MP Praises Family History Society's Initiative

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has praised the Family History Society of Buchan on their initiative after attending the official opening of their new resource centre overlooking Peterhead Harbour.

The local MP was invited to attend the official opening yesterday (Saturday) which was performed by Peterhead Port Authority Chief Executive John Wallace.

Commenting, Eilidh said:

“Family history and genealogical research is becoming increasingly popular and is becoming an important part of local tourism.

“This fantastic new facility is a credit to the hard work of the volunteers who have taken the Society forward from its formation just a few short years ago.

“I congratulate the Family History Society of Buchan on their impressive facility and the resources within and I’m sure that it will become an important stopping-off point for visitors to the town.”

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SNP Dismiss Gove's Schoolboy Bullying

PENSIONS & WELFARE MORE AFFORDABLE IN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND

The SNP has dismissed Tory scaremongering after England’s Education Secretary Michael Gove this morning made a series of unsubstantiated claims – including bizarre suggestions that an independent Scotland would no longer have an NHS or maintain welfare payments.

SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP rubbished Mr Gove’s scaremongering over the NHS and pointed out that an independent Scotland is better placed to fund pensions and welfare compared to the UK.

Dr Whiteford said:

“Michael Gove is behaving like a silly schoolboy – his Tory bullying of Scotland does not stand up to any scrutiny.

“Mr Gove is surely aware that Scotland’s NHS is already independent, which is why the Scottish Government have been able to shield it from the disastrous privatisation plans the Tories are pursuing in England.

“As for welfare, the reality is that Scotland is actually better placed to fund pensions and welfare compared to the UK. On the basis of taxes raised in Scotland, and once our welfare protection expenditure and state pensions are paid, Scotland actually has a relative surplus compared to the UK. In short Scotland is more able to afford our pension and welfare bill than the UK.

“Taking all spending in Scotland into account and all of our revenues, Scotland has run a current budget surplus in four of the five years to 2009/10 – while the UK was in current budget deficit in each of these years, and hasn’t run a current budget surplus since 2001/02.

“When all of Scotland’s resources are included in our nation’s economic output, an independent Scotland would be ranked sixth in the world league table of OECD nations in terms of gross domestic product per head – ten places ahead of the UK at sixteen.”

“Michael Gove’s parroting of Tory arguments to talk Scotland down and scaremonger shows how little confidence they have in their case.”

Note:

Figures from GERS (Government Expenditure & Revenue in Scotland) show how an independent Scotland is better placed to fund pensions and welfare compared to the UK.

The analysis of the figures from GERS show that the size of Scotland’s social/welfare protection expenditure and state pension bill as a share of government revenue (with revenue being the money Scotland raises in tax for the very purpose of paying for public services) shows that in Scotland between 2005 and 2010 Scotland’s pension expenditure was 15.1% of Scottish revenues, less than the 15.7% for the UK.

And in terms of social/welfare protection expenditure it was 41.9% of Scottish revenues, less than the 43.2% for the UK.

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Do More To Tackle Fuel Poverty Treasury Told

CHANCELLOR POCKETS £1.4BN FROM RISING ENERGY BILLS
The UK Government must do more to tackle fuel poverty the SNP said as it emerged that the Chancellor had pocketed £1.4 billion over the last year in VAT from domestic energy bills.

Sharp increases in energy prices by the big six energy companies over the summer could see that total increase by a further £150 million, prompting SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Eilidh Whiteford MP to demand the UK Government do more to help vulnerable households.

Dr Whiteford said:

“While vulnerable households in Scotland worry how they are going to afford their winter fuel bills the Chancellor is raking in record amounts of VAT from gas and electricity bills.

“Over the last year the Chancellor has pocketed £1.4 billion in VAT from soaring energy bills, but he has done precious little to help the people who suffer from fuel poverty in Scotland. It is high time that the UK government used some of this windfall to tackle fuel poverty.

“The SNP government is working hard on improving energy efficiency in Scotland’s homes. Our £50million warm homes fund will build on the success of the energy assistance package helping those in communities worst affected by fuel poverty.

“Since April 2009, the existing EAP has helped over 150,000 people on low incomes reduce their energy bills and keep their homes warm, now and for years to come. However in tackling fuel poverty we are in a constant battle with rising prices.

“Fuel poverty is a disgrace in energy-rich Scotland, and if the UK Government does not want to help then they should transfer the energy and economic powers from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament to allow the Scottish Government to act.”

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UK Government Energy Advice Failing

Calls by the UK Government for energy customers to switch energy suppliers for better deals are not working an SNP MP warned after a parliamentary question revealed that the number of gas and electricity customers moving suppliers has actually fallen over recent years.

Banff and Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford said that, if the UK government was serious about reducing domestic energy bills they needed to look at how prices rise quickly when the wholesale price goes up, but fall slowly, if at all, when the wholesale price falls.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:

“Encouraging customers to switch between energy suppliers has been the UK Governments answer to tackling the problems of sky high bills, but it is clear from these figures that this strategy is not working.

“The sad fact is that most people who are already on a direct debit payment are unlikely to make a significant saving by switching and, indeed, research has shown that many of those who switch have actually ended up on a worse deal.

“Over the summer we saw the big six energy suppliers go through a follow my lead of rising energy prices. How is the average consumer supposed to know what is a good deal without knowing when the next company is going to hike prices?

“Prices are rising much faster even than the ability to cut costs by reducing consumption.

“If the UK government were serious about the reduction in energy bills they need to look at how prices rise quickly when the wholesale price goes up, but fall slowly, if at all, when the wholesale price falls.”

Dr Whiteford’s parliamentary question is detailed below:

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an estimate of the number of energy customers who switched suppliers (a) once and (b) twice or more in each of the last five years. [82159]

Charles Hendry: The following table shows the number of customers who have switched from one supplier to another during the last five years.

        Electricity     Gas
2006    4.836           3.912
2007    5.157           3.981
2008    5.427           4.158
2009    5.022           3.825
2010    4.746           3.558

                   (millions)

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