S4M-06391: Congratulations to Culross Abbey

08/05/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Culross Abbey in west Fife on the completion of substantial repair and replacement work to the roof and other fabric of this historic building;  understands that the required £310,000 was raised from a number of sources including the Heritage Lottery, Historic Scotland, the  Baird Trust, Fife Common Good Fund, the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust,  Fife Environment Trust and the abbey’s own funds; recognises all the hard work carried out by the Property Convener, Mr John Laird, and his colleagues in getting the restoration completed, especially considering all the recent poor weather; believes that this ancient Scottish abbey will be a place of worship, safety and heritage for many years to come, and wishes the parish and local community well for the official open day on 26 May 2013 from 2 to 5pm, when it understands a wide programme of welcome, tours, fun and celebration will be held at Culross Abbey.

Supported by: Angus MacDonald, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Richard Lyle, Nigel Don, Murdo Fraser, Kevin Stewart, Mike MacKenzie, Sandra White, Colin Beattie, Colin Keir, David Torrance, Maureen Watt

Date Lodged: 29/04/2013

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S4M-06297: Vitamin D Supplements

23/04/2013

That the Parliament welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to make vitamin D supplements freely available for pregnant women, children and vulnerable groups from 6 May 2013; understands that, due to both poor sunlight and modern lifestyles, most people in Scotland do not absorb enough of the ultraviolet B rays that are needed to produce adequate amounts of the vitamin; believes that there is emerging evidence suggesting that adequate levels of vitamin D can increase resistance to multiple sclerosis, depression, various cancers, diabetes and heart disease; notes that the recommended dosage of vitamin D supplements can be taken without any known adverse side effects; believes that the whole population could benefit from taking such supplements, which are widely available at low cost, on a regular basis, and hopes that the Scottish Government and medical professionals will participate in a programme aimed at furthering research and encouraging more people to take vitamin D supplements.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Helen Eadie, Kenneth Gibson, Chic Brodie, Mike MacKenzie, Jackson Carlaw, David Torrance, Sandra White, Stuart McMillan, Angus MacDonald, Bill Kidd, Jean Urquhart, Gil Paterson, Maureen Watt, Graeme Dey, Stewart Maxwell, Colin Beattie, Neil Findlay, Dave Thompson, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 22/04/13

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S4M-06183: £5,000 Funding for Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club

05/04/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club on receiving £5,000 from Awards for All; understands that this funding will be used for new equipment, with the aim of increasing participation in the club and developing the skills of its athletes; considers that the club has nurtured the talents of many fine athletes, including Eilidh Child, a gold medallist in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships, and hopes that the club’s athletes will participate in a triumphant Team Scotland in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Supported by: Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Nigel Don, Gil Paterson, David Torrance, Kevin Stewart, Sandra White, Colin Beattie

Date Lodged: 04/04/13

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S4M-06012: £90K Funding for Saline Environmental Group

20/03/2013

That the Parliament congratulates the Saline Environmental Group in West Fife on receiving £90,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme, which will be used to construct a pathway between Saline village and Kinneddar Park along with a bridge and fitness equipment en route; understands that the project represents the first phase of a larger initiative to link four communities by providing easily accessible pathways that can be used for access and recreational purposes such as walking, cycling, horse riding and mobility vehicles, and commends the aims of the Community Spaces Scotland scheme to support communities in becoming more involved in their local environment, make better use of spaces and places and become healthier and more active.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance

Date Lodged: 19/03/13

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S4M-05983: Six Nations

18/03/2013

That the Parliament commends all teams on their performances at the Six Nations Championship 2013; congratulates Wales on retaining the championship with what it considers a magnificent 30-3 victory over England in Cardiff; applauds Italy’s first Six Nations win over Ireland, of 22-15; considers that Scotland gave a creditable performance in taking third place in the championship after a hard-fought 16-23 game against France, and looks forward to a highly competitive and entertaining championship next season.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Bill Kidd, Mike MacKenzie, Angus MacDonald, Richard Lyle, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Dennis Robertson, Dave Thompson,Chic Brodie, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Bob Doris, Stuart McMillan, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 18/03/2013

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S4M-05826: Bespoke Scottish Tours

05/03/2013

That the Parliament welcomes the launch of Carnegie Touring, a new tour operator that arranges bespoke holidays and excursions in Fife and further afield in Scotland; understands that, in addition to creating itineraries tailored to the interests and needs of individual visitors, Carnegie Touring also offers a range of excursions such as St Andrews, Home of Golf, The Tranquillity of the Highland Lochs and Mountains, From Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood and In the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie, and wishes Carnegie Touring well in its aim to help visitors discover significant locations that can sometimes be overlooked in tourism itineraries.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Nigel Don, Kevin Stewart, Graeme Dey, Chic Brodie, Colin Beattie, Willie Rennie, Colin Keir, Sandra White

Date Lodged: 05/03/2013

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S4M-05810: Eilidh Child Wins Gold in Gothenburg

05/03/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Dunfermline Pitreavie Athletics Club member Eilidh Child on what it considers to be her magnificent performance at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg; understands that Eilidh won gold in the 4 x 400 metres women’s relay and silver in the individual 400 metres women’s race, where she also recorded a personal best, and wishes her every success in her preparations for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Supported by: Kenneth Gibson, Stuart McMillan, Mark McDonald, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Colin Beattie, Richard Lyle, David Torrance, Chic Brodie, Neil Findlay, Bob Doris, Colin Keir, Dave Thompson, Sandra White

Date Lodged: 04/03/2013

Filed under Motions

S4M-05671: Forestry Commission Developments

20/02/2013

That the Parliament commends Forestry Commission Scotland on its programme for 2013 in Fife and elsewhere in Scotland; understands that this includes the objective of seeking to identify ways to integrate farming and forestry with the aim of encouraging farmers to see woodlands as of benefit to their farm business and foresters to think about how new woodlands can be designed to reduce their impact on farming, and believes that its other objectives include creating 100,000 hectares of new woodland over the next 10 years, establishing a skills programme to tackle youth unemployment, developing renewable energy in the national forest estate and holding events in the Year of Natural Scotland 2013.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Angus MacDonald, Kevin Stewart, Colin Beattie, David Torrance, Colin Keir, Sandra White, Nigel Don, Margaret McDougall

Date Lodged: 19/02/2013

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S4M-05655: UK Government’s Digital Benefits Push

18/02/2013

That the Parliament expresses concern at the findings of the report by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), Voices From the Frontline, Digital by Default, which has been published in response to the UK Government’s digital strategy; understands that the strategy aims for 80% of benefits applications to be completed online by 2017; notes that the report states that CAS “is concerned that a digital by default approach to welfare benefits could exclude some of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society from accessing the very services they rely upon”; understands that the report cites numerous examples of job seekers without access to computers or the internet who have faced difficulties applying for benefits and who, despite applying for work in writing and by telephone, have received sanctions from their Job Centre for not doing so online; believes that the UK Government needs to recognise that, while the internet can be a hugely important resource for job seekers, it is not reasonable to expect everyone to have the level of skills, ability or access required; notes that, in 2009-10, the Scottish Household Survey estimated that a third of homes do not have internet access, dropping to less than half of households on an annual income of less than £15,000; considers that computers and internet access are a significant expense for unemployed people already trying to budget on benefits that are not rising in line with inflation, and further expresses concern at the impact of library closures, in light of councils withdrawing services under what it sees as the UK Government’s austerity drive, on people who can only access the internet using these services.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Mike MacKenzie, Colin Beattie, David Torrance, Gil Paterson, Dennis Robertson, Stuart McMillan, Christine Grahame, Colin Keir, Dave Thompson, Sandra White, Nigel Don

Date Lodged: 18/02/2013

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S4M-05650: Council Budgets for 2013-14

18/02/2013

That the Parliament recognises the efforts made by councils across Scotland in approving their budgets for 2013-14 during these difficult economic times; considers that councils face many pressures and challenges to live within their reduced budgets, just as the Scottish Government must live within the reduced block grant that it receives from the UK Government; welcomes particularly instances where attempts have been made to prioritise the needs of vulnerable members of society, and commends what it considers the growing number of councils agreeing with the Scottish Government to implement another year of the council tax freeze, which it believes is a significant step toward preventing people on low incomes from falling into poverty.

Supported by: David Torrance, Colin Beattie, Richard Lyle, Colin Keir,Nigel Don

Date Lodged: 15/02/2013

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