I was delighted to get the chance to visit the new visitor centre at the Glenkinchie Distillery yesterday. The Glenkinchie is a key part of East Lothian’s food and drink industry, as well as our local and international tourism. I was extremely impressed with the new visitor attraction, and even more so by the commitment of Diageo to build on… Read more »
The Scottish Government announced this morning that East Lothian would be placed in Tier 3 of the new tiered Coronavirus response strategy. As I said in the East Lothian Courier this morning, I had hoped that East Lothian would be put into Tier 2: “As soon as you move to local authority areas as the basis for a decision then… Read more »
I met with the medical and administrative staff at the Riverside Medical Practice on 6 October after a large number of complaints from residents in the area relating to the difficulty in getting appointments, especially the 8am booking system. The staff and management team at Riverside were keen to say that they cared greatly about their patients and were worried… Read more »
Tomorrow (9 October) new measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) are to come into effect. There are specific measures in place for areas in the Central Belt, including the area covered by NHS Lothian, which includes East Lothian. You can find full details at the Scottish Government website. It’s disappointing and hard for many. However, the evidence is… Read more »
I was happy to table the following motion in the House of Commons, congratulating the Glenkinchie on receiving a Green Tourism Gold Award. The motion reads: “That this House congratulates the Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian for its receipt of a Green Tourism Gold Award; welcomes the commitment of Diageo to improving the sustainability of its distilleries and attractions; notes… Read more »
In my column in the East Lothian Courier I look at some of the major consequences of dropping the Furlough Scheme at the end of this month: “As the furlough scheme ends, it’s going to get worse. For that reason, it’s a huge mistake by the Tory Government to be ending the scheme that has worked well and when some… Read more »
Our European friends have seen the potential danger of forcing people back into work over the winter months, as well as the huge economic downside of pushing more and more people into unemployment and have very sensibly decided to extend the furlough scheme. We in Scotland do not have the economic powers necessary to implement our own furlough scheme so… Read more »
In my Column in the East Lothian Courier this week I discuss the need for greater vigilance in the face of rising case numbers in the constituency. “The coronavirus outbreak at the East Lothian Community Hospital and tightened lockdown re-imposed in the west of Scotland show the need for vigilance. “Outbreaks can occur in even the most rigorous of regimes…. Read more »
I had a meeting with the management, staff and Union reps at the East Coast Buses depot in Musselburgh on Friday. It was good to hear about the measures put in place to deal with the pandemic and ensure safety for staff and the public.
Scotland’s Test & Protect App is now available to download for your smartphone. You can download the app from the Protect.Scot website here. The Protect Scotland app from NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect is a free, mobile phone app designed to help us protect each other, reduce the spread of coronavirus and avoid further lockdowns. The app will alert you… Read more »