Dave Thompson MSP

Over the last few years I have been pushing for many improvements to the A830, and working with Transport Scotland I have secured new barriers on some of the most hazardous corners, and also some friction surfaces. Nevertheless, there are still three corners I would like to see friction surfacing on, and I will continue to press Transport Scotland on the case for doing so.

A public meeting with Transport Scotland on the 26th October in Arisaig should see things progressing. There is also an on-going issue over the Arieniskill Bridge. There have been concerns over the condition of the bridge due to the appearance of cracks, and I wrote to transport Scotland to raise the issue with them. They have since arranged for the bridge to be inspected by TranServ, who have concluded that the condition of the bridge has not deteriorated overall, but that some minor repairs and repainting will be carried out next year.

Last month I chaired a meeting in Fort William on the future of the NHS in the Highlands and Islands. The meeting involved the Policy Director and the Head of the Planning team from NHS Scotland, several senior NHS Highland managers and local Highland GPs. We took our inspiration from the radical Dewar report, published 100 years ago, which created the blueprint for the modern NHS.

In the Highlands and Islands we face different challenges in delivering a service such as the NHS. Communities such as the Small Isles can be relatively isolated, which can make provision of services far more expensive.

The Dewar group, the aforementioned group of Highland GPs, are committed to exploring radical new ways to modernise our NHS in order to better serve people in our rural communities. I was delighted to be able to bring them together with senior representatives of the Government and NHS Highland, and I hope that these discussions can lead to a better service for the people of the Highlands and Islands and look forward to the Cabinet Secretary’s response to our request for work to be done on a model for provision of health services in remote areas.

A key issue has been concern for healthcare in West Ardnamurchan relating to nursing cover, ambulance services, first responders and out of hours care. As readers will know Nicola Sturgeon was set to have a meeting in Kilchoan, but unfortunately this had to be postponed due to the reshuffle, but I’m pleased that the new Health secretary Alex Neil has pledged to honour all diary commitments as soon as possible.

I have been very supportive of Mike Weir MP’s proposed private members bills which would have provided the winter fuel allowance earlier for those off-grid customers who have to buy their extra fuel earlier in the year. This was a great piece of proposed legislation as there is no additional cost involved; it’s simply a case of providing the existing winter fuel allowance earlier for those off grid customers who have to pay in advance for their fuel. I wasn’t at all surprised that the bill collected cross party support, and was hoping to see it implemented as early as possible.

However, it is very disappointing to note that the bill was not able to proceed in Westminster due to being ‘talked out’ by coalition MP’s debating another bill. The delay to this bill, which could make a real difference to the finances of off-grid customers in this challenging economic climate, highlights issues with the process of law making at Westminster. It is further disappointing to note that in a coalition government where Lib Dem Highland MPs are well represented, no one spoke up for the bill to ensure it proceeded as originally planned.