Warm Homes Campaign: Now that winter is upon us once again the time is right to highlight the Warm Homes Campaign which aims to cut the number of excess winter deaths and reduce cold-related illnesses by raising awareness of the help available to people who cannot afford to heat their homes in winter.

The Scottish Executive has introduced a range of measures to help local people who struggle to affordably heat their homes. 

We have brought in a range of measures in recent years to help local people keep their homes warm and healthy. The Warm Deal scheme and Free Central Heating Programme has already helped heat over 233,815 homes across Scotland. There are also Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners to help with heating bills. There are simple measures people can take to help keep their homes warm and their bills down – including using lined curtains to keep the heat in, lagging your hot water tank and using energy saving light bulbs. I would encourage those who may be vulnerable to get their annual flu jab which is available from your doctor.”

 The Scottish Executive’s Warm Deal scheme entitles those eligible to cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, hot and cold tank and pipe insulation, draught-proofing, low energy light bulbs and energy advice and can be worth up to £500. Warm Deal is the main source of energy efficiency grant aid for households on low incomes.

 The Scottish Executive Free Central Heating Programme provides free central heating systems for people who rent their home from a registered social landlord and for people over 60 who own their home or rent it from a private landlord. The average grant is for £2500. Last winter there were 2760 excess deaths in Scotland.

 Licensing Bill: Last month the Scottish Parliament voted for tough new Licensing Laws which will:

·        shorten the hours retailers are allowed to sell alcohol;

·        allow the police and licensing boards to use underage volunteers to target retailers selling alcohol to under 18’s;

·        and give greater powers to communities to have their say on local licensing. 

 The Licensing (Scotland) Bill is currently at its final stage in the legislative process in Parliament. The new laws will include: 

• A crackdown on irresponsible promotional activities ensuring drinks have to be sold at the same price for at least 72 hours banning happy hours that encourage speed drinking. 
   
• More say for local communities on the granting of licences for pubs and clubs.
   
• Sentences of up to 3 months for retailers who repeatedly sell alcohol to underage's.

 The Licensing (Scotland) Bill is designed to break the link between irresponsible drinking and crime by reforming outdated licensing laws, tackling under-age drinking, cracking down on binge drinking and supporting communities.  Local communities will be the biggest winners of these new laws. My constituents will get more of a say in the granting of licenses, their communities will benefit knowing that there are measures in place to tackle retailers selling alcohol to under 18s and the new laws to clampdown on so called happy hours will go a long way to ending in the misery of antisocial behaviour or crime associated with the binge drinking these hours encourage.

 Housing Bill: The final stage of the Housing (Scotland) Bill was debated and passed by the Scottish Parliament earlier this month. One of the main issues was the introduction of the Single Seller Survey scheme. For both buyer and seller the single survey will provide reassurance that there will be less risk that the transaction might be delayed or fail due to problems that could be revealed at a later stage. The Housing Bill also protects the tenant’s right to buy in both the public and housing association areas.

 Dental Services: This month the Executive announced an unprecedented cash injection to tackle the shortage of NHS dentists across Scotland and reward local dentists committed to the NHS and local patients. We have pledged an extra £295 million over the next three years to help reward and retain NHS dentists, train more graduates and encourage dentists to set up practices in problem areas. One of the main incentives is a pledge to reimburse local dentists the current market rental value of their premises in the hope that they remain committed to the NHS and local patients. Local dentists will also be entitled to apply to have their IT and staff costs paid for by the Executive in return for maintaining or increasing the NHS element of their practices. I share constituents concern about strains on local dental services and the actions of one dentist in Kilbirnie in particular. I am confident that this additional support plus capital funding for a new surgery in Kilbirnie will address these local concerns directly.

 In March 2005 the Executive published its 3 year action plan for improving oral health and modernising NHS dental services.  The three main components of the action plan are:

• Improving oral health;
• Increasing the workforce, and improving its education and training; and
• Modernising the NHS dental system

 This amounts to an extra £45m this year, to £100m next year and to £150m in 2007/08. Of this additional funding, £237m will go to supporting primary care dental services. A new bursary scheme is currently being finalised, which will be tied to commitment to work in the NHS for a period of 5 years after graduation, and will be offered in 2006.

Existing training is being expanded to deliver over 200 new dental nurses in 06/07 and 250 in 2007/08 in addition the first ever Scottish trained dental therapists are being produced.  2 courses are already in place in Dundee and Glasgow with a new one just started this month in Edinburgh.

 Organ Donation: I have always carried an organ donation card so I welcome  Scotland’s latest organ donation campaign in a bid to encourage more people to join the NHS register.

 The aim of the campaign is to stress to people  that whilst carrying an organ donation card is clear, being on the NHS organ donation register and ensuring your family and friends are aware of your wishes is the very best way to ensure your organs are donated should anything happen to you.

The £110,000 advertising campaign is part of a Scottish Executive drive to encourage more organ donors and will run for five months. A second set of adverts is being launched this month and will run throughout the New Year.

This new campaign to attract more donors to the organ donation register should be encouraged locally. Potentially it could save hundreds of lives each year and provides hope to the hundreds of Scottish people on waiting lists around the country. For many people, organ donation is a huge issue to have to consider, but for others there may be only one answer. I would remind colleagues to consider how they would feel if it was them or their loved one who died whilst waiting for a transplant. It is also essential that people talk to their friends and family about what their wishes are. At what is a very difficult time, it makes the decision to donate a loved ones organs far easier, if you know for certain it is what they would have wanted.

 My colleague the Health Minister Andy Kerr pointed out that:

• Over 400 people in the UK die each year while waiting for an organ transplant - many of those live in Scotland.
   
• The main message of this campaign is simple. If you join the organ donor register you could save a life, if you don't you won't. There is a clear choice to be made.

On the 15 November there were 590 people waiting for an organ transplant in Scotland.

 Last year in Scotland, 153 people received organ transplants but 24 people died waiting for an organ transplant.

 Anyone interested in joining the NHS Organ Donation Register can by calling 0845 60 60 400 or by logging on to www.uktransplant.org.uk.

 Malawi Presidential Visit: Since the beginning of last  year the First Minister Jack McConnell has been highlighting the potential for our small nation to have a major impact on one of the most impoverished countries in Africa - Malawi.  Following a visit to Malawi in February by the Scotland branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the First Minister visited the country for himself in May.  On his return he outlined how Scotland can build stronger links with the country to help train midwives and teachers.  He announced the Malawi fund, which he encouraged all Scots to support, and also launched a new scheme to make it easier for Scottish medics to volunteer their services in the country.

 In continuing to build on this relationship The First Minister Jack McConnell

has demonstrated that our devolved government can play it’s small part in helping to address poverty, famine and disease in this one small corner of the continent of Africa with which Scotland has such historic links.