Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch welcomed the news that the remains of a stringed instrument has been discovered on the Isle of Skye, the earliest found in Western Europe. Earlier today he submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament in recognition of this momentous discovery (motion below).

The small wooden fragment is understood to be a lyre because, despite evidence of being burnt and broken, the notches where strings would have been placed makes it easy to distinguish the artefact. This pushes back the history of complex music, song and poetry in the Highlands by over a thousand years.

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, visited the new water works in Aviemore on Monday to discuss water quality concerns with Scottish Water.

The complaints related to the taste of the water and its effect on kitchen appliances like kettles.

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, has emphasised the importance of public safety to the Scottish Government in the light of the recent Audit Scotland Report on Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue service.

On Thursday, Mr Thompson asked the Scottish Government what steps it was taking to assist Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, before stressing the need to ensure public safety across the Highlands and Islands until all fire stations are brought up to standard.

Ferry services from Mallaig to Armadale and Lochboisdale were the focus of a question raised in the Scottish Parliament by Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

On Thursday, Mr Thompson told the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, Alex Neil, that he agreed in principle with the Mallaig-Lochboisdale ferry route and asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider reconfiguring existing ferry services to allow the new Mallaig-Lochboisale ferry to be introduced. Mr Neil responded favourably, stating that the Scottish Government were ‘already working on that possibility.’

MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Dave Thompson, welcomed cross party support for a north police hub after Dave Stewart MSP came in behind his campaign for police jobs in the Highlands and Islands.

Mr Thompson asked the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday to confirm that cross party support would enhance the North’s chances of being designated as a hub.

Politician turned Quizmaster, Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, was proud to host the Scottish final round of the TSI Young Consumer of the Year Quiz in the Scottish Parliament.

Four schools, Boroughmuir High School (Edinburgh), Holy Cross High School (South Lanarkshire), St Johns RC High School (Dundee) and Belmont Academy (South-Ayrshire) took part in the competition last night which is sponsored by Veolia Water,  represented last night by Adam Moore. Following a tour of the Scottish Parliament and a light dinner, the teams competitively answered questions on a range of consumer related subjects. The Teams were quick off the mark and Mr Thompson occasionally struggled to complete the question before the answer was given. Boroughmuir scooped first prize but the scores were close. The winners will compete in the UK finals in June held in Manchester.

A campaigning SNP MSP has today welcomed the Chancellors announcement which will mean a cut of VAT resulting in cheaper ski lift passes for the tens of thousands that ski and board on the slopes of Scotland’s mountains.

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, who has three major ski centres in his constituency, has long canvassed the UK Government to remove the VAT on ski centres’ transportation systems, and bring the levy in line with European ski resorts.

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is looking forward to welcoming the Olympic torch to the constituency as Highland towns host the torch in June.

On Saturday 9 June and Monday 11 June, the torch will pass through Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. Travelling up the A82, the torch will stop at Glencoe, Ballachulish, Fort William, Spean Bridge, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit on Saturday. The torch will then travel to other parts of Scotland before it travels down the A9 and visits Aviemore back in the constituency on Monday.

A motion congratulating a Highland ranger for winning the first ever Scottish Ranger Award, submitted by Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP, Dave Thompson, has achieved cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament.

The awards were presented last Tuesday at Scottish Natural Heritage in Battleby.

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, welcomes first choice of air ambulance for neonatal baby transfer but continues to press for safer and faster emergency neonatal transfer arrangements when that is not possible.

Today, Mr Thompson wrote again to Dr Phil Booth, the National Director of the Scottish Neonatal Transport Service, to ask him to consider dual crews for road ambulances so as to minimise the waiting time when that is the only option (see letter below).

Alarmed that the Ministry of Defence is outsourcing vital shipbuilding work to Korea to the detriment of Scottish shipbuilding, Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has written to the Secretary of State for Defence (letter attached).

The bid to build four new Royal Navy tankers, worth £500 million, has been given to Korean shipbuilders. This comes in the wake of threats from the UK Government that if Scotland were to become independent, there would be no work for Scottish shipyards.  This decision suggests that the shipyards in an independent Scotland would be busier than they will be if the UK Government continue to send work abroad.