Committed to Single Market

Last year was certainly eventful. In May in an historic election the SNP won its third term in Government at Holyrood and this was followed in June by 62 per cent of the Scottish electorate voting to stay in the European Union.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since that time, culminating in the SNP Government outlining its plans for Scotland’s place in Europe with a specific focus on ensuring Scotland maintains its current position in the European Single Market. According to experts as many as 80,000 jobs in Scotland could be lost if we do not retain our membership of the Single Market.

Towards the end of the year, the SNP Government published a constructive, balanced and reasonable document highlighting a number of options available for Scotland from UK membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) to further devolution of EU-related powers to Holyrood. All avenues are being explored but, at this moment, nothing has been decided. All that is certain as we enter 2017, is that the Scottish Government is absolutely committed to ensuring Scotland’s place in the Single Market.

If you would like more information on the Scottish Government’s position, then the paper on Scotland’s Place in Europe can be viewed at www.gov.scot/ Resource/0051/00512073.pdf.

Although there were some sad news stories last year, there are many good news stories to look forward to in 2017.

First off, to welcome in the New Year, the First Minister handed out Scotland’s first baby boxes in neighbouring Clackmannanshire. These boxes are a fantastic initiative, originating from Finland, that will see around 40 essential items delivered for new-borns and parents. I am delighted that parents in the Stirling area and across Scotland will benefit from these maternity kits in the coming months.

Of course, the SNP is already making significant improvements to the lives of Scotland’s young people. For instance, the First Minister’s reading challenge has been encouraging primary pupils to get passionate about reading and recent statistics have shown a record overall number of Scottish young people being offered a place at university.

The UCAS statistics also recorded the highest ever entry rate to Scotland’s universities for 18 yearolds from Scotland’s most deprived areas – with a 3.7 per cent rise in admissions since 2006, showing that the Scottish Government’s aim to widen access to higher education and keep tuition free for Scotland’s young people.

Another initiative to look forward to this year is a week of free rail travel for monthly and annual season ticket holders. I am aware that many constituents rely on our railways for their daily commute and that because of improvement works travel has sometimes proved challenging. In response, despite rail fares rising across the UK, the Scottish Government confirmed £3 million for fare offers to thank passengers for their patience during this period of investment and improvement to rail services.

Finally, it was fantastic to discover that Scotland has been named second in a list of top 10 countries to visit. Stirling constituency is the cultural and historical heart of Scotland and with 2017 set to be the year of Heritage and Archaeology, the spotlight will most certainly be on our area. I look forward to welcoming many more tourists to the area and with the development of the river and parks through the Stirling City Deal, we will surely help to strengthen Scotland’s position.

So, with all of this in mind, I hope that 2017 is an incredibly positive year for Scotland and I wish all of my constituents a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.