RBS need to be held to account
The RBS on South Street in Perth All of Perthshire was shocked to hear of the scale of branch closures announced by RBS last week.
With closures in Aberfeldy and Pitlochry, Highland Perthshire will now be left with no branch at all and Perth will lose its city centre branch. All over Scotland there will be a decimation of service as 59 branches are closed. This is part of an ongoing loss of amenity in so many of our town centres and will have a huge impact on local businesses ability to operate in these localities.
As part of their closure announcement RBS provided figures which seem to suggest that very few people were using their facilities but I’m sure I’m not alone in noting the queues when I need the service offered by one of these branches.
What RBS propose is simply unacceptable particularly when the taxpayer bailed this bank out and continue to be its major shareholder. As chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee I have insisted that RBS chiefs appear in front of the committee to account for these closures and they will be appearing when Parliament returns from the Christmas recess.
The return of powers from the EU to the UK has been talked about during many days of debate in the House of Commons. Of particular interest to me has been the way in which powers will be returned to the UK through their Repeal Bill.
What the UK Government propose is nothing other than a naked power grab that returns powers in devolved areas to Westminster instead of Holyrood, threatening the very foundation of devolution. Our Scottish Parliament is now collateral in the chaotic cluelessness that underpins our departure A customer at a RBS cash machine in Perth
from the EU. Everybody knows that what is proposed is unsustainable but the Conservative Government and Scottish Tory MPs voted down all amendments to lift this threat from our Parliament.
There is also the issue of the UK Government’s refusal to bring forward the Brexit analysis papers as required by a binding motion in Parliament. This has become so farcical, that this week, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, made the admission that the Government hasn’t prepared any such papers in contradiction to his earlier boasts about a multitude of papers.
I have asked the Speaker of the House of Commons to consider bringing a motion of contempt before Parliament. This can be brought forward when it is considered that the business of the House is being obstructed in some way. Promising detailed analysis on one of the most important processes this country has ever been through and then conceding that no such analysis exists would count as a pretty big obstruction as far as I am concerned.