Category: News in Lothian

COUNCIL TAX SUPPORT WILL HELP 16,680 OF WEST LOTHIAN’S MOST VULNERABLE Local MSP for Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop has welcomed the announcement that the Scottish Government and COSLA will protect the 16,680 West Lothian residents who claim council tax benefit from having their allowances cut. In April 2013 the UK Government will abolish the existing Council Tax Benefit and cut the successor budget by 10 per cent. The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed to cover the cost of the cuts which would have had a serious impact on 16,680 vulnerable West Lothian residents. Fiona commented; “In West Lothian we have one of the fastest growing populations in Scotland, with 16,680 - around a 10th of our residents - having to claim council tax benefit. “This decisive action will continue…

Hyslop Visits St Joseph’s Primary in Parliament Fiona Hyslop MSP for Linlithgow Constituency has met with primary five pupils from St Joseph’s Primary from Whitburn when they visited the Scottish Parliament on today (Wednesday, 18 April )(see photo) Fiona said, “I was delighted to meet with the young pupils students when they visited Holyrood this afternoon. “It is important for young people to meet with their representatives and find out how their Parliament works whether their interests lie in politics, the arts, enterprise or any other field. “We have a fantastic outreach programme at the Scottish Parliament and I am pleased that so many local schools are taking advantage of this.”

Hyslop Urges Local Charities to Apply for £10,000 Grant Local MSP, Fiona Hyslop is urging local charities across West Lothian to apply for a newly announced funding grant of £10,000 to help improve the support they receive from volunteers. The grant was announced by The Volunteering Action Fund (VAF) and is funded by the Scottish Government. Fiona Hyslop Commented; “This is great news for the charities and organisations in our community who depend on the work of volunteers. “Volunteering contributes a great deal to our economy and I am pleased to see that this has been acknowledged through this £10,000 funding grant. “This funding is open to all registered charities who are working in Scotland who do not currently involve volunteers to any significant extent but want to add value…

Hyslop Welcomes Linlithgow Deacon Court to Parliament Linlithgow MPS, Fiona Hyslop organised for Linlithgow Marches group, Deacon Court to have one of their monthly full court meetings in the Scottish Parliament and also invited them on a tour of the Holyrood Building during their visit. Fiona said, “Linlithgow Marches Day is one of the biggest town events in its calendar year and I was delighted to host Mr Jack Adair and his group to the Scottish Parliament for their meeting. “I am always pleased to show constituents or organisations from my constituency around the building, after all it is the peoples parliament and I would encourage a visit to see the architecture and the building at work to all across West Lothian.”

[caption id="attachment_650" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fiona Hyslop MSP with Elma Birrill and the Norwegian Pupils"][/caption]Hyslop Welcomes Norwegian Students to Parliament Fiona Hyslop MSP met with 16 Norwegian exchange students who are studying at Armadale Academy when they visited the Scottish Parliament this morning. (Thursday 22nd March) Fiona, Armadale’s local MSP, met with the group in the morning before they received tickets for First Ministers Questions and a tour of the Parliament building. Fiona commented; “I am always delighted to meet with different groups from my constituency and enjoy showing them round our Scottish Parliament. “The group of exchange students from Norway were very impressed and showed great interest in the Parliament building and they had some very good questions on the important political issues in Scotland and more local issues in…

Hyslop Congratulates West Lothian Pupil Running for National Amnesty Award SNP MSP for Linlithgow constituency, Fiona Hyslop has written to St Kentigerns Academy in Blackburn to congratulate pupil Rhona Aitken on being long-listed for Amnesty International’s Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year Award. Miss Aitken is just 16 years old and wrote about the issue of human trafficking. Ms Hyslop said, “This is great news for Rhona Aitken and I know her teachers and parents will be extremely proud of her work. “The issue of human trafficking is very serious and the more light shone on this issue, exposing such a horrible situation, the better. “To have been long-listed from over 3,000 applicants from all over the UK is a massive achievement and I have written to her at…

Linlithgow MSP Visits Lowport Primary in Parliament Fiona Hyslop MSP for Linlithgow has met with primary three pupils from Lowport Primary in Linlithgow when they visited the Scottish Parliament on today (Thursday, 22 March). Fiona said, “I was delighted to meet with the young pupils students when they visited Holyrood this afternoon. “It is important for young people to meet with their representatives and find out how their Parliament works whether their interests lie in politics, the arts, enterprise or any other field. “We have a fantastic outreach programme at the Scottish Parliament and I am pleased that so many local schools are taking advantage of this.”

Hyslop Welcomes Health Secretary’s Strong Stance on Lothian Waiting Times Fiona Hyslop MSP for Linlithgow has welcomed the statement that Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy has today delivered in the Scottish Parliament regarding the External Review of NHS Lothian waiting times. Fiona Hyslop said; “I welcome the Health Secretary’s decisive action on the report of the external review of NHS Lothian waiting times management conducted by PWC. “The Health Secretary has been very clear that any instance of a patient being inappropriately coded as unavailable is completely unacceptable and I join with her in stating that this occurrence should not diminish the hard working and committed staff at NHS Lothian who have worked tirelessly to deliver shorter waiting times – which continue to be the…

Local MSP Supports Campaign to Stop Doorstep Crime Linlithgow MSP, Fiona Hyslop has voiced her support for a multi-agency enforcement day as part of an on-going campaign to target doorstep crime in West Lothian. Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill was in Bathgate this week (Wednesday) to highlight the campaign. Fiona Hyslop commented; “I am pleased with this initiative which will hopefully identify and target bogus callers and rogue traders operating within West Lothian. “It is often the elderly and most vulnerable who fall victim to doorstep criminals and it is vital that we as a community are aware of the signs of a bogus caller and the police who will be monitoring the area and physically very present locally are more than happy to answer any queries the public might have.…

Hyslop Congratulates Broxburn on STEM Challenge Win Local MSP, Fiona Hyslop has written to congratulate a group of Broxburn Academy pupils who came first in the latest STEM challenge out of eight finalists across the UK. The challenge was to design a human-powered invention for creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. The pupils also came third out of 260 schools in the UK last year after designing a mobile phone app for the 2012 Olympic Games. (see photo above of Fiona Hyslop meeting the STEM pupils late last year for Challenge Eight) On hearing the news, Fiona said; “I am so pleased to hear that Broxburn Academy have won this year’s STEM challenge (number 9), this is a huge achievement for the pupils involved and the school as…