http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speecharchive.php Recent Speeches from Alison McInnes en-GB Alison McInnes http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Alison McInnes 2008-08-28T17:28+01:00 United Kingdom http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000027/aberdeen_city_council_best_value_audit.html An audit of best value is intended to identify how well a council is performing in relation to best value and community planning. As part of the agenda to modernise local government, it is meant to encourage a culture of continuous improvement and engagement with communities. That whole agenda challenges local government to find new ways of working across services and with other bodies to achieve the best results for citizens and service users. 2008-06-12T17:33+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000026/bus_transport.html I thank the Labour Party for allocating this time to a debate on bus transport. At a time when everyone is struggling with the impact of spiralling fuel prices, people must have access to effective alternatives to car travel. Seventy per cent of public transport journeys are made by bus, so let us ensure that the people who already use buses not only continue to do so, but are rewarded by better, faster and more reliable journeys and that more people are attracted to using them for some of their journeys. 2008-06-12T10:42+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000025/climate_change.html A little more than a year ago, we sat in the chamber and listened as the First Minister outlined his new Government's priorities. Among some of his more questionable policies, he devoted a good deal of time to talking about the environmental challenges that we face, the need for a Scottish climate change bill and the all-encompassing nature of action against climate change. I am sure that I can speak for members of all parties when I say that we welcomed those priorities. 2008-05-28T15:45+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000024/free_personal_care.html The debate allows us to look forward and consider how to improve the policy of free personal care and the manner in which it is implemented. We must take care, however, not to lose sight of the great many benefits that the policy has brought to individuals throughout Scotland. It represents a major social reform, in which Parliament can take justifiable pride. The significant increase in the number of elderly people who are enjoying extended years in their own homes is something to be celebrated. 2008-05-15T15:54+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000021/right_to_read_campaign.html This is the first time that I have had a motion selected for a members' business debate. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the matter and I thank all the members who supported my motion. 2008-05-08T17:00+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000022/planning_application_process_menie_estate.html The debate is about not the merits of a planning application, but the conduct of Government ministers in their dealings with the applicant. The Local Government and Communities Committee's report deserves careful consideration. 2008-04-24T16:00+01:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000023/elgin_bypass.html I thank Mary Scanlon for affording us the opportunity to debate this matter this evening. I apologise that I cannot stay for the whole debate. I add my voice to the call for much-needed improvements on the A96 and state my support for a bypass for Elgin. 2008-03-27T17:20+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000020/national_parks.html I am fortunate enough to have part of the Cairngorms national park in my region. As well as being a world-class area of outstanding natural environment, the park is home to around 17,000 people in a wide range of diverse communities. 2008-03-13T15:53+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000019/borders_railway.html I understand that the Borders railway won the Parliament's backing because it will deliver major economic and social development opportunities and because it represents one of the most sustainable public transport proposals in Scotland. In fact, the minister said last week that its cost benefit ratio has increased even further. 2008-03-13T09:38+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000018/drink_driving_limit.html I thank Dave Thompson for lodging the motion for debate. We should be deeply concerned about the levels of drink-driving throughout the country. In 2005, 30 people were killed and there were 990 casualties from drink-driving related accidents in Scotland. Figures for the four week campaign to tackle drink-driving and drug-driving at Christmas, which was backed by ACPOS, show that 839 drivers were arrested during the period for numerous drink-driving or drug-driving offences throughout the eight police force areas. That figure is unacceptably high and represents only a small reduction from the previous year-by 69 from 908-and it demonstrates that there is no room for complacency. 2008-03-12T17:10+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000017/local_government_finance.html Councils and their communities and partners are always anxious at this time of year as they await the outcome of funding decisions that will directly affect the provision of much-valued local services. That is not a sensible way of going about things. Local councils ought to be able to determine what they need to maintain and develop local services. That is why Liberal Democrats support the replacement of the discredited council tax with a system of fair local income tax. 2008-02-07T16:03+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000016/public_transport.html I welcome the opportunity to debate these important and interlinked issues. Greater accessibility for all will best be delivered by co-operation among and joint initiatives involving the voluntary sector, commercial bus operators, local authorities and the Government. That was the approach of the previous Administration, and it resulted in more investment in new routes, cleaner engines and more accessible buses. It brought greater access, freer movement, less isolation and modal shift. Investment from local authorities and the Government in bus infrastructure, such as bus priority measures, real-time information and park and ride, has demonstrably led to improved provision. We have heard from Des McNulty about the investment of £450 million in new vehicles and the 8.8 per cent increase in the mileage covered by buses. 2008-01-31T12:00+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000015/energy.html There are compelling reasons for ensuring that we have a coherent and comprehensive energy strategy for the UK, including the need to tackle climate change, the ever-increasing demand for energy, higher prices, and the decline in oil and gas resources. We need the right energy strategy for the UK and we need a Scottish Government that is willing to employ its own powers to best advantage. 2008-01-17T10:28+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000010/summary_justice_reform.html Alison McInnes: Of course I, too, fully endorse the desire to speed up the summary justice system and ease the process for victims and witnesses, but I also endorse the idea that access to the justice system needs to be available to everybody in Scotland. 2007-12-06T16:10+00:00 http://alisonmcinnes.co.uk/speeches/000012/equality_and_diversity.html I welcome today's debate and the varied contributions that have been made. The members who have spoken so far have articulated the scale of the problem that faces our society and have highlighted the range of inequalities that still need to be tackled. Recently, I have been glad to support Patrick Harvie's proposed member's bill on hate crime and Shirley-Anne Somerville's motion supporting the women's coalition's statement of intent, each of which, in its own way, sets out to tackle important areas of inequality. 2007-11-28T15:46+00:00