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20 Most Recent Speeches
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to The Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Wed 9th Jun 2010
First, I congratulate Peter Peacock on securing the debate. His motion addresses an important issue and I am happy to speak in support of it.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to The Chamber Scottish Parliament on Wed 9th Jun 2010
From the outset, the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee has taken an active interest in active travel and during the annual round of budget scrutiny we returned repeatedly to the need to allocate a greater share of the transport budget to active travel. As a result, I was pleased when we agreed to conduct an inquiry into active travel. Like others, I thank the clerks and fellow committee members for their work. Most of all, though, I thank those who gave evidence for providing us with a wealth of knowledge and for bringing such enthusiasm and optimism to the subject. Indeed, I think that all committee members have been infected by that enthusiasm-although Alex Johnstone was not present often enough to get infected by it. I am less sure that the minister has succumbed, but perhaps this afternoon we can persuade him that something really good can be done in Scotland.
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Speech by Alison McInnes MSP delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 27th May 2010
The fact that, not a year after passing our landmark legislation, the proposed set of annual targets that we are debating today does not come up to scratch is disappointing in the extreme.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Wed 26th May 2010
Despite having a number of concerns that we believe need to be addressed at stage 2, the Liberal Democrats will support the bill this afternoon. However, we still have serious reservations about the funding mechanism. Paying for the replacement crossing directly through the capital budget at a time when we all know that money is at a premium risks sidelining and displacing other important capital projects. Many questions remain, and we will listen closely to what the Government has to say as the bill progresses.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Fri 16th Apr 2010
This has been a bad-tempered debate because those of us who want fairness are angry that those who oppose a transitional relief scheme have been more interested in covering up the damage caused to businesses than listening to the real hardship. Business leaders will have watched in dismay as Swinney, Brownlee et al paid more attention to name-calling and cheap electioneering than to the real problems outlined by my colleagues Jim Hume and Iain Smith and Labour members such as Lewis Macdonald. While Wendy Alexander's analysis was a welcome contribution to the debate, the SNP's contribution has been dire. Its only solution to the problem is to tell people to appeal. It is wrong for a minister to suggest that appealing is a solution without explaining the grounds of such an appeal.
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Speech by Alison Mcinnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 18th Mar 2010
Encouraging more people on to buses, thereby tackling climate change and easing congestion, would be easier if all the buses that we want people to use were pleasant and modern and provided easy access for all ages and abilities. That means that we need to encourage and support research and development in bus design. Alexander Dennis Ltd is at the forefront of such innovation. I am proud that Britain's biggest and Scotland's only bus manufacturer produces the UK market-leading range of single and double-deck chassis and bodies from its manufacturing centres in Falkirk, Guildford and Scarborough.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 18th Mar 2010
The UK Committee on Climate Change's report has made it clear that we can reach our interim goal of a 42 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, but it will be hard work. To misquote a famous political saying, we must act early and we must act often. Making early cuts in carbon emissions will be extremely important in easing the path towards that target.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Wed 10th Feb 2010
Councils deliver valued services to our communities, week in and week out. However, as we have heard during the debate, all councils face significant pressures this year and next. The total allocation declines in real terms for 11 local authorities this year. We have heard about cuts to valued services and a significant reduction in workforces. Of course, the loss of a great deal of experience and knowledge goes with that.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 28th Jan 2010
I, too, congratulate Richard Baker for securing tonight's debate on an important matter, and I pay tribute to the tenacity and resilience of the Glencraft workers. I am very pleased that the private sector has rallied round to help and that Aberdeen City Council will continue to lend support by offering a rent waiver for the next year.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Scottish Parliament on Thu 10th Dec 2009
I thank the minister for bringing to the chamber this timely debate on climate change. I imagined that after countless committee appearances and numerous debates on the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill during the first half of the year, he might have become rather fed up at the sight of me and my committee colleagues, but he is back for more. I reassure him that although we may have had our differences over certain aspects of the bill, we are singing from the same sheet today, and I am pleased at the outward-looking nature of the Government's motion.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Scottish Parliament on Thu 10th Dec 2009
We all agree that the national concessionary travel scheme, which was introduced by the previous Executive, has been a resounding success. We also agree that the objectives of promoting social inclusion by allowing older and disabled people-especially those who are on low incomes-improved access to services, facilities and social networks through free use of scheduled bus services, and of improving health by promoting a more active lifestyle for the elderly and disabled are, largely, being met. However, they are not totally being met, as the scheme is not completely fair and equitable.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Scottish Parliament on Thu 3rd Dec 2009
"Dithering, drifting - whatever you call it - the lack of focus" from the Government
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to The Chamber, Holyrood on Wed 2nd Dec 2009
Like other members, I am pleased to support the 16 days of activism against gender violence campaign and to pledge my continuing support for the elimination of violence against women. Women and children have the right to live free from the threat of violence.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 12th Nov 2009
The designation of the central Scotland green network as a national project is to be welcomed and will, I hope, presage a significant and sustained emphasis on improving the natural environment of the 3 million or so people who live within the 19 local authority areas that will be covered by the network. Substantial increases in woodland cover and improvements to green space and outdoor recreation are proposed, with the aim of improving landscape settings for towns and cities, including bringing back to life areas that face the post-industrial legacy of derelict and vacant land.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 1st Oct 2009
I think it is fair to say that everyone in the chamber recognises the role that our colleges must play on Scotland's road to economic recovery. The training and teaching that they provide, and the opportunities that they give to young people-school leavers-to further the skills that they need to successfully enter employment for the first time are important tools at any time, but in a time of economic downturn, when unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, rises, they become even more vital.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 1st Oct 2009
I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee and its convener for the work that they have done on the matter. The committee's report is a stark reminder of just how far councils still have to go to implement equal pay.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Scottish Parliament on Thu 10th Sep 2009
I, too, thank Jeremy Purvis for securing the debate and I welcome the guiding community to the gallery. I congratulate Girlguiding Scotland on reaching its first centenary. I had a very pleasant break this afternoon when, with some of my colleagues, I popped out to meet the representatives who had rallied outside Parliament. The dancing and the festive feeling to the afternoon were really pleasant. As Maureen Watt mentioned, last weekend 1,500 rainbows, brownies, girl guides, adult volunteers and former members marched through Inverurie-one of my local towns-to celebrate the centenary. There was a real carnival atmosphere to the procession, with banners and a steel band. Those numbers are, in themselves, enough to show how vibrant the girlguiding movement still is.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Scottish Parliament on Thu 10th Sep 2009
The debate has been constructive and many useful points have been raised that I hope the minister will address in his summing-up speech. We have had significant contributions, such as that from Paul Martin, who raised valid points about fairness and the need to tackle the currently fragmented approach to discipline and grievance procedures in the employing services. Robert Brown stated that we need greater clarity on the division of responsibility. He and Stewart Maxwell mentioned the inspection requirements under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. I would particularly appreciate the minister's response on that. Stewart Maxwell spoke well about his campaign to ensure that only RIP cigarettes are sold in Scotland. I will certainly pay more heed to his campaigning from now on. Peter Peacock, who was, as ever, succinct and to the point, asked for more detail on water rescue and on the training and resources that will be needed for the implementation of the Tomkins report. Cathie Craigie spoke about the need for continuous training to a national standard. She and Angela Constance talked about the need to maintain front-line services. I hope that the minister will pick up on those points.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Wed 24th Jun 2009
Although passing the bill has been a long process, all too often over the past few weeks it has also seemed like a hectic rush. That may be a typical experience-I do not know-as I said in the stage 1 debate, this is the first substantive bill that I have led on for our group since I was elected to the Parliament.
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Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to Chamber, Scottish Parliament on Thu 14th May 2009
This interesting debate has highlighted a number of issues that need to be addressed. First of all, though, I thank the Local Government and Communities Committee for its report.
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Archive of earlier Speeches
 Speech Feed(v1.0).
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