

Electoral Commission probes £319,000 dark money trust: https://theferret.scot/secretive-trust-scottish-tories-dark-money/

BBC Spotlight: Brexit, Dark Money and the DUP: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-44624299

Ms McAlpine highlighted research by Dog’s Trust which shows that many people believe it is fine to leave a dog in a hot car if counter-measures are taken, such as leaving a window open or parking under a tree.

In fact, under 20 minutes in a hot car can prove fatal to a dog, should its body exceed 41°C.

The SNP MSP for South Scotland warned that even on wet or cooler days, leaving a pet in the car can be dangerous.

Ms McAlpine said:

 

“Many people don’t know that dogs take a lot longer than humans to cool down and with temperatures rising over the summer it is more important than ever that dog owners are warned of the dangers of leaving their pets unattended in cars. Even on cooler or very wet days, cars can become very hot, very quickly, and be fatal for dogs.

 

“You just need to touch the dashboard or seat of a car to see how hot it can get. And parking in the shade or leaving the window down will not make it any safer.

“If you are carrying your dog in the car over the summer please ensure you take plenty of drinking water, use sun blinds on the windows and do not leave the dog in a parked car, even for a few minutes.

 

“If you do see a dog in distress in a parked car, call the police or the SSPCA immediately.”

 

 

“I am deeply disappointed to hear reports of the first redundancies at Pinneys. This will be a huge blow for the workforce and the families who have already been through so much and fought so hard in what has been an incredibly protracted and painful process.

 

“I am completely behind shop stewards who are fighting hard on behalf of the workforce – and have written to Young’s demanding redundancy packages for all workers regardless of whether they were employed directly by the factory or by a contractor.  The Scottish Government has implored the company to give back to the community financially to help support its rehabilitation and I absolutely agree that this is something they must be pressed to do.”