In his New Year message, Local MP Danny Alexander looks forward to 2012 and will continue to build a fairer and more sustainable economy for people living in the Highlands and across the UK. Alexander says:

"2011 was the year we lifted nearly a million low paid workers out of paying income tax altogether and cut taxes for 23m people. There will be further cuts to income tax this April; as we take another step to delivering the Lib Dem manifesto commitment that no one should pay any income tax on the first £10,000 they earn. Our youth contract will ensure that young people's lives are not blighted by long periods of unemployment, by getting every young person out of work earning or learning.

"We also need to redouble our efforts to ensure that those with the broadest shoulders bear the greatest share of the burden. With the highest rate of tax at 50%, increases to capital gains tax, reduced tax breaks for large pension contributions, and the new bank levy, the coalition is raising more from the wealthiest. But with more austerity now needed, and with grossly excessive top pay awards showing total disconnection from reality, we will need to look at further steps to ensure greater fairness this year too.

"2012 will be the year in which many of the new commitments that the coalition has made to the Highlands and Islands will be delivered. The 5p fuel duty discount for island communities starts in March. The delivery of superfast broadband to our communities and the new coastal communities fund will start this year, and new army personnel will start to arrive at Kinloss."

ENDS

In its Rail2014 consultation document on the next Scotrail franchise, the Scottish Government placed the future of the sleeper service in fresh doubt – as well as the daytime direct rail services from Inverness and Aberdeen to London.

In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would offer an extra £50million to save the sleeper links, so long as the commitment was matched by Scottish Ministers in Edinburgh who are responsible for the service.

Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

"I'm glad that the Scottish Government is willing to match the funding and priority which the UK Government has given to cross-border services, following the £50m investment announced in the Autumn Statement. This shows that Scotland is stronger when our two governments work together within the United Kingdom."

ENDS

Mr Alexander has highlighted the issue of unfair delivery charges in the past – and has helped persuade a number of companies, including Avon, Asda & BHS to stop applying surcharges to rural customers in the Highlands & Islands. In the summer, he met with Highland Council Trading Standards officers to discuss their role in stamping out false and misleading advertising claims.

Mr Alexander said:

"I very much welcome the work that the CABs in the Highlands are doing on this issue. Especially in the run-up to Christmas, the range of dubious delivery charge policies applied by some businesses is a big issue for families across much of rural Scotland.

"In some cases, a bit of information and consumer pressure can go a long way. Good businesses will listen to what their customers are telling them – as Asda, Avon and BHS already have done. Wherever people are being refused delivery or face unreasonable surcharges, I would urge them to complain and – if possible – take their business elsewhere if they do not receive a satisfactory response. The Royal Mail offers a universal flat-rate service for the whole UK for parcels up to 20kg, so there is very often a fair alternative even if companies seek to blame charges on their chosen courier.

"Where false claims about free delivery to the UK mask hidden charges, consumers should report cases to local trading standards officers who can take enforcement action.

"I will keep working on this issue and supporting constituents who bring specific cases to my attention. The only rip-off at Christmas should be the wrapping paper!"

ENDS

Responding to the publication of the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan, Highland Lib Dem MP Danny Alexander said:

"This document represents a huge missed opportunity for the Highlands. It confirms that the SNP will do nothing to begin dualling the A9 in two full terms of office.

"Last week's Autumn Statement gave the SNP an extra £433million to invest in Scotland's infrastructure right now – but there is precious little sign of that boost being passed on to people in the Highlands.

"On the A9, the grand promises of 2007 were half-heartedly rehashed in 2008 for the Strategic Transport Projects Review. Three years on, Scottish Ministers still seem to think it's good enough to recycle the same empty promises, while the bare reality is a decade of delay. The drift still continues – with the First Minister's 2020 target date for the A9 becoming 2025 before a square foot of tarmac has been disturbed.

"Even SNP MSPs have been asking for a timetable for the completion of what would be a substantial, complex and important project. A real timetable for the A9, with regular milestones, would help to generate confidence in the economy right along the length of the road, but instead the whole project is still stuck in Nationalist Neverland."

"The news is no better for the A96 from Inverness to Nairn and the promised new link to the A9, which would serve the Beechwood education campus. It's welcome that the college move could be completed by 2016, but these plans suggest work on key infrastructure will not begin before 2020.

"SNP MSPs in the Highlands have spent many years saying work on these projects would begin from 2012. It is extraordinary that they now welcome yet more vague promises for the distant future, when our economy needs action today."

ENDS

Mr Alexander said:

"There is no escaping the fact that the world economic situation remains extremely challenging. We always knew that economic recovery was likely to be choppy, but the debt crisis in Europe has added to the difficulties we face.

"Today's statement takes the necessary difficult decisions to keep the UK safe from the debt crisis and to create an environment for growth with interest rates kept low. The Highlands have big opportunities if we can make swift progress with key infrastructure investment and capitalise on the £100m of extra funding that has been made available for renewable energy developments at sites like Nigg.

"Liberal Democrats have worked hard to keep fairness at the heart of the government's plans – delivering the largest ever increase in the state pension next April, up-rating working age benefits with inflation and protecting the poorest pensioners via the pension credit. At the same time, we are taking the lowest paid workers out of tax completely.

"We are introducing a 5p fuel duty discount for island communities next year, but we recognise that everyone faces pressure from the high price of fuel. That pressure is felt acutely in remote and rural Highland communities as well as in the islands.

"That is why we have rejected the idea of fuel duty increasing by 3p in January. As a result of our plans and the measures in the last budget, pump prices next year will be an average of 10p per litre lower than they would have been under the proposals we inherited from Labour."

ENDS

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Alexander has played a key role in securing an offer of £50million towards the replacement of the aging rolling stock which provides an overnight rail link from the Highlands, the North East, Edinburgh & Glasgow to the UK Capital. The Scotrail franchise, under which the sleeper operates, is the responsibility of the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, but UK Ministers are offering help to safeguard it after a Transport Scotland consultation placed its future in doubt.

The offer, made in today's Autumn Statement, would provide half of the funding needed to provide badly needed new trains, creating an opportunity to improve the service offered to passengers and commit to maintaining a sleeper service far beyond the present franchise agreement.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr Alexander said:

"The Caledonian Sleeper is a hugely valuable service to Scotland as a whole, but it is particularly important to Inverness, Strathspey, Fort William and Aberdeen – all of which face very long journey times by rail.

"It is extraordinary that the Scottish Government chose to place the future of those key sleeper links in doubt. The idea that the Highlands would be well served by all our rail services ending in Edinburgh speaks of the inward-looking attitude of the SNP Ministers who signed their consultation document off.

"Our railways are an essential part of the future of transport right across the UK. Putting up barriers at the border is the last thing our economy needs.

"The offer of £50million to secure and enhance the sleeper for the long term presents a huge opportunity to draw a line under this episode. We are challenging the Scottish Government to match that commitment and take this chance of extra funding. Scottish Ministers must act quickly so this funding can boost economic growth and deliver an improved sleeper service as early as possible."

ENDS

The children wrote to Mr Alexander to seek his support with their efforts to take better care of their playground and the park area next to the school.

The class braved the wild weather on Friday morning to get to work removing litter, while the MP and school staff helped remove broken glass. The Highland Council's TECS department supplied litter pickers and refuse bags to help with the effort.

Commenting after the visit, Mr Alexander said:

"I'm really grateful to the children of Merkinch Primary for writing to me to tell me about the work they have been doing – and to raise their concerns about the green space next door to their school.

"The children's enthusiasm for looking after their local environment is an example to us all. I was pleased to help them tackle one of the immediate problems with litter – and to talk to them about some of the longer term solutions which they would like to see.

"I hope the children will be able to see their ideas turn into lasting improvements for local people and wildlife. I will work with the school, the local community and the council to make sure that happens.

"There should be no tolerance of the minority who harm others by leaving litter and smashed glass lying around."

ENDS

Mr Alexander had written to Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, asking for Highland communities to be included – and especially pushing for recognition of Badenoch & Strathspey's close links with Olympic sport.

It had previously been announced that the Highland Capital would be one of the torch relay's major stopping points, but the full itinerary has only just been unveiled, including Glencoe, North Ballachulish, Fort William, Spean Bridge, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Lewiston, Drumnadrochit and Inverness (all on Saturday 9th June); Lerwick and Kirkwall (on 10th June); and Stornoway, Inverness, Aviemore, Carrbridge, Grantown & Tomintoul (on 11th June).

Badenoch & Strathspey has been recognised in the past for producing more Olympians per head of population than any other part of the UK, particularly reflecting the area's importance to winter sports in Britain.

Commenting, Mr Alexander said:

"It's great news that the Olympic torch will make such a large number of stops in the Highlands in the build-up to the Games.

"It's right that everything possible should be done to involve communities the length and breadth of the UK in the Olympics – and the excitement of bringing the biggest sporting showcase in the world to our shores.

"I'm particularly pleased that the communities in Strathspey which have contributed so much to Britain's participation in Olympic sport have been recognised on the torch relay's route.

"I know that local people all over the Highlands will give the torch a big welcome – and I hope it will help inspire local children to enjoy the games, get involved in sport and hopefully become the Olympic athletes of the future."

ENDS

ENDS

The new mobile infrastructure development will enable rural users to access not only the 2G network, but 3G as well; and will provide a foundation for a future 4G upgrade. It is thought that the improvement will significantly improve communication for businesses and consumers across the Highlands.

Through their involvement in the Coalition Government at Westminster, Liberal Democrats have pushed for improvements in mobile coverage - up from previous official targets of 95%. It is believed that this latest investment will increase the percentage of users receiving adequate coverage and assist the 5-10% of people who live in an area with poor or non-existent reception.

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey MP Danny Alexander says:

"I know that poor mobile phone signal is a problem which still affects many homes and businesses – especially in rural communities like those in Strathspey and around Loch Ness.

"With more people relying on mobiles, the standard of reception is becoming more and more important – including in emergency situations and along major transport corridors.

"Along with the ongoing work to bring improved broadband to all areas of the Highlands, this investment in our mobile signal network is part of a concerted effort to improve rural communication - bringing real benefits both to business and individual users.

"Liberal Democrats are determined to make sure the Highlands are not left at the back of the queue for telecommunications technology improvements. If anything, we should be taking the opportunity to lead the way."

ENDS

The projected cost of the Aberdeen to Inverness improvements is £200 million, spread between 2014/15 and 2018/19, while investment planned for the Highland Line within the same period is expected to be worth around £35 million.

Mr Alexander earlier this week addressed the conference of the International Association of Transport Professionals in Aviemore and highlighted the modest scale of current Highland rail investments compared with the £500 million already being borrowed by Network Rail against its assets in Scotland to invest in improving services between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Commenting on today's announcement, Mr Alexander said:

"Today's announcement is welcome confirmation of commitments to our area which were first made some years ago by Scottish Ministers. There is still a troubling lack of detail, both about specific timescale and the detail of plans.

"On one hand, the report acknowledges that new passing loops on single track lines are essential to make a faster and more regular service possible. On the other, it stops short of committing firmly to a long-awaited station and passing loop at Dalcross to serve the airport and enable an improved peak time service for Nairn.

"Getting Highland commuters on to the railway has been one of the great regional transport success stories of the past decade. It is clear that remains the best and fastest way to relieve some of the growing pressure on our most congested trunk roads.

"It tells you something about the urgent need for this investment that Network Rail regards the superiority of the A96 in its current state as an obstacle to the railway's growth. We need to move quickly to firm dates for specific improvements – and Dalcross Station must be among them."

ENDS

The MP has been a longstanding campaigner against unfair and misleading delivery surcharges imposed by many courier firms on Highlanders buying goods on the internet and via mail order catalogues. He took the opportunity to highlight the universal parcels service which Royal Mail provides for packages up to 20kg in weight.

Mr Alexander invited Moya Greene to visit following a meeting in London earlier this year. After their meeting, they met some employees at the Strothers Lane Sorting Office.

Commenting, Mr Alexander said: "I am very pleased to be able to welcome Moya to the Highland Capital. By coming here, she is showing a strong commitment to listen to and understand the needs of our area.

"The future of the Royal Mail and the Post Office network is enormously important to the Highland economy. The Government has demonstrated its commitment with £1.3bn investment in the Post Office network, ending Labour's programme of closures. We will also ensure that Royal Mail gets the investment it needs in the future.

"Amidst the dramatic changes taking place in the postal market, with a sharp decline in volume of letters, the potential threat to that service cannot be ignored.

"I want to make sure the Government helps Royal Mail to adapt successfully to the world we now live in – and the growth of email and the internet especially. Packages and parcels are increasingly important both to consumers in the Highlands and to local businesses.

"Royal Mail currently provides a universal service for all items up to 20kg in weight. I hope we will see the standard and scope of that service maintained and improved across the Highlands & Islands. The Government needs to ensure it has the support it needs not to be undermined by businesses which will not offer the same commitment to our area."

CEO of Royal Mail Group, Moya Greene, said: "I am very pleased to be in the Highlands and to recognise the long-standing positive relationship that Royal Mail has with this part of the UK.

"My colleagues and I understand very clearly how this part of the country differs from more densely populated areas. Royal Mail Group is undergoing major change and at this time we share Mr Alexander's determination that the services we provide continue to give our customers a world class service and are relevant in the world we all now live in. We are also fully committed to the Universal Service and we recognise its importance to rural areas.

"Our meeting will explore a number of issues which I look forward to working on in the future with Mr Alexander, as well as other Highland MPs and representatives."

ENDS

This is the first of four years of funding set aside in the Spending Review, with at least £200,000 available in each year. Funding will be available to 75 teams performing mountain or cave rescue activity across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said:

"I am very pleased to announce this additional funding. This recognises the valuable and unique work that volunteer mountain rescue teams do across the UK and will help support the costs of expensive rescue equipment."

The allocations for each area are calculated based on the number of teams affiliated to that body: £124,000 will be available for England and Wales; £68,000 for Scotland; and £8,000 for Northern Ireland.

ENDS.

During his visit, Mr Alexander was told about the work the CAB is doing to improve financial education, partly in response to the problems faced by people who are struggling to manage personal debt.

As well as providing advice to those who approach the CAB directly, Financial Support Worker Helen Barr goes out into local schools to speak to youngsters about managing a budget – and the potential dangers of letting debt get out of control.

Mr Alexander said:

"It is enormously important that people who face acute difficulty with debt have access to good quality impartial advice as early as possible. The CAB and its volunteers are providing an absolutely critical service during difficult economic times.

"Disreputable lenders offering the illusion of an easy and painless solution too often lead people into much deeper difficulties. The Government needs to work hard to enforce the law and to tighten it up where necessary to protect consumers.

"The worst thing to do with debt is to ignore it while the costs mount up or to pursue an apparent solution without understanding the full consequences. That is as important for individuals as it is for the nation's finances.

"It is excellent that the CAB is taking the message out to local schools so that youngsters can avoid the pitfalls of unsustainable debt altogether and manage their own finances with confidence from the start.

"The expanded Hi-Scot Credit Union is another great resource which is now available to people right across the Highlands – giving access to affordable credit on a responsible basis and keeping all the benefits within our communities. As it expands to the mainland, I hope many other Highlanders will join me in opening a savings account so that the credit union can help more local people."

ENDS

Mr Alexander met members of the KSP today, following the Government's announcement last week that it will retain RAF Lossiemouth and move army units to Kinloss in the next few years to mitigate the closure of the base where the Nimrod fleet was previously stationed.

Commenting following the meeting, Mr Alexander said:

"The detail of the decisions announced last week needs to be worked through, both locally and in the other parts of Scotland where MoD personnel are based. We need to make sure the individuals who are directly affected by base closures have access to the best possible support to pursue alternative employment.

"Kinloss Skills Partnership is doing a very impressive job of understanding and promoting the very wide range of skills that exists among the workforce. With highly skilled people in engineering, IT and other sectors, they have shown that the personnel at RAF Kinloss are potentially hugely attractive to private sector businesses and to new investors in the area.

"We need to work quickly alongside local bodies like Highlands & Islands Enterprise to ensure those opportunities to attract new investment are taken. Kinloss Skills Partnership raised important issues with me today which I will be following up over the next few weeks."

ENDS

The Credit Union has been operating in the Western Isles since December 2006, but its remit has recently been extended to enable members to join from right across the Highlands & Islands.

Mr Alexander, who has joined the Credit Union himself, said:

"I am very pleased to mark Hi-Scot Credit Union's expansion to cover the Highland mainland. Its success in the Western Isles in just five years shows just how valuable its flexible and personalised services will be to Highland communities.

"Credit unions have a key role to play in rebalancing our economy – by encouraging higher rates of saving and ensuring affordable access to credit. They do vitally important work to promote greater financial understanding and responsibility.

"With the expansion of Hi-Scot, all those living or working in the Highlands and Islands will now be able to access its competitive and affordable financial products, whilst ensuring that benefits stay within their local economy.

"Across Britain credit union membership is increasing, with 240,000 members in Scotland alone – I am delighted to become a member of Hi-Scot Credit Union and encourage people across the Highlands to do the same."

ENDS

This new fund will be financed by the Government through the allocation of funding equivalent to 50 per cent of the revenues from the Crown Estate's marine activities. The share available in the Highlands & Islands will reflect the money raised from the region's coastal waters.

The initiative is designed to support the economic development of coastal communities and will support a wide range of projects, including those that support charities, the environment, education and health. Examples could include support for developing renewable energy, improving skills or environmental safeguarding or improvement.

The fund will be linked to the revenues that are raised by the Crown Estate's marine activities each year in each part of the UK's coastal waters. In April 2012 there will be £1.85 million available to coastal communities in the Highlands & Islands. This is expected to rise significantly in the years ahead with the expansion of marine renewable energy.

The Big Lottery's Big Fund is expected to play a key role in distributing the funding.

Speaking on the Isle of Lewis, the Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander said:

"It is only right that our coastal communities are given the opportunity to get something back for what they put in. And, in particular, to reap the broader benefits from the investment that they have made to develop business and enterprise from our marine resources.

"Over a year ago, following the formation of the Coalition and my subsequent move to the Treasury, I was contacted by Jim Hunter, the former Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise who suggested that I could realise a longstanding ambition of our region - to capture for local people a worthwhile share of the Crown Estate Commission's revenues in the area.

"This was becoming a pressing issue because of the boost to the Crown Estate's income that will result from the expansion of offshore renewable technology in the waters around the Highlands and Islands.

"I look forward to seeing innovative bids from charities, businesses, social enterprises and local organisations, which will support the economic future of people right around our coastline."

ENDS

Notes for Editors
1. The Coastal Communities Fund is UK wide and will be worth 50 per cent of the gross revenues from the Crown Estate's marine activities.
2. Further details of how to apply will be announced shortly.
3. The definition of acoastal community, for the purposes of the Coastal Communities Fund, is defined as any coastal settlement within a local authority whose boundaries include UK foreshore, including local authorities whose boundaries only include estuarine foreshore.
4. The fund will be directly linked to the revenue raised in each country. In April 2012 the fund will be broken down as follows:

2010-11	Total CE Marine revenues in £m	50% of CE Marine revenues in £m
England	£36.4	£18.2
Scottish Highlands and Islands	£3.7	£1.85
Rest of Scotland	£4.1	£2.05
Wales	£2.3	£1.15
N. Ireland	£0.9	£0.45
TOTAL	£47.4	£23.7

Mr Alexander has been a longstanding campaigner against unfair surcharges, which harm both consumers and businesses in the area. Additional charges are often concealed by misleading advertising, but in several recent cases which the MP has drawn to their attention, Trading Standards Officers in the Highlands have been able to take enforcement action.

After the meeting, Mr Alexander said:

"It's important that local people know their rights when they are ordering things online, over the telephone or via the post. When consumers feel the information given to them about delivery charges is misleading, it is well worth asking Trading Standards to get involved.

"By complaining directly to companies themselves and by voting with our feet whenever there is an alternative, we can start to make a real difference. Consumer power has already forced some big firms – like Asda, BHS and Avon – to stop surcharging their customers in the Highlands. Wherever false or misleading advertising is part of the problem, Trading Standards will investigate and, when necessary, take action to enforce the law.

"It was good to have the opportunity today to say ‘thank you' to Trading Standards officers for the excellent work they do protecting local consumers and ensuring high standards for local people and visitors alike. I remain very keen to hear from individuals and businesses about specific cases they experience so we can build the clearest possible picture of the problems."

ENDS

Archaeological excavation is currently underway on the site of the campus and it is anticipated that work to install key services will begin in September this year.

Commenting after the tour, Mr Alexander said:

"It is enormously encouraging to see preparatory work happening on the site for what is an enormously important project for future of the Highlands.

"The well-deserved award of full university title to UHI in February has given the campus development fresh momentum. It will be exciting to see plans taking their final shape and coming to fruition over the next few years.

"The new University of the Highlands & Islands is already making a big contribution to our region's economy. The campus project at Beechwood represents the heart, but not the whole, of what there is to look forward to.

"Behind it all, the continuing growth of our own university means that young people in the Highlands no longer have to go south to study for a degree. As a result, their energy, ideas and ability will not be lost to our area. As well as offering many local people the chance to learn close to home, others will come north to Inverness and the other UHI institutions to take advantage of all our region has to offer."

ENDS

The government announced in the budget its decision to cut fuel duty by 1p and reverse the 5p rise that the previous Labour government had planned for April.

Following the visit Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey MP Danny Alexander said:

"It was great to have an opportunity to discuss the decision we took to cancel the planned fuel duty rise, introduce a fuel duty stabiliser and cut fuel duty by 1p.

All in all this will be a saving of 6p per litre at the pumps for people across the country. From the comments I have had from local people, this relief is very welcome in the Highlands.

"It is fair and right that the oil companies should be asked to to pay an additional share of the extra profits they are making from the high oil price to help families and businesses.

"Every penny costs courier firms like AJG Parcels thousands of pounds and I was pleased to hear that AJG are looking to pass this saving onto their staff."

Christine Jardine added:

"Every day I hear local people raise their concerns about the cost of fuel and the difficulties they have faced as a result of the rising cost.

"I am delighted that action has now been taken to help, not only by reducing fuel duty but by cancelling the duty escalator that would have seen prices rise beyond what many could manage. By working hard to make this happen, Danny has delivered another real benefit to the Highlands.

"People in the Highlands already face the triple whammy of higher fuel costs, longer distances and little or no alternative and action like this will certainly help those already struggling."