Welcome to my newsletter, where I set out what I have been doing over the last month. If you want to see more of what I am up to, follow me on social media. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch through the details below.
It has been an honour this year to continue as a member of the Scottish Conservatives Cabinet. Initially, serving as the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy, and Transport, it was my pleasure, back in June, to be appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.
In my Education position, I often encounter challenges and occasional frustrations, yet it is proving to be a fulfilling role. During the tenure of this SNP Green Government we have observed a decline in secondary school performance, substantiated by figures published this year indicating a sustained deterioration in Scotland’s proficiency in maths, reading, and science.
While Covid has been cited as a contributing factor, it is essential to note that these declining scores predate the pandemic, worsening significantly during Covid compared to the rest of the UK. Any effort by the Education Cabinet Secretary, or other members of the SNP/Green coalition to attribute this solely to Covid lacks serious credibility.
Continuing the Education theme, in 2023, I had the pleasure of welcoming a North East Scout group and Secondary School pupils to the Scottish Parliament. I also met and discussed my path to politics with senior pupils at Cults and Portlethen Academies, visited training and vocational centres, Colleges, and Universities throughout Scotland.
Over the Festive break, I look forward to some rest and relaxation. Who am I kidding? I will be looking forward to 2024 and another full year of excitement in the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.
May I wish you all a very prosperous New Year.
We saw, yet again, a Scottish Government SNP Minister give a statement in Parliament where they were forced to admit they have no clue. Seven months on from the publication of the Withers review, Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher and Further Education said, “Eight months into the post, I am not as clear as I would want to be as to how effective our current approach is”!
The Withers Review outlines recommendations to ensure the public sector can meet the level of economic transformation expected in the years ahead. I posed a quick set of questions to the Minister in response to this statement.
You can watch the clip here
In December 2016, the Scottish Government announced the introduction of a Flexible Workplace Development Fund (FWDF) with the intention of providing Apprenticeship Levy-paying employers with a £10 million boost to develop workplace development training to upskill and reskill their existing workforce.
Disgracefully, the SNP have axed the FWDF in their budget proposals this month which will leave many who want additional training or skill development in the lurch. An incredibly short-sighted and damaging move.
You can watch this clip to see what I had to say on this here
There has been huge concern within the North East around the closure of Mastrick, Rosemount, Seaton, Whinhill and Torry police stations following brutal cuts to the policing budget by the Scottish Government. Over 40 buildings are at risk of closure in the latest proposals which would have a huge detrimental impact on the safety of constituents and would badly damage community policing.
I used the opportunity at topical questions to ask about the five proposed closures in Aberdeen and also about the new Scottish Government pilot which would see some reported crimes not being investigated.
You can watch my topical question here
Constituents have raised concerns with me about missed NHS appointments and NHS Grampian communication methods. Moving to using digital communication methods more frequently could save money and reduce missed appointments.
I asked Michael Matheson, the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health, and Social Care, about the SNP Government’s efforts to address these issues.
Watch the response or lack thereof here
At the beginning of the month, on a chilly and icy Monday, I distributed my surveys in Braeside, Aberdeen. I have to say, my face felt especially cold after shaving off the moustache I had grown for Movember.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who sponsored me. Furthermore, I am delighted to say that over £300 was raised through my fundraising page for mental health and cancer causes!
It was a pleasure to join my colleague Maurice Golden MSP on a trip to BBC Scotland in Aberdeen where we discussed the recent milestone of 100 years broadcasting in the region (The first being live music on the radio back in 1923!)
We also had a great chat with the staff about recent challenges, opportunities and the many successes over that period.
A brilliant piece of 100 years of the BBC in Aberdeen can be found here
I was delighted to see the huge range of skills and opportunities on offer at Shell's Girls in Energy event at the Aberdeen Music Hall, which I attended with my colleague Tess White MSP.
I heard from over 200 girls located in Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire whose passion shone through and was a brilliant reminder of the importance the sector plays in our region.
You can learn more about the Girls in Energy scheme here
It was good to pop along and meet the staff at Skills Development Scotland to hear about all the work they have been doing to support constituents.
It is vital that organisations like Skills Development Scotland are there to offer guidance for those on their education journey, and I was thrilled to hear all about the huge number of people who have benefited from their advice.
You can find out more about Skills Development Scotland here
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