February news from Katy Clark MSP
A round up of news from Katy Clark MSP:
FERRY BREAKDOWNS SHOW URGENT NEED FOR PROCUREMENT PLAN
3rd February
West Scotland MSP Katy Clark has called on the Scottish Government to come forward with an emergency ferries procurement plan following yet another string of breakdowns.
Millions is being spent on addressing issues with the 38-year-old MV Hebridean Isles and 30-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, currently sidelined for repairs.
Now, the 31-year-old MV Loch Dunvegan, serving Bute, is also out of action, with the MV Isle of Cumbrae, the oldest in the entire fleet, being drafted in temporarily.
At least half of the 31 state-owned vessels are now over 25 years old, which is agreed to be the average life expectancy for a ferry by most industry experts.
In total, just five new ferries have been delivered to CalMac since 2007 and only two of these are major vessels operating on core service routes.
Katy, who represents Scottish Labour, commented: “Our vital ferry service is now at breaking point and islanders cannot wait any longer for an emergency procurement plan.
“The Scottish Government failure to invest in new ferries over the past decade and a half has left the network crippled. Bar the overdue ferries being built at Ferguson Marine, there doesn’t appear to be any kind of strategy.
“Instead of investing in building capacity here in Scotland, the Scottish Government’s approach has been to listlessly scour the globe for cheap second-hand vessels or toy with chartering ships from anti-union operators with poor working conditions.
“That won’t wash anymore. We need a community-centred approach where vessels are commissioned here and operated in the public sector, with workers and island and coastal residents consulted every step of the way.”
AYRSHIRE DIABETICS BEING “LET DOWN” BY SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT 9th February
Katy Clark said today that diabetics in the Ayrshire & Arran are being “woefully let down” by the Scottish Government as it emerged they make up over half of all people waiting over 18 months for a hospital appointment.
The Scottish Labour MSP pointed to an NHS report showing that at the start of the year a total of 1,027 new patients had been made to wait more than 18 months for an outpatient slot. Of these, 513 were related to diabetes and endocrinology.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran have set a target that no new patient will wait more than a year for an outpatient appointment by March 2023. However, Katy, who represents much of the health board area as part of the West Scotland region, said this would not be met without support from the Scottish Government.
Katy said: “These appalling figures expose the seriousness of the crisis in our NHS. Diabetics in Ayrshire & Arran are undoubtedly being woefully let down by the Scottish Government’s failure to get on top of this.
“These issues did not start with the pandemic. The health board, struggling due to underinvestment, has sold off nearly a quarter of its own assets in recent years, with public funding that could be reinvested being leaked into private hands at every turn.
“Meanwhile, overworked staff are reporting stress, trauma and burnout. Astonishingly, these issues are barely acknowledged in the Scottish Government’s own workforce strategy.
“This isn’t good enough. It’s time for the Health Secretary to acknowledge the severity of this crisis and come forward with an emergency plan.”
SCOTTISH LABOUR MSP COMMENTS ON FIRST MINISTER’S RESIGNATION
15th February
Responding to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that she is standing down, Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark said;
“I pay tribute to Nicola Sturgeon for her dedicated public service as First Minister over the last eight years, particularly as she led Scotland through the challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was both the longest serving First Minister and also the first woman to hold the post.
While I have disagreed with many of the decisions that she has taken, I also recognise that serving as a frontline politician for more than twenty years has a very heavy toll on an individual and their family.
However, Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to resign as First Minister cannot distract from the poor record of the Scottish Government as it continues to impose significant cuts on our councils, fails to ensure our public sector workers are properly treated and fails to address the growing inequalities in our society.
I hope this resignation will enable the Scottish Government to refocus on the issues which matter most to the Scottish people – dealing with the crisis in our NHS, prioritising education in our schools and the skills agenda, tackling poverty, the cost of living crisis and the significant economic challenges which Scotland faces”.
SNP CONTENDERS MUST COMMIT TO NOT-FOR-PROFIT NATIONAL CARE SERVICE IF ELECTED 28th February
The SNP leadership contest winner must “radically overhaul” proposals for a National Care Service and commit to enshrining a not-for-profit service instead, Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has said.
In an open letter to Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan, she highlighted the “alarm” the draft legislation had been greeted with, and accused the Scottish Government of reneging on a commitment to “remove the profit motive” from social care.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has compared the proposed new body to the establishment of the NHS after the Second World War. However, Ms Clark noted the bill merely sets up a new quango, which will then commission services, with local authorities not guaranteed preferred bidder status.
Ms Clark, who was political secretary under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn when the UK party committed to introducing a not-for-profit National Care Service, said: “Our social care system is broken, with private and third sector providers in real financial difficulty and dozens of care homes owned by companies based in tax havens.
“Instead of setting up a new universal, not-for-profit system in the mould of the NHS, the Scottish Government has presented a proposal which will, if anything, expand profiteering in the sector.
“It’s not too late to reassure the public, pause the legislation and come back with a bill that puts the dignity and wellbeing of those who receive care before private profit.
“Whichever of the three contenders is elected should go back to the drawing board, radically overhaul the legislation and come forward with a proposal genuinely not-for-profit care service.”
