Views
Making Ground on Harbour Development - for The Inverness Courier
TAVISH Scott was in Inverness last week to see the plans for redevelopment at the harbour.
It was a good opportunity to discuss the progress being made with the Harbour Trust, and for them to tell the minister what they are hoping to achieve.
If the port function can be enhanced while also massively expanding the facilities for yachts and regenerating surrounding land, that can only be a good thing for the city.
It can be another help in getting freight off the roads - reducing congestion on major routes to the Highlands and cutting the environmental costs of moving bulky goods around the country.
Certainly the harbour seemed to be busy on Friday and I am told that exports from Inverness are now being taken as far as Turkey. Like many others, I will continue to follow the plans with interest.
Post offices and TV licences
Earlier in the week in Parliament, I had the opportunity to question the new ministers who have taken on responsibility for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) after Tony Blair's dramatic reshuffle.
The DTI has responsibility for the Post Office network across the UK, and so there were hopes that a change of personnel might bring a fresh approach to this crucial issue for the Highlands.
Sadly, those hopes were short-lived. I asked the minister what discussions the Government had had with the BBC ahead of the decision to end the contract to supply TV licences in Post Office branches. The answer was "none" - it's the responsibility of the BBC.
Trying a different tack, I asked what assessment had been made of the impact which the loss of the contract would have on the Post Office network. That, the minister tells me, is an "operational matter" for the Post Office.
All of this reveals the Government's ongoing indifference to this issue, despite the quite legitimate concerns of the public, and of MPs from all parties.
Their policies - on support for remote branches, on TV licences and on the future of the Post Office Card Account - are working together to make a dramatic round of closures inevitable.
Last year, 1352 Post Office branches closed, almost 100 more than the previous year, and four times as many as in the year before that. If the Government doesn't intervene soon, that trend will continue and fears of losing two thirds of all branches could become a reality in just a few years' time.
Pensions reform plans proceeding
On a more consensual note, the Government's proposals for the pension system are expected to be published this week, and there is hope that all parties will be able to cooperate to make sure we get the right system in place for our generation, and for generations to come.
Next Saturday, Charles Kennedy and I will be holding an open consultation at the Netley Centre, Highland Hospice in Inverness to give local people the chance to have their say. Courier readers would be very welcome to attend between 11:30am and 1pm If you can't come along, why not write to me at 1a Montague Row, Inverness IV3 5DX, or drop in to one of my regular surgeries.
Posted on: 23/05/2006
