Dave Thompson MSP

ATTN: Editor, Inverness Courier

Dear Sir,

I refer to your editorial last week (18 Sep) entitled Waiting for the financial axe to fall, where you state you 'suspect few people would oppose a 1 or 2 per cent rise [in their Council Tax] to protect jobs and essential services'.

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP, Dave Thompson has welcomed today’s announcement that Telephone exchanges in the Highlands and islands are to be upgraded, providing increased access to broadband.

John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, made the announcement today after holding talks with BT aimed at securing increased broadband capacity in remote areas.

Following from a motion lodged by Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for the Highlands & Islands, the bicentenary of the Scottish Bible Society (SBS) will be commemorated tomorrow (Wed 23/9) in a Member's Debate in the Scottish Parliament.

Directly following tomorrow's debate Mr Thompson will also host an expansive celebration in the Parliament's Garden Lobby marking 200 years of work by the SBS, with speakers including the Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson and a performance of The Walk by Andrew Harrison.

Following World Alzheimer's Day yesterday (21Sep), Dave Thompson MSP has welcomed the principle of a charter of rights for people with dementia, which is due to be published next month by Alzheimer's Scotland. 

The charter, based on internationally agreed human rights, is intended to serve as both an instrument enabling change in societal views of dementia and its effects as well as a tool to empower those suffering from the disease.

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP, Dave Thompson has received figures which show that Highland Council’s PPP debt has rocketed to over £25 million per year.

The shocking news is contained in figures released by the Scottish government which show that the council will have to pay £25.2 million to private investors in 2010 -2011 and £25.6 million in 2011-2012. The payment for 2009 – 2010 is £24.5 million.

Highlands and islands SNP MSP Dave Thompson has welcomed confirmation from Finance Secretary John Swinney, that the Council Tax will stay frozen.

Commenting after last week’s debate on the Scottish Government's Draft Budget Dave Thompson said: "I particularly welcome the Cabinet secretary's confirmation that measures which are helping families and businesses get through the recession such as small business bonus and the council tax freeze will be continued in this budget.

Highlands & Islands SNP MSP Dave Thompson has supported an initiative seeking to create a long-term sustainable future for sea angling in Scotland. The proposed Recreational Sea Angling Strategy Group, supported by the Scottish Government, would work with the industry in order to grow the sector which already represents £141 million to the Scottish economy each year.

Mr. Thompson supported a parliamentary motion concerning the creation of the Sea Angling Strategy Group, which he claims could foster a significant boost to coastal communities in the Highlands & Islands through the development of a sustainable fisheries management plan.

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for the Highlands & Islands, reignited the debate on reducing the current drink driving limit in Scotland during the Road Safety Framework debate today (Thurs) in the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking after the Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson presented some of the 90 commitments contained in the framework, Dave highlighted the shocking number of deaths occurring through inaction on the specific issue of the drink drive limit.

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP, Dave Thompson has discovered that Highland Council has been saddled with an overspend of £754,000 due to PPP.

Public Private Partnership funding was introduced by Labour and the Lib Dems to use private finance to pay for public spending on projects like schools.

PPP offered a way for Labour and the Lib Dems to get the private sector to fund the initial construction costs, thus moving the costs ‘off balance sheet’. This means that the public sector ends up paying considerably more than the initial cost of the project, thus boosting the profits of private investors with public money.

Highlands and Islands MSP, Dave Thompson has invited the local community in Ross-shire to join the world’s biggest coffee morning to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. The MSP will host the event at his Dingwall office as part of the Macmillan ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ fundraising drive, on Friday 25th September from 10.30 to 11.30 am.

The event will be supported by Ross-shire Voluntary Action, who will be providing the building’s boardroom and hot drinks free of charge.

For the past 10 days the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight has been celebrating Scotland as the Land of Food & Drink with events across the country.

Tonight (Tuesday) Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for the Highlands & Islands, will be hosting Scotland Food and Drink in the Scottish Parliament, showcasing products from 8 world-class Scottish producers and discussing the strategy of growing the industry from £7.5billion to £10 billion by 2017, with speakers including the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead and the Managing Director of Peckhams Tony Johnston.