Whiteford Joins Ambulance Crew in Fact Finding Mission

Issues behind poor performance on response times come to the fore
Dr Eilidh Whiteford today joined ambulance crew from the Fraserburgh station as she shadowed the team on their daytime shift. The fact-finding trip comes after the MP for Banff and Buchan held a range of meetings with senior figures in the Scottish Ambulance Service to discuss concerns about ambulance response times in the north of Aberdeenshire.

It was revealed earlier this summer that paramedics had taken longer than 20 minutes to react to 47 life-threatening incidents in Peterhead in the last year. The figure for Fraserburgh was 36. Dr Whiteford subsequently met with regional bosses of the service to discuss what had gone wrong. Now the SNP politician has carried out her own fact finding mission, joining front-line paramedics and ambulance technicians from Fraserburgh on their daily shift.

Commenting on her experiences, Dr Whiteford said:

"I want to thank the Fraserburgh Ambulance Service staff for sharing their insights with me, and especially Douglas Ewen and Liam Ritchie who took me out with them on their shift. The dedication and professionalism of our ambulance staff is hugely impressive, and the Service is fortunate to have such highly skilled individuals on its front line."

Dr Whiteford added:

"It was a real pleasure to meet the team, spend the day with them, and see for myself some of the challenges they face. I now have a much clearer understanding of the pressures on our ambulance crews, and I intend to feed my findings back to those who manage the Service. I will also continue to press to ensure that the service in north Aberdeenshire is adequately resourced to meet local demand."

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Whiteford and Smith Highlight Success of Local Egg Producer

Banff and Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford and Scottish MEP Alyn Smith have highlighted the success of local egg producer AJ Duncan in a visit to the company’s egg-producing facility near Turriff.

Alyn Smith MEP,
Milan Copic, General Manager of Egg Production at AJ Duncan,
and Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP

Dr Whiteford, who is the SNP’s Agriculture Spokesperson at Westminster, and Alyn Smith, who is the sole Scottish representation on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, visited the Fortrie-based business last week as part of their summer tour of rural communities.

AJ Duncan were recently honoured with a Scottish Egg Quality Award and the two politicians took the opportunity on their visit to congratulate the company on their success.

Dr Whiteford commented:

“I was interested to hear of the scale of investment that AJ Duncan have made into egg production at this facility and this award is well-earned recognition for the quality of the final product at Fortrie. I congratulate David Green, Milan Copic and all involved at AJ Duncan in driving the success of this local business.”

"It was also important to have the opportunity to discuss the failure of the EU to ensure welfare standards of hens across the EU. Scottish farmers have invested heavily in improving welfare standards and I will continue to press their case at Westminster to ensure that they are not disadvantaged by other Member States who have failed to implement improved conditions for laying hens."

Alyn Smith added:

“I was deeply impressed by the scale and organisation of production at the AJ Duncan farm. Having an award-winning and ambitious company based here is a major boost for the local rural economy and I wish all at AJ Duncan every success in the future as they seek to go from strength-to-strength.”

Whiteford and Smith were treated to a tour of the company’s facility, followed by a meeting with Dave Green, AJ Duncan’s Chief Executive, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the company.

Dave Green, Chief Executive of AJ Duncan, commented after the visit:

“It was a delight to welcome Eilidh and Alyn to the farm. Their support and that of the wider community is very important for a company with local roots like AJ Duncan. We also appreciate their willingness to be approached and to assist us wherever possible, and we look forward to welcoming them back to AJ Duncan in the not too distant future.”

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Whiteford and Smith: Only a YES Offers a Real Future for Farming

Rural tour for YES campaign generates local interest
Peterhead, 5 August: Banff and Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford and Scottish MEP Alyn Smith have been taking the case for a Yes vote next month to the north-east’s farming communities in two local meetings last week.

Councillor Lennie Pirie, Eilidh Whiteford MP, Alyn Smith MEP

At meetings in Strichen on Wednesday and Rosehearty on Thursday, the MP and MEP gave speeches and took questions from undecided voters still to make their minds up before the vote. Both made the point that for Scotland’s agricultural sector to thrive, Scotland needs the full powers of independence within the European Union.

For the next six years, Westminster representation in Europe has delivered a deal which represents a real-terms cut to the funding Scottish farmers receive – including a settlement which leaves Scotland at the absolute bottom of the European league table for Pillar 1 and 2 funding. In addition, the UK Government have so far refused to hand over £230 million worth of convergence funding which was only secured because of Scotland’s history of poor area payments.

With independence, Scotland’s farmers would be guaranteed a seat at the top table, an increase to our representation in the European Parliament, and the ability to name a Scottish European Commissioner.

The meetings come following a poll by Survation on behalf of the Mail on Sunday on August 3, which showed that voters were switching dramatically to Yes in the North East of Scotland – with 48.6% of respondents backing independence, 39.8% for no, and 11.6% undecided.

Dr Whiteford said:

“These meetings were a fantastic opportunity for those in the farming community who haven’t made up their minds to ask questions, and to hear the facts. Alyn and I have vigorously fought the corner of our farmers in Europe and at Westminster. However, it is only by giving the Scottish Government the full power to defend our farming interests that we can secure a better funding deal from Europe.”

“Our farming communities have nothing to gain from a No vote – and everything to gain from a Yes.”

Alyn Smith added:

“The Common Agricultural Policy hasn’t worked as well as it could for Scottish farmers. That’s a reflection of successive poor deals, negotiated on Scotland’s behalf by a Westminster Government which doesn’t prioritise our crucial agricultural sector, and which is ideologically opposed to the idea of subsidising industries – even ones as important as our farming sector.”

“With independence, we could only negotiate a better deal than the one negotiated by Westminster. Any deal which leaves our farmers at the absolute bottom of the table for Pillar 1 and 2 funding is simply not good enough – and while I will continue to represent our farming interests vigorously in the European Parliament, the only way to do this more effectively is to untie the Scottish Government’s hands with a Yes vote.”

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50,000 Scottish Pensioners Lose Benefits

SAVINGS CREDIT CUT BY £90m SINCE 2010
50 000 of Scotland's poorer pensioners who have saved for their retirement are now substantially worse off due to UK government cuts.

Research by the House of Commons Library has shown 50,000 Scottish pensioners have lost benefits since 2010 with a cut of £90 million to Savings Credit, and pensioners across Scotland are set to lose out as the benefit is to be scrapped for all new pensioners in 2016.

Savings Credit is paid to poorer pensioners who have saved for their retirement. A single pensioner could receive up to £20.52 per week, or £27.09 per week for a couple.

As set out in the White Paper Scotland's Future, following a YES vote the Scottish Government will provide Scotland's pensioners with a guaranteed pension of £160 a week from 2016-17, a triple lock and the continuation of Savings Credit.

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

"This benefit cut is hitting poorer pensioners who have planned ahead and worked hard for their retirement.

"The UK government gives the impression it wants to protect pensioners, but they have cut a massive £90 million since 2010 which is leaving tens of thousands of pensioners in Scotland worse off.

"It's a real shame that Scottish pensioners who have put savings away for their old age are being hit in this way.

"Scotland has paid more in taxes in each and every one of the last 30 years than the rest of the UK, much of it through the efforts of those who are now in retirement.

"Following a Yes vote in September, we can make Scotland's wealth work for the people who live here- which includes a fairer welfare system and a better deal for our pensioners."

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