SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 05/11/05

Carolyn Leckie, Scottish Socialist Party MSP for Central Scotland and health spokesperson, today said there were many unanswered questions about the plans to centralise acute services that NHS Lanarkshire are currently putting out to public consultation.

Carolyn said today;
“Whilst welcoming NHS Lanarkshire’s more proactive approach to consultations, there are many unanswered questions about the impact of the proposals on access to services and the quality of care.
“It is surely not coincidental that the most likely option is for one hospital providing elective care with two emergency and trauma centres when we have three hospital PFI’s with 30 years to go on the contracts in the region.
“The inevitable conclusion is that the pressures of PFI contracts will determine how health services are delivered in the region.
“Initiatives like the geographic separation of elective and emergency services are unproven with early evidence from England suggests that stand alone elective services suffer from a reduction in the skills base and educational services, reducing the ability to deal with unexpected situations.
“I would hope that NHS Lanarkshire will be more sensible than Andy Kerr and Professor David Kerr and steer well clear of any of the crazy privatisation initiatives such as LIFT’s, private diagnostic treatment centre’s or the importation of whole health care teams from private organisations abroad.
“I am looking forward to participating in NHS Lanarkshire’s consultation and encourage everyone in Lanarkshire to make their views heard.”
[ends]

BBC NEWS: "Demonstrators have occupied the UK Immigration Service headquarters on the south side of Glasgow.

About 30 protesters, including Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan and Nationalist MSP Sandra White, are taking part in the blockade.

The campaigners, angry at the use of dawn raids to deport failed asylum seekers, said they intended to close the centre for 12 hours.

Police said chains appeaed to have been used to block the doors of the office.

The centre was targeted because it is where asylum seekers are required to sign on.

One of the Birmingham Six, Paddy Hill, and film director and actor Peter Mullan are among the protesters.

The Reverend Iain Whyte, of the Iona Community, compared dawn raids to the policies of the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, said the protest was to highlight the 'inhumanities perpetrated' by the Home Office.

She added: 'The Home Office's practices on Scottish soil are now causing international embarrassment.

'What's clear right now is that things can't go on as they are.'

A police spokeswoman said nearly 30 protesters had blocked the entrance of the offices.

She continued: 'It seems that members of the group have used chains to block doors to the premises.'

About 200 campaigners, including asylum seekers, staged a protest in Glasgow against dawn raids in September.

The show of strength came days after a dawn raid on the Glasgow home of a failed asylum seeking Kosovan family.

The Vucaj family had been arrested and taken to the Yarlswood Centre in Bedfordshire, before being deported.

The five members of the family, including three children, had lived in Scotland for five years."

Scotsman:

FURTHER differences within the Holyrood coalition surfaced yesterday when George Lyon, the Liberal Democrat deputy minister for finance, failed to back his Labour boss over 2006 council tax rises.

Under questioning by the finance committee, Mr Lyon refused to endorse Tom McCabe's claim that local authorities should keep council tax rises to 2.5 per cent or less.

In a letter to the parliament's finance committee, Mr McCabe, the minister for finance and public service reform, said earlier in the year that there was 'no reason' for any council tax rises above 2.5 per cent.

But under pressure from Tommy Sheridan, the Scottish Socialist MSP, Mr Lyon refused to repeat Mr McCabe's view. The minister told Mr Sheridan: 'I believe that the councils should be able to keep the council tax increases as low as possible.'

Pressed on the specific 2.5 per cent figure, he added: 'My view is that they should be able to keep it as near to that figure as they can.' Mr Lyon said the early indications were that three authorities were planning rises of about 4 per cent.

Mr Sheridan added: 'The Labour minister has made a completely unrealistic statement and the Liberal Democrat minister was not prepared to support that.'

The Herald

SCOTTISH ministers were yesterday accused of "political posturing" over plans to widen eligibility for free school meals.
The attack came after it emerged that the Scottish Executive is considering expanding the provision as part of its Hungry for Success healthy eating drive.
Although ministers have ruled out free school meals for all, changes could lead to a rise in the number of eligible families, as well as an increase in their availability, such as during school holidays.
However, the SNP and the Scottish Socialist party (SSP) said the announcement had been made to try to derail the growing campaign to provide free school meals for all.
The SSP is putting forward a bill at the Scottish Parliament calling for universal access to school meals which has been supported by a wide range of anti-poverty charities... The SSP's consultation on its Free School Meals (Scotland) Bill found 95% of the 500 respondents were in favour of free provision for all.