S4M-07368: Welcoming the New Fife College

02/08/2013

That the Parliament welcomes the establishment of the new Fife College, following the merger of Adam Smith College, Carnegie College and parts of Elmwood College; congratulates its Principal, Mr Hugh Logan, on his appointment to lead the college, and extends its best wishes to the staff, students and the Fife community on what it sees as this exciting new development.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Colin Beattie, David Torrance

Date Lodged: 01/08/13

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S4M-07360: Play-time Inclusion of Children with Additional Needs

30/07/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Children with Special Needs in Pre-School (CSNIPs) on being awarded an £8,740 Awards for All grant from the Big Lottery Fund; notes that the Fife-based charity aims to enable and support the inclusion in safe and satisfying play of pre-school children with additional support needs; understands that the grant will help CSNIPs fund the sessional fees for two playfriends for 38 weeks, and encourages the involvement of all children in pre-school activities, which it considers will help develop better social skills before starting school.

Supported by: Angus MacDonald, Dennis Robertson, Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Bill Kidd, Colin Keir, Nigel Don, Colin Beattie, Clare Adamson

Date Lodged: 30/07/13

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£7,500 Hockey Funding

30/07/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club on receiving a £7,500 Big Lottery Awards for All grant from sportscotland; notes that the club previously received £1,700 Awards for All funding in September 2012; understands that the award will be used to fund outdoor and indoor facility hire and help pay for coaching and training costs, and notes what it sees as the importance of supporting sports clubs in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Nigel Don, Colin Beattie

Date Lodged: 26/07/13

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S4M-07232: Carnegie Primary’s ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM award

04/07/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Carnegie Primary School in Duloch, Dunfermline, on earning an “Outstanding” BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) award for its environmental credentials; notes that the £9.6 million school includes features such as a combined heat and power plant, a wind turbine and external cedar cladding; considers that BREEAM is one of the world’s most comprehensive and foremost environmental assessment methods and ratings systems for buildings, which sets the benchmark for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation, and believes that Carnegie Primary School is an outstanding example of low-carbon and low-impact design for future schools to note.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Colin Beattie,  Dennis Robertson, Nigel Don, David Torrance, Kenneth Gibson, Sandra White

Date Lodged: 04/07/13

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Congratulations to Pittencrieff Primary School

25/06/2013

That the Parliament congratulates the parent teacher association (PTA) of Pittencrieff Primary School in Dunfermline on receiving a £10,000 award from the Big Lottery Communities and Family Fund; understands that the award, which is the maximum that can be granted, will be used to purchase play equipment for the school and nursery complex and will help volunteers maintain a garden that is open to the community in the evenings and at weekends, and believes that the PTA plays an important role in improving the early learning, health and wellbeing of the children.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Angus MacDonald, Mike MacKenzie, Richard Lyle, David Torrance, Sandra White, Maureen Watt, Bill Kidd, Fiona McLeod, Colin Beattie, Gil Paterson

Date Lodged: 25/06/2013

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S4M-07030: RIAS Award for Dunfermline High School

17/06/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Dunfermline High School on winning a prestigious Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Award; commends what it considers to be the innovative design of the school; notes that the school also won a Zero Waste Scotland award for its environmentally friendly materials and efficient use of resources; understands that this is the flagship school in Fife Council’s £180 million investment in the Building Fife’s Future programme, and notes the importance of ensuring that pupils have inspiring learning environments.

Supported by: Colin Keir, Mike MacKenzie, Sandra White, Richard Lyle, Colin Beattie, Mary Scanlon, Bill Kidd, Jean Urquhart, Maureen Watt

Date Lodged: 17/06/2013

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S4M-07027: D&G Autocare in Dunfermline, Scotland’s Garage of the Year

17/06/2013

That the Parliament congratulates everyone at the Dunfermline D&G Autocare Fast Fit Centre on it being named Scotland’s Garage of the Year 2013 by Motor Codes, the motor industry’s self-regulatory body; notes that it has now been shortlisted for the UK Garage of the Year finals; understands that, in association with the Best of Group, customers have named the D&G Autocare Group as the best MOT centres in Scotland and fourth best in the UK; believes that the group’s efforts to build a relatively new business in the present financial climate has taken a great deal of dedication and hard work; notes that it has established premises in Rumblingwell, Crossford and Inverkeithing, and considers this to be further recognition of the quality and first-class service consistently shown by businesses in Dunfermline, which includes the baker, Stephens Bakery, being voted Scottish Baker of the Year 2013 by customers.

Supported by: Kenneth Gibson, Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, Sandra White, Colin Beattie, Maureen Watt

Date Lodged: 17/06/2013

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S4M-06961: £249,210 Award for Dunfermline Gillespie Memorial Church

12/06/2013

That the Parliament congratulates everyone at Dunfermline Gillespie Memorial Church on its award of £249,210 from the Big Lottery Fund; understands that this grant will enable energy efficiency measures to be carried out and internal refurbishment, which will include a café, meeting rooms, a touchdown work space and training facility, and believes that the grant will allow the church to continue playing an active role in the community.

Supported by: Colin Beattie, Bill Kidd, Sandra White, Kenneth Gibson, Kevin Stewart, Richard Lyle, Nigel Don, David Torrance, Maureen Watt

Date Lodged: 11/06/2013

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S4M-06923: Iain Banks

10/06/2013

That the Parliament is saddened by the death of Iain Banks, the acclaimed Dunfermline-born author of more than 25 literary and science fiction novels; considers Mr Banks to be one of Scotland’s most acclaimed literary figures; notes that he was named 38th on The Times list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945; notes that Mr Banks’ debut novel, The Wasp Factory, was ranked as one of the best 100 books of the 20th century by Waterstones and Channel 4; believes that he has left a considerable legacy for the enjoyment of his many readers across the world, and extends its sincere condolences to Mr Banks’ wife, family, friends and readers.

Supported by: Nigel Don, David Torrance, John Finnie, Bill Kidd, Stuart McMillan, Neil Findlay, Kenneth Gibson, Adam Ingram, Richard Lyle, Angus MacDonald, Mike MacKenzie, John Mason, Fiona McLeod, Maureen Watt, Jean Urquhart, Graeme Dey, Colin Keir, Murdo Fraser, Dennis Robertson, Sandra White, Kevin Stewart, Gil Paterson, Colin Beattie, Stewart Maxwell, Dave Thompson

Date Lodged: 10/06/2013

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S4M-06835: Longannet’s £25 million upgrade

03/06/2013

That the Parliament welcomes a £25 million upgrade of one of Longannet Power Station’s four generating units; understands that Longannet is the largest power station in Scotland and provides electricity to millions of homes and businesses; recognises that, for 40 years, it has been a large employer of skilled and professional Fifers and supports thousands of jobs across a wide and varied supply chain; notes that the upgrade is on Unit 3, which, alone, is capable of generating up to 600MW of electricity or approximately 10% of Scotland’s average peak electricity demand; understands that this project follows a £20 million upgrade last year on another unit, and believes that the station provides an important part of Scotland’s electrical energy mix.

Supported by: Nigel Don, David Torrance, Dave Thompson, Chic Brodie, Mike MacKenzie, Richard Lyle, Bill Kidd, Colin Beattie, Gil Paterson, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 03/06/2013

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S4M-06790: Stephens Wins Scottish Baker of the Year

30/05/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Stephens of Dunfermline on winning Scottish Baker of the Year 2013; understands that this family-owned craft bakery is famous locally for its steak bridies and morning rolls and that both products earned recognition in the competition, with morning rolls winning best in category; understands that 15,000 customers from Stranraer to Shetland voted for their favourite bakery products, which were then judged by a panel of independent experts including the artisan baker, Robert Ross, and various retired master bakers; notes that Stephens was also runner-up in in 2012, which was the competition’s first year; considers that Stephens is important to the local economy, with 165 staff, 14 shops and 59 franchise stores, and congratulates Stephens on its 140th anniversary in May, which coincided with this endorsement from the industry.

Supported by: Colin Beattie, David Torrance, Mike MacKenzie, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Bill Kidd, Stuart McMillan, Murdo Fraser, Kevin Stewart, Nigel Don, Angus MacDonald, Jean Urquhart, Maureen Watt, Gil Paterson

Date Lodged: 30/05/2013

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S4M-06391: Congratulations to Culross Abbey

08/05/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Culross Abbey in west Fife on the completion of substantial repair and replacement work to the roof and other fabric of this historic building;  understands that the required £310,000 was raised from a number of sources including the Heritage Lottery, Historic Scotland, the  Baird Trust, Fife Common Good Fund, the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust,  Fife Environment Trust and the abbey’s own funds; recognises all the hard work carried out by the Property Convener, Mr John Laird, and his colleagues in getting the restoration completed, especially considering all the recent poor weather; believes that this ancient Scottish abbey will be a place of worship, safety and heritage for many years to come, and wishes the parish and local community well for the official open day on 26 May 2013 from 2 to 5pm, when it understands a wide programme of welcome, tours, fun and celebration will be held at Culross Abbey.

Supported by: Angus MacDonald, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Richard Lyle, Nigel Don, Murdo Fraser, Kevin Stewart, Mike MacKenzie, Sandra White, Colin Beattie, Colin Keir, David Torrance, Maureen Watt

Date Lodged: 29/04/2013

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S4M-06297: Vitamin D Supplements

23/04/2013

That the Parliament welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to make vitamin D supplements freely available for pregnant women, children and vulnerable groups from 6 May 2013; understands that, due to both poor sunlight and modern lifestyles, most people in Scotland do not absorb enough of the ultraviolet B rays that are needed to produce adequate amounts of the vitamin; believes that there is emerging evidence suggesting that adequate levels of vitamin D can increase resistance to multiple sclerosis, depression, various cancers, diabetes and heart disease; notes that the recommended dosage of vitamin D supplements can be taken without any known adverse side effects; believes that the whole population could benefit from taking such supplements, which are widely available at low cost, on a regular basis, and hopes that the Scottish Government and medical professionals will participate in a programme aimed at furthering research and encouraging more people to take vitamin D supplements.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Helen Eadie, Kenneth Gibson, Chic Brodie, Mike MacKenzie, Jackson Carlaw, David Torrance, Sandra White, Stuart McMillan, Angus MacDonald, Bill Kidd, Jean Urquhart, Gil Paterson, Maureen Watt, Graeme Dey, Stewart Maxwell, Colin Beattie, Neil Findlay, Dave Thompson, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 22/04/13

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S4M-06183: £5,000 Funding for Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club

05/04/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club on receiving £5,000 from Awards for All; understands that this funding will be used for new equipment, with the aim of increasing participation in the club and developing the skills of its athletes; considers that the club has nurtured the talents of many fine athletes, including Eilidh Child, a gold medallist in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships, and hopes that the club’s athletes will participate in a triumphant Team Scotland in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Supported by: Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Nigel Don, Gil Paterson, David Torrance, Kevin Stewart, Sandra White, Colin Beattie, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 04/04/13

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S4M-06012: £90K Funding for Saline Environmental Group

20/03/2013

That the Parliament congratulates the Saline Environmental Group in West Fife on receiving £90,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme, which will be used to construct a pathway between Saline village and Kinneddar Park along with a bridge and fitness equipment en route; understands that the project represents the first phase of a larger initiative to link four communities by providing easily accessible pathways that can be used for access and recreational purposes such as walking, cycling, horse riding and mobility vehicles, and commends the aims of the Community Spaces Scotland scheme to support communities in becoming more involved in their local environment, make better use of spaces and places and become healthier and more active.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance

Date Lodged: 19/03/13

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S4M-05983: Six Nations

18/03/2013

That the Parliament commends all teams on their performances at the Six Nations Championship 2013; congratulates Wales on retaining the championship with what it considers a magnificent 30-3 victory over England in Cardiff; applauds Italy’s first Six Nations win over Ireland, of 22-15; considers that Scotland gave a creditable performance in taking third place in the championship after a hard-fought 16-23 game against France, and looks forward to a highly competitive and entertaining championship next season.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Bill Kidd, Mike MacKenzie, Angus MacDonald, Richard Lyle, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Dennis Robertson, Dave Thompson,Chic Brodie, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Bob Doris, Stuart McMillan, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 18/03/2013

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S4M-05826: Bespoke Scottish Tours

05/03/2013

That the Parliament welcomes the launch of Carnegie Touring, a new tour operator that arranges bespoke holidays and excursions in Fife and further afield in Scotland; understands that, in addition to creating itineraries tailored to the interests and needs of individual visitors, Carnegie Touring also offers a range of excursions such as St Andrews, Home of Golf, The Tranquillity of the Highland Lochs and Mountains, From Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood and In the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie, and wishes Carnegie Touring well in its aim to help visitors discover significant locations that can sometimes be overlooked in tourism itineraries.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Nigel Don, Kevin Stewart, Graeme Dey, Chic Brodie, Colin Beattie, Willie Rennie, Colin Keir, Sandra White

Date Lodged: 05/03/2013

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S4M-05810: Eilidh Child Wins Gold in Gothenburg

05/03/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Dunfermline Pitreavie Athletics Club member Eilidh Child on what it considers to be her magnificent performance at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg; understands that Eilidh won gold in the 4 x 400 metres women’s relay and silver in the individual 400 metres women’s race, where she also recorded a personal best, and wishes her every success in her preparations for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Supported by: Kenneth Gibson, Stuart McMillan, Mark McDonald, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Colin Beattie, Richard Lyle, David Torrance, Chic Brodie, Neil Findlay, Bob Doris, Colin Keir, Dave Thompson, Sandra White

Date Lodged: 04/03/2013

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S4M-05671: Forestry Commission Developments

20/02/2013

That the Parliament commends Forestry Commission Scotland on its programme for 2013 in Fife and elsewhere in Scotland; understands that this includes the objective of seeking to identify ways to integrate farming and forestry with the aim of encouraging farmers to see woodlands as of benefit to their farm business and foresters to think about how new woodlands can be designed to reduce their impact on farming, and believes that its other objectives include creating 100,000 hectares of new woodland over the next 10 years, establishing a skills programme to tackle youth unemployment, developing renewable energy in the national forest estate and holding events in the Year of Natural Scotland 2013.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Angus MacDonald, Kevin Stewart, Colin Beattie, David Torrance, Colin Keir, Sandra White, Nigel Don, Margaret McDougall

Date Lodged: 19/02/2013

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S4M-05655: UK Government’s Digital Benefits Push

18/02/2013

That the Parliament expresses concern at the findings of the report by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), Voices From the Frontline, Digital by Default, which has been published in response to the UK Government’s digital strategy; understands that the strategy aims for 80% of benefits applications to be completed online by 2017; notes that the report states that CAS “is concerned that a digital by default approach to welfare benefits could exclude some of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society from accessing the very services they rely upon”; understands that the report cites numerous examples of job seekers without access to computers or the internet who have faced difficulties applying for benefits and who, despite applying for work in writing and by telephone, have received sanctions from their Job Centre for not doing so online; believes that the UK Government needs to recognise that, while the internet can be a hugely important resource for job seekers, it is not reasonable to expect everyone to have the level of skills, ability or access required; notes that, in 2009-10, the Scottish Household Survey estimated that a third of homes do not have internet access, dropping to less than half of households on an annual income of less than £15,000; considers that computers and internet access are a significant expense for unemployed people already trying to budget on benefits that are not rising in line with inflation, and further expresses concern at the impact of library closures, in light of councils withdrawing services under what it sees as the UK Government’s austerity drive, on people who can only access the internet using these services.

Supported by: Richard Lyle, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Mike MacKenzie, Colin Beattie, David Torrance, Gil Paterson, Dennis Robertson, Stuart McMillan, Christine Grahame, Colin Keir, Dave Thompson, Sandra White, Nigel Don

Date Lodged: 18/02/2013

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S4M-05650: Council Budgets for 2013-14

18/02/2013

That the Parliament recognises the efforts made by councils across Scotland in approving their budgets for 2013-14 during these difficult economic times; considers that councils face many pressures and challenges to live within their reduced budgets, just as the Scottish Government must live within the reduced block grant that it receives from the UK Government; welcomes particularly instances where attempts have been made to prioritise the needs of vulnerable members of society, and commends what it considers the growing number of councils agreeing with the Scottish Government to implement another year of the council tax freeze, which it believes is a significant step toward preventing people on low incomes from falling into poverty.

Supported by: David Torrance, Colin Beattie, Richard Lyle, Colin Keir,Nigel Don

Date Lodged: 15/02/2013

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S4M-05582: Scottish Autism Launches One Stop Shop

06/02/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Scottish Autism on its Fife One Stop Shop, which was officially opened in Dunfermline on 5 February 2013 by the Minister for Public Health, Michael Matheson; understands that this is the first of six new One Stop Shops across Scotland to launch under the Scottish Government’s Scottish Strategy for Autism; further understands that around 1 in 100 people in Scotland are affected by autism; notes that Scottish Autism offers people with autism, their families and professionals information and advice about autism and helps them to access further support services, and wishes Scottish Autism success in helping make a positive difference in the lives of individuals and families affected by autism.

Supported by: David Torrance, Kenneth Gibson, Richard Lyle, Dennis Robertson, Mike MacKenzie, Chic Brodie, Nigel Don, Kevin Stewart, Murdo Fraser, Colin Keir, Colin Beattie, Angus MacDonald, Dave Thompson, Clare Adamson, Mark MacDonald

Date Lodged: 05/02/13

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S4M-05567: £2.8m Heritage Lottery Funding for New Dunfermline Museum and Art Gallery

05/02/2013

That the Parliament warmly welcomes funding of £2.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund toward the establishment of a flagship museum and art gallery in the heritage quarter of Dunfermline; understands that the new facility will incorporate the Carnegie Library, archives and local history services; believes that the museum and art gallery will add to the historical diversity of architecture in the heart of Dunfermline, which includes the 11th century-founded abbey where Robert Bruce is famously buried, the palace established by King Malcolm Canmore when he made Dunfermline the capital of Scotland, the 16th century-founded Abbot House and the ancient Pittencrieff Park; considers that the new museum and art gallery will boost the profile and economy of Dunfermline, and is confident that they will remind locals and visitors alike of the cultural heritage of the “Auld Grey Toun”.

Supported by: Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Dennis Robertson, Richard Lyle, Chic Brodie, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance, Nigel Don, Colin Keir, Colin Beattie

Date Lodged: 04/02/13

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S4M-05493: Congratulations to Andy Murray on Performance at Australian Open Tennis

28/01/2013

That the Parliament applauds Andy Murray on reaching the Australian Open Tennis men’s final in Melbourne Park, where he played the world’s number one seed, Novak “iron man” Djokovic; notes that this was Andy’s third Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam final; considers his performance in the final and his previous five-set victory over Roger Federer in the semi-final to be a very promising start to 2013, following on from what it considers to be his incredible year of tennis in 2012, which saw him win gold in the men’s singles at the London Olympics and win the US Open; considers Andy Murray to be an excellent role model for all Scots sporting participants; notes that Andy is currently seeded number three in the world, and wishes him many more successes in what it sees as his outstanding career.

Supported by: Hanzala Malik, Dennis Robertson, Kevin Stewart, Christine Grahame, Richard Lyle, Colin Beattie, Nigel Don, Gil Paterson, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 28/01/13

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S4M-05456: Christmas Story Raises Funds for African Children

23/01/2013

That the Parliament commends Joan Newbigging on her voluntary work with Educate the Kids, a charity founded in 1998, which, it understands, believes that education is the key to ensuring that children in Africa have their needs met and their rights upheld; understands that Ms Newbigging volunteered to work for three months at a school in Kenya and has recently published a book, The Christmas Child, which has so far raised £240 for Educate the Kids, and wishes Educate the Kids and Ms Newbigging further success.

Supported by: David Torrance, Kevin Stewart, Stuart McMillan, Colin Beattie, Richard Lyle, Dave Thompson, Mike MacKenzie, Dennis Robertson, Nigel Don

Date Lodged: 23/01/13

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