Parliamentarians Secure Review of Demand for Ambulance Services

MP & MSP RECEIVE ASSURANCES ON RESPONSE TIMES
Following on a recent report that ambulances were failing to meet call-out target times in North Aberdeenshire, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP and Stewart Stevenson MSP met last week with regional Scottish Ambulance Service chiefs.

The parliamentarians were told that the Service is currently re-examining its practices and processes as part of an already-ongoing national review - but secured assurances that more immediate action will be taken to address the shortcomings in North Aberdeenshire identified in the report.

The parliamentarians heard that an additional driver is being recruited in Peterhead and shift patterns adjusted to extend coverage, which should relieve pressure on neighbouring stations.

An undertaking was also secured by the parliamentarians that the Scottish Ambulance Service will undertake a detailed review of the demand profile in North Aberdeenshire forthwith, to assess whether any additional resources might also be required to ensure appropriate standards of performance are met.

Commenting on the meeting, Banff & Buchan MP, Eilidh Whiteford, said:

“Having studied the performance statistics and met with various constituents and community representatives over recent weeks, I very much share the concerns that have been expressed. I am therefore very pleased that the Scottish Ambulance Service is now taking action to ensure that they are addressed effectively.

“We all very much value the work done by our hard working ambulance crews, in what can be extremely demanding circumstances. I am therefore absolutely committed to ensuring that they have the support and resources required to provide the quality of service which patients have the right to expect.”

Stewart Stevenson MSP added:

“The population of North Aberdeenshire is growing due to our economic success, but that brings with it challenges for the Ambulance Service which is seeing demand increase by 3% year on year.

“We need to get this right, and I welcome the commitment we received from the Scottish Ambulance Service for a full review of the demand profile in North Aberdeenshire. I also welcome the steps which they are already taking to increase provision in the area.”

A further meeting is to be convened in twelve weeks’ time to discuss the content of that report, and identify what substantive measures need be taken to ensure that the response time targets are appropriate, and met with on a consistent basis.

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Whiteford Praises Local Business Following 'Best Bar None' Award

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has congratulated a Fraserburgh business, after it received a prestigious award for innovation.

http://cheersbarfraserburgh.com/

The local MP visited Cheers Café and Bar in Fraserburgh after the venue was awarded a ‘Best Bar None’ Award for Innovation. The latest award comes in the wake of more than a dozen similar awards and nominations in recent years, which have established the café and bar as a major attraction in the town.

Owner Dennis Forsyth welcomed Dr Whiteford, along with Troup councillor Hamish Partridge, to learn more about his business and its success. The visit was also an opportunity for Dr Whiteford to meet staff, and offer her congratulations on the venue’s recent award.

Speaking afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“It was an absolute pleasure to visit Cheers, and to see for myself the good work that Dennis and his staff are undertaking on the site. The astonishing number of awards and nominations Cheers has received from national bodies indicates the quality of the service being offered, and the business is a credit to Fraserburgh and the surrounding area.

“I look forward to congratulating Dennis on further awards in future.”

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Appointment of More Women to UK Cabinet "Does not Compensate for Cuts"

IMPACT OF WELFARE REFORM ON WOMEN HIGHLIGHTED
Following David Cameron's attempts to bring more women into the UK Cabinet, the SNP is today highlighting the fact that women bear the brunt of UK Government welfare cuts.

Evidence of Westminster's failure on welfare continues to mount up, with UK Government's own report - sneaked out during yesterday's reshuffle - admitting that Bedroom Tax has failed with only 4.5 per cent of those impacted moving to a smaller property and 59 per cent in arrears.

Research from the House of Commons Library has shown that out of a total of £4bn of welfare cuts coming to Scotland in 2014/15 – 69 per cent of the impact will fall on women.

As well as this, a report published this week highlights young women are likely to be among the hardest hit by Tory cuts. The report from the IFS and Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds young adults are bearing the brunt of the recession - and that 58 per cent of these young people are women, with a high percentage in paid employment. Many of these women will also have dependent children.

And despite Tory claims that the reshuffle is a step forward, women still make up less than 25 per cent of the UK Cabinet, while 40 per cent of Scottish Cabinet members are women.

SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford said:

“For four years, David Cameron’s Government has presided over cuts which have hit women the hardest. While it is always welcome to see progress made on equality, the appointment of more women to Cabinet does not compensate for the impact of his welfare reforms on women in Scotland. What is needed is action to help women in Scotland who are suffering 69 per cent of the impact of unfair Tory welfare cuts.

"Evidence that Westminster is failing our women and young people grows by the day. We have already seen a 400 per cent increase in the number of people relying on food banks as a result of Westminster’s obsession with dismantling the welfare state, and now the UK Government's own report on Bedroom Tax - sneaked out during the reshuffle - finds 59 per cent of those hit by Bedroom Tax are in arrears. This week's report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation also highlights the impact Tory cuts are having on young people - and a majority are women.

“The Scottish Government is doing what it can to mitigate the impact of welfare cuts, but with the full powers of independence we could do so much more. In an independent Scotland we can not only build a welfare state that is a tool to tackle poverty and is a springboard to a better life – we can also take action to offer more opportunities for women. Our plans to transform childcare will help more parents – particularly women – back into work.

“We have also committed to ensuring women are not disadvantaged by the welfare system in the way the UK Government’s plans do.

“As Scotland’s Future makes clear, the Scottish Government is committed to building an equal Scotland. Women make up 40 per cent of the members of the Scottish Cabinet and just last month, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon held the first all-women Scottish Cabinet event, which brought together women from 130 organisations across Scotland.

“But we can’t allow Westminster to keep holding back progress on tackling inequality. Only a Yes vote will enable us to tackle inequality and poverty, and further empower women in the process.”

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UK Government Distracted by Reshuffle as DWP in "Utter Shambles"

The Scottish National Party has said the UK government must not get distracted by a potential Cabinet reshuffle on Monday and focus on the “utter shambles” at the Department of Work and Pensions. The department has been heavily criticised recently for a string of blunders which have hit some of the most vulnerable people in society.

• This week, the DWP failed to provide a straightforward answer to Parliament as to whether the Treasury had signed off the business case for the controversial Universal Credit welfare programme. Earlier in the week, top civil servant Bob Kerslake said the controversial scheme had not been approved by the Treasury, contradicting earlier assurances from welfare minister Esther McVey who told MPs that the Treasury had approved the "strategic outline business case".
• The DWP has refused to commission analysis into the link between foodbanks and welfare cuts – despite Scotland Office Minister David Mundell calling for the research only two weeks ago. A report in the Daily Record states Westminster is “scared of the truth” on welfare following UK Employment Minister Esther McVey’s admission there are “no immediate plans to produce or commission further research”. This is despite foodbank use increasing by 400 per cent in the last year, with 22,000 children in Scotland forced to rely on foodbanks.
• The Department of Work and Pensions was heavily criticised following a damning report from the Public Accounts Committee on the introduction of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) which described the scheme as a “fiasco.” The cross-party group of MPs warned that the PIP scheme has been “rushed” through with a “shocking” impact on claimants.

Commenting, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“When it comes to welfare, Westminster is an utter shambles.

“While the UK government may be focusing on reshuffling their cabinet, they need to urgently act on some of the damage they are causing to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“Scotland is an incredibly wealthy nation – richer per head than France, Japan and the UK as a whole – and yet thanks to Westminster’s attack on the welfare state more than 22,000 children in Scotland have to rely on foodbanks.

“With a YES vote in September, we can make Scotland’s wealth work for all the people who live here and create a fairer welfare system based on Scotland’s needs – in stark contrast to Westminster’s punitive cuts which are pushing more and more people into poverty.”

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