Fix power grab shambles

I would like to wish all my constituents a very happy and prosperous New Year.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our nurses, doctors and support staff, who are the backbone of our NHS, for their efforts over the winter period, and the emergency service personnel in the fire, police and ambulance services who work 24 hours a day to keep us safe and well.

I have met with the Royal Bank of Scotland to voice my strong objections to their plans to close branches in Alloa, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane, which would be a significant loss to these communities. Later this month, I am holding a surgery focused on nuisance calls, which regrettably seem to impact most on our vulnerable citizens. I will be joined by Trading Standards and Citizens Advice who will be on hand to provide information and support on how to deal with these calls.

This year, our young people will be leading the way as we celebrate 2018 as Scotland’s Year of Young People.

The themes for the year have been agreed by young people themselves, and there will be many opportunities to showcase the achievements and talents of all young people across the Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency, ensuring that their views are heard and acted on.

2018 also sees the culmination of five years of events to mark the centenary of World War One. Scotland began its five-year commemoration on August 10 2014 with a Drumhead Service at Edinburgh Castle and will draw to a close this year at the National War Museum. Over that time there have been events the length and breadth of the country, giving us the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice of our service men and women and the lasting impact the Great War had on Scotland, and I look forward to similar events over the coming months that mark the anniversary of the conflict.

This week, the EU (Withdrawal) Bill will return to the House of Commons for debate at report stage, but will do so without the Tory Government having made good on its promise to amend Clause 11 of the bill, which would grant the UK Government sweeping powers to legislate more than 111 devolved areas of responsibility currently in the competence of the Scottish Parliament.

Clause 11 is a Westminster power grab, pure and simple, and has been rejected not just by the Scottish Government but unanimously by the Scottish Parliament’s crossparty Finance and Constitution Committee. The UK Government must listen, and follow through on the promises they have made with regard to amending these unacceptable provisions and removing the threat to seize back many of Scotland’s devolved powers.

However, the Scottish Secretary has now missed the deadline for tabling the promised amendments, and has admitted the Government’s intention to pass this legislation as it is – power grab and all. Instead, the Tories are now peddling the line that they can somehow make the requisite changes to the bill in the unelected House of Lords when the bill is sent there if passed this week.

At every turn and at every opportunity, this Tory government has attempted to dodge parliamentary scrutiny and sideline devolved administrations – opting instead on sending crucial aspects of this legislation to the unelected House of Lords to be amended away from democratic oversight or accountability.

This entire episode has been abysmally handled from the outset. The UK Government must produce the necessary amendments without any further delay or prevarication, and fix this shambles of its own creation.

This Tory government has attempted to dodge parliamentary scrutiny