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Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, is marking International Women’s Day 2024. International Women’s Day 2024 was celebrated on Friday 8th March. UN Women’s theme for this International Women’s Day is ‘Invest in women: accelerate progress’. Fiona said: “The world is currently facing many crises from conflicts, raising poverty rates and climate change and these challenges need to be addressed with solutions which empower women. “Gender inequality remains one of our biggest challenges globally and we must work together to address this issue. “I am pleased to see the Scottish Government playing their part in addressing this issue by supporting the Women and Girls Fund with £3 million from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund over four years. “The fund will support women and girls in Malawi, Rwanda…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed an additional £2m of Scottish Government Funding for Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid allowing sexual assault survivors and victims of domestic abuse to access the support they need, when they need it. Fiona commented, “Far too many women across West Lothian and Scotland suffer as a result of gender-based violence. “According to West Lothian’s Health and Social Care Partnership Study into gender-based violence in the county, and as published in their Strategy Plan, 2020-21 saw 2,693 incidents of domestic abuse recorded, an increase of 18% when compared to the previous year. “West Lothian also had a higher incident rate of domestic abuse recorded by Police Scotland per 10,000 head of population (126 compared with 115 nationally). The Strategy…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, attended a dining night at the Scottish Parliament hosted by West Lothian College on Tuesday 27th February. Following the event, Fiona commented: “I was pleased to attend the Holyrood Dining Room in the Scottish Parliament where professional cookery students from West Lothian College cooked and served an excellent menu. “The five-course menu included a salmon and haddock starter, a flat iron steak and an excellent warm chocolate fondant desert. “The students from West Lothian College not only cooked a wonderful meal but also provided excellent service. “Congratulations to the staff and students involved in serving delicious, flavoursome food, so well-presented and served by the attentive waiting staff.” ENDS

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, visited the Armadale Shed on Friday 16th February. The Armadale Shed is a community run space which provides people the opportunity to showcase their existing hobbies, try out something new or even just pop along for a chat. Last year, a fire broke out at the Armadale Shed, damaging the building, tools and machinery inside. Following the visit, Fiona commented: "I was pleased to visit the Armadale Shed to see the progress the members have made on repair work since the fire there in March 2023. "The Armadale Shed is such a vital part of the community as it provides a space for people to learn new hobbies and share expertise, as well as giving people the opportunity to socialise. "I would…

Monday 12th February 2024 Commenting on her new role, Fiona Hyslop MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency said:   “It is a privilege to be re-joining the Scottish Government as Cabinet Secretary (Designate) for Transport, appointed by First Minister Humza Yousaf. “For the last 8 months I have served in the Scottish Government as Minister for Transport, and I am pleased to see this important portfolio elevated to Cabinet level. “Transport is a key service and an enabler for economic development and is also important to securing carbon reduction in Scotland. “This is of course a challenging remit, and I am pleased to be joined in this transport portfolio by Jim Fairlie MSP who will join the Scottish Government as Minister (Designate) for Agriculture and Connectivity. To avoid conflicts of interests…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, highlights automatic payments to help families with cost of living. Over 43,000 payments have been automatically awarded to help parents and carers with the cost of living and starting school, latest official figures show. The introduction of automatic payments means that thousands of people receiving Scottish Child Payment have been awarded Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments without the need to apply separately. Each benefit awards people one-off payments of £294.70 per child, helping with costs like clothes, toys and school trips. Commenting Fiona said: "The introduction of automatic payments means families can quickly receive financial aid to support their child's development. "Those eligible should receive these payments automatically, however I would urge those who don’t to check if…

“It was good to attend Winchburgh Developments local stakeholder meeting. “This was a useful opportunity for everyone present to understand the challenges and opportunities in securing the station. “It was clear that there is cross-party support amongst Councillors, Regional MSPs and myself, as the local Constituency MSP, to work together to help progress proposals for the station.” ENDS

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, highlights World Wetlands Day 2024. World Wetlands Day raises awareness about Wetlands and celebrates the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971. Blawhorn Moss near Blackridge is a wetland with blanket bog. Commenting Fiona said: “I am proud to be Scottish Environment Links Nature Champion for Scotland's Extraordinary Blanket Bogs. "Almost 90% of the worlds Wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s. We are also losing Wetlands three times faster than forests which is why World Wetlands Day is so important. "This year, the theme for World Wetlands Day is 'Wetlands and Human Wellbeing.' This theme highlights how interconnected Wetlands and human life are, as Wetlands are important sites for biodiversity, climate mitigation and…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, highlights news that Scotland’s renewables sector has hit a landmark achievement – generating more than 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand for the first time. For the first time, Scotland’s green sector has delivered more energy than has been used in Scotland. New figures show that renewable technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s overall electricity consumption in 2022. Commenting Fiona said: “This is a significant milestone in Scotland’s journey to Net Zero as figures from 2022 show that, for the first time, Scotland has produced more renewable energy than it has consumed. “It is clear that Scotland has the energy and resources to thrive in a more sustainable future. “The Scottish Government is committed to reaching Net Zero and investing in…

Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, welcomes the 2024-25 Scottish Budget which has targeted resources as those who need them most as we continue to deal with the impacts of the Cost of Living Crisis. The 2024-25 Scottish Budget was commended to the Scottish Parliament by Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison, in a statement to the Chamber on Tuesday 19th December 2023. Commenting Fiona said: “This is a budget which reflects the shared values of our nation and speaks to the kind of Scotland that we want to be, and I was proud to see the Scottish Government choose to invest in our people and public services as we go into the new year. “The Scottish Government have refused to follow the spending decisions of the UK Government…