Gavin Strang meets Christian Aid climate change campaigners

Speaking at a Christian Aid Climate Change Coffee Morning in St James’ Parish Church Hall, Rosefield Place, Portobello this morning, Gavin Strang MP said:

‘The inclusion of a Climate Change Bill in last November’s Queen’s Speech marked a success for the environmental movement. I was one of a large number of MPs who signed Early Day Motions calling for such a Bill, and wrote urging Ministers to include a climate change bill in the Queen’s Speech.

‘The Bill will cap greenhouse gas emissions and will introduce a legally binding system of carbon budgeting.

‘The Bill will also require the Government to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050. This target will be legally binding.

‘Many now take the view that 60% is not enough and that the long-term target should be 80%.

‘That is why the Prime Minister has announced that the new independent Committee on Climate Change will be asked as its first task to advise whether the 2050 target should be increased to 80 per cent.

‘Climate change is with us, it is real, and it has the potential to deliver great harm across our planet.

‘The Stern Review has shown that we can move to a low carbon economy without adversely affecting our employment prospects and living standards.

‘I welcome the steps that the Government has taken to address greenhouse gas emissions, at home and within the international community.

‘It is clear, though, that we must do more, and that the UK must respond more urgently to climate change.’

Festival of Water in Joppa - Gavin Strang calls for world-wide access to water

Gavin Strang MP will this morning open the Festival of Water organised by the Portobello and District Council of Churches Peace and Justice Group, in St Philip’s Church Hall, Joppa.

Extracts from Gavin Strang’s opening speech follow:-

Over one billion people in the world still lack safe water to drink. Five thousand children die every single day from dirty water and inadequate sanitation. It is believed that at any one time, half the population of developing countries are suffering from water-related illnesses.

The Government announced at the end of last year that it had decided to recognise the human right to water. This was in response to the UN Human Development Report on Water and Sanitation which was published in November.

International Development Secretary Hilary Benn has recognised that there is a massive challenge here. The UK is doubling its support in Africa to £95 million a year by 2008, with the intention of doubling it again by 2011. The Government has called on EU countries to increase the level of their water funding through a reformed EU Water Facility backed by the European Development Fund.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goal committed the world to global action to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation by 2015.

Progress is being made, indeed the Department for International Development (DfID) reckon that the world is on track to meeting the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water. The share of people using drinking water from improved sources has continued to rise in the world. It reached 83% in 2004, up from 78% in 1990.

But some parts of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, will not meet the target. We need to ensure that DfID spending on water and sanitation continues to rise. Water and sanitation is absolutely basic to human health, poverty reduction and economic development.

I congratulate the organisers of this event. I am privileged to be invited to open it, and pledge to do what I can as an Edinburgh MP to secure real advances in the supply of clean water throughout the developing world for people living in rural and urban areas.

Energy Policy

The landscape of energy policy has changed unrecognisably in the last thirty years. A near-universal consensus has been established that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is contributing to climate change. In addition, we still have significant fossil fuel reserves, but the fact that those reserves are finite must be reflected in our medium to longer term strategy.

An energy policy fit for the UK in the 21st century must have at its core two central objectives.
· To reduce the impact on the environment of energy use - by improving energy efficiency and using cleaner sources of energy. The UK made progress reducing CO2 emissions between 1992 and 2002 - largely because of the move away from coal towards gas in electricity generation. But emissions have been rising since 2003. Reducing CO2 emissions is not just a medium to long term priority - it is now an urgent short term priority.
· To ensure a secure supply of affordable energy. While energy prices may well have to rise, prices that crush our economy will not be politically acceptable, and leaving vulnerable people victim to fuel poverty will not be morally acceptable.

Meeting these objectives will require changes in both the demand and supply of energy in the UK

Demand

The drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions must be a global effort, but industrialised countries like the UK must accept their responsibilities. The UK has no greater entitlement than the people of countries like China, India or Brazil to pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. These countries have far lower wealth per head and produce far lower greenhouse gas emissions per head, and of course we want their economic growth to be as sustainable as possible. But the UK cannot continue with our current level of demand for the earth’s finite resources, and simply look to the people of the emerging economies to restrain their demand in order for the world to make progress on climate change.

We must therefore recognise that we in the UK need to act to reduce our energy demands - domestic and industrial - and become a less energy-intense economy. This has implications across the board - for example transport, including aviation, is a large and growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and we cannot continue the current disproportionate use of fossil fuels to heat our homes. Steps have been taken to improve energy efficiency, such as grants for home insulation. However there is no doubt that action to date has not been adequate. We in the UK cannot continue to be energy guzzlers. Rapid progress must be made, both in terms of incentives - for example grants for home improvements - and regulations - for example on building standards. Germany - with its programme to improve energy standards in older houses - is a good example. We cannot get there overnight but it is the direction in which we should be heading.

Supply

The energy that we do use must come from increasingly clean sources - in terms of both greenhouse gases and other environmentally damaging effects.

The potential for renewable energy in the UK is very great, but has yet to be properly exploited. We have a target of 10% of electricity being from renewable sources by 2010. The target had to be set low, because the UK was starting from a very low baseline, but compared to achievements elsewhere in the developed world, that target is very low indeed. However, there are now serious doubts over whether the UK will even meet the 10% by 2010 target. We need to do far more to promote progress in renewable energy sources, such as wind, wave and solar power.

Perhaps too much of the discussion that has accompanied the Government’s Energy Review has focussed on whether we replace our decommissioned nuclear power stations

I am not convinced that it is wise to go down the road of building nuclear power stations in this country.

Firstly, new nuclear power stations cannot meet our urgent requirements. We need to address our greenhouse gas emissions now, and we need to address supply now - in the next ten years, 15-20Giga-Wattes of electricity generating plant is likely to be decommissioned. New nuclear power stations will not be built in time to fill that gap - it takes a long time to plan and get operational a new nuclear power station, even with a streamlined planning system.

Secondly, nuclear power has certain consequences that are highly negative. The problems of disposal of nuclear waste have still not been solved, the effects of an accident or terrorist attack at a nuclear power station are unimaginable, and proliferation of nuclear power makes efforts to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons all the more difficult. I do not believe that we need to accept those consequences.

I cannot rule out that there are places in the world where nuclear power may become appropriate, but I do not think that we need nuclear power on these islands. I believe that we can accommodate the phasing out of the old nuclear power stations without building a new generation.

Gavin Strang MP and Usdaw United give verbal abuse a red card

Gavin Strang MP is supporting shopworkers, who have come together as Usdaw United Against Abuse to give a red card to verbal abuse after a new survey found a staggering 95% of retail staff have been verbally abused by customers.

The Usdaw United Against Abuse teams across the UK will be handing out red cards on national Respect for Shopworkers Day – Wednesday 12 July - reminding shoppers that verbally abuse is a form of intimidation suffered by millions of retail workers every year.

Gavin Strang MP said, “I was shocked to hear Usdaw’s research, which found that at least one million shopworkers are verbally abused every working day.

“Most shoppers would never think of physically assaulting a shopworker, but many seem to think it is alright to shout, scream and hurl abuse into the faces of retail staff.”

Usdaw’s General Secretary, John Hannett said, “Last year verbal abuse of shop staff shot up by an alarming 35%. Our members are saying enough is enough and they will no longer tolerate vile abuse as part of their daily working lives.

“Football referees can use a red card against players who verbally abuse them so our members will be using an Usdaw red card to spread the message that abusing staff is unacceptable.

“Our members can suffer a terrifying catalogue of physical abuse from being stabbed, hit with iron bars and being threatened with dirty syringes, but vicious verbal abuse day after day can be psychologically damaging, resulting in many shopworkers quitting their jobs.”

Usdaw members report that serious instances of graphic swearing, sexist comments, homophobic abuse and racist taunts from out of control shoppers are rising sharply.

Gavin Strang MP said, “The message is simple. Staff are not verbal punchbags for shoppers to take out their frustrations on.

“They are human beings with feelings and have a right to work in a non-threatening environment. Shoppers need to remember shopworkers are someone’s mother, father, brother or sister and you wouldn’t abuse your own relatives like this.

“The red card is a final reminder to shoppers that they if they feel themselves losing control in a shop to take a step back and understand that no situation in a shop, no matter how stressful, gives you the right to verbally abuse a retail worker.”

Minister tells MP voters will keep ballot box rights – good for democracy says Gavin Strang

Gavin Strang MP has been told by Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) Minister, Bridget Prentice MP, that voters will keep the right to vote at polling stations.

All-postal ballots have been under active consideration by the Government as a way of improving voter participation. Pilot all-postal ballots have been held, with no option of voting in person at a ballot box, and in December 2004 the Government reaffirmed its support for keeping open the option of all-postal voting at UK statutory elections.

Gavin Strang raised the matter in the House of Commons last month, asking the Minister ‘Does she accept that the right of each individual to go to the polling station on his or her own and cast his or her vote in complete secrecy is sacrosanct to our electoral process? While still keen to encourage the opportunity to vote by post, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Bridget Prentice MP, replied ‘However, many people like the idea of going to the polling station, standing in the polling booth and using the little stubby pencil to cast their vote appropriately, so we will, of course, ensure that they will still have the opportunity to do so’. (Hansard 9 May column 162)

Gavin Strang wrote to Bridget Prentice for confirmation of the Government’s position, and the Minister has now replied. In her letter to Gavin Strang, Bridget Prentice confirms there are no plans to impose all-postal voting, and that voters will keep the right to cast their vote in person at a polling station.

Speaking in Westminster today Gavin Strang, MP for Edinburgh East, said

‘I am delighted that Bridget Prentice has confirmed what she told me in the House of Commons. The Government believes that individuals should always have the right to go to a polling station to vote.

‘There are many good reasons why we should retain the historic right to go to the polling station to cast our vote in person.

‘Not only can postal voting increase the risk of fraud, we must also recognise that compulsory postal voting could make it harder for people to vote as they wish. I have always been concerned about families where one member is particularly dominant. It would be too easy for that dominant individual to make it difficult for other household members to cast different votes.

‘Now it is clear that postal voting will not be imposed, and that people will still be able to vote in person, in secret, at a polling station. I believe that this is good news for democracy.’

Notes for editors

Local authorities in England and Wales retain the option to apply to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs to hold an all-postal ballot, but provision must be made for people to vote in person at a ballot box. In Scotland, the form of local elections is a matter for the Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament, and the conduct of elections for the Scottish Parliament is a matter for the UK Government and the Westminster Parliament.

Gavin Strang MP supports Carers Week call for health checks

Gavin Strang, MP for Edinburgh East has applauded the launch of a new campaign ‘Carers want health checks!’ which has been unveiled as part of this year’s Carers Week (12-18 June).

Almost one in eight people provide unpaid help and support to a relative or friend who is either frail, sick or disabled.

Over 5,600 carers took part in a major national survey which reveals that more than three quarters (79%) say that their health has been affected by caring, with stress and depression being amongst the most common complaints. Almost as many (71%) say that health problems affect their ability to care.

Acting on the results of this study – the largest ever in the UK - the eight national charities that make up the Carers Week partnership are calling on the NHS to introduce regular health checks within 12 months of someone becoming a carer, and regularly thereafter.

Together with over 240 other MPs, Gavin Strang has signed a parliamentary Early Day Motion, supporting carers and Carers Week (EDM 2043).

Gavin Strang MP said:

‘I am pleased to have this opportunity to show my support for carers and Carers Week. There are many people in our local community that give their time selflessly to care for others, and it is important that we recognise their health needs. Offering regular health checks is one way we can do this.

‘It is striking that so many carers say their health has been affected by caring.

‘I urge carers not to neglect themselves, but instead ensure they use the services available to them and look after their own health, as well as the person they care for.’

Trident and the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Speaking Edinburgh University Labour Club at Teviot Row House, Potterrow, at 1pm today, Gavin Strang MP said:

‘I assume that virtually nobody in this audience is old enough to remember the Cold War, and it is perhaps hard for the current generation of students to understand that my generation were living under a constant threat of nuclear annihilation.

‘I was a student here at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and there was a real sense of foreboding. At that time the prospect of 15, 20 or 25 nations acquiring nuclear weapons - and still more wanting to join them - was all too real. And clearly, the more states that have nuclear weapons, the more likely it is that a nuclear weapon would be used - with awful consequences.

‘It was in this climate that the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was agreed - a deal between those states with nuclear weapons and those without. Non-nuclear states promise not to obtain nuclear weapons, in return for which the nuclear weapons states give them the commitment to disarm, and assistance with the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

‘The NPT is central to the world’s defences against nuclear proliferation. Without the NPT the world would have become a much more dangerous place much sooner.

‘But technology and the international climate evolve and change - and so must the NPT if it is to continue to protect us.

‘In the last five years, Libya and North Korea announced secret nuclear weapons programmes, North Korea claimed that it had manufactured nuclear arms, the International Atomic Energy Agency found undeclared uranium enrichment activity in Iran, and the AQ Khan trafficking network was exposed.

‘There is universal agreement that the NPT must be strengthened to reflect the political, logistical and technical challenges of our times.

‘There were two key opportunities this year - the 5-yearly NPT review conference in May and the Millenium Review Summit in September - but the talks failed. The world ‘allowed posturing to get in the way of results’, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan put it.

‘As I have said, the NPT is a deal between those states with nuclear weapons and those without - and the non-nuclear weapons states rightly resent the lack of disarmament by those of us with nuclear weapons.

‘As a nuclear weapons state, Britain has a duty to meet our own side of the NPT deal. Trident is Britain’s nuclear weapons system, and will be operational until 2024. Because of the long lead time between deciding to build a system and it becoming operational - Trident took 14 years - the British Government has said that it will take the decision on replacing Trident in the course of this Parliament.

‘It is clear to me that a decision to replace Trident would further undermine Britain’s case for stronger non-proliferation measures, and would be seen as yet more evidence that those countries who had nuclear weapons at the start of the NPT are not prepared to deliver on our side of the bargain.’

The world needs the USA to join climate change action - Gavin Strang

Gavin Strang MP addressed a conference on climate Change held from 2pm on Sunday 6 March 2005, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

Excerpts from Gavin Strang’s speech follow:

‘There is no challenge facing the world today more important than climate change.

‘Whatever next steps we take, the question will be what to do about America. The world’s largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, the United States pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol shortly after President Bush was first elected.

‘Isolating the US in the hope that it will re-engage in international dialogue is not a credible strategy. However, the Prime Minister has said that if America wants the rest of the world to be part of the agenda that it has set, then America must be part of the rest of the world’s agenda too.

‘Concerns about the economic impact of measures to address climate change are understandable. However, the link between greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth are more complicated than many would think.

‘Britain’s view is that tackling climate change does not need to jeopardise economic growth. Extensive economic modelling has demonstrated that if the UK acts with other industrialised countries, the cost of making a 60% cut in our CO2 emissions by 2050 could be only 0.5-2% of our GDP. This is an annual average of between only 0.01 and 0.02%. And the costs of doing nothing could be enormous.

‘The UK has unprecedented opportunities for international action in 2005. This country is president of the G8 this year, and of the EU in the second half of the year, and the UK has pledged to use both of these presidencies to address climate change.

‘The G8 accounts for over 65% of global GDP and 47% of global CO2 emissions - and crucially, the G8 includes the United States of America. So action by the G8 could have a real impact.

‘The UK’s Presidency of the G8 will aim to secure definitive agreement once and for all on the science and the urgent need to tackle climate change. There is international consensus that climate change is with us, and most are now convinced that man-made climate change is with us.

‘The British Government and I believe the vast majority of the people of these islands are convinced of the need and desirability of decisive action to tackle climate change.’

Time to get Musselburgh Parkway station back on strack says Gavin Strang

Gavin Strang MP will hold a public meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 18 March at Lady Loretto School, Newbigging, Musselburgh as part of Labour’s Big Conversation.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Gavin Strang said:

‘Improved transport links in the greater Edinburgh area are vital for continued economic growth. Greater investment in the railway infrastructure is crucial if we are to have a modern transport system making it easier for people and goods to travel speedily to their destination.

‘As a staunch supporter of a Musselburgh Parkway station, the last few years have been a rollercoaster ride.

‘The Parkway station was part of GNER’s bid for the East Coast Mainline franchise. However that franchise competition was abandoned in 2001.

‘Then last February the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced that it no longer supported the case for a parkway station. GNER then said that it could not lead such a large infrastructure development.

‘But the story has moved on.

‘At the end of January the SRA advertised the new East Coast Mainline franchise to bidders. The new franchise, planned to start in April 2005, is expected to be for 7 to 10 years.

‘The franchising process provides a new opportunity to step up the campaign for a Musselburgh parkway station.

‘A Parkway station at Musselburgh would be great news. Rail would be more attractive than the car for commuters, and the train would be more convenient than the plane for longer distance travellers.

‘The local economy would benefit from improved transport links for business to Edinburgh or out into East Lothian. Our environment would also benefit, as fewer people would choose to drive or take the plane.

‘The near certainty that Queen Margaret University College will be transferring to its new campus around 2007 makes the case for a Parkway station at Musselburgh stronger than ever.

‘Everyone must get on board - the Government, the SRA, the successful bidder for the franchise, the local authority and the Scottish Executive. It’s time to get Musselburgh Parkway back on track.’

Gavin Strang MP backs Control Arms campaign

Oxfam in Scotland has welcomed the decision of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP, Gavin Strang, to join the Control Arms campaign. The global campaign, organised by Oxfam and Amnesty International, calls for tighter controls on the arms trade through an International Arms Trade Treaty.

The petition already has the support of many tens of thousands of people throughout the world including MSPs, Scots celebrities, John Hannah and Daniela Nardini, and Dunblane parent and anti-gun campaigner Mick North.

Local people who want to find out more about the issue, or who want to join the campaign should visit www.controlarms.org or phone 0845 900 5678.

Supporting the campaign Gavin Strang MP said:

“I have written to Foreign Office Ministers about this important issue. Baroness Symons replied that the Government ‘are supportive in principle of any measure which brings other arms exporters’ practices into line with our own.’

“I have also signed Early Day Motion 109 calling for a legally-binding International Arms Trade Treaty.”

Musselburgh resident and Oxfam spokesman, Malcolm Fleming, added:

“Oxfam welcomes Gavin Strang’s support for an Arms Trade Treaty. The arms trade is out of control. One person is killed every minute by arms. It is a global problem with horrific local consequences – and it is poor people who suffer the most.

“An international Arms Trade Treaty is desperately needed to stop the flow of arms to those who use them illegally and to help make all our societies safer. The people of Edinburgh East and Musselburgh can make a real difference by getting behind the campaign and adding their voice to the global call to control arms.”

For further information or to arrange interviews with Oxfam representatives please contact Malcolm Fleming, Media Co-ordinator for Oxfam in Scotland on 0771 891 8346.

Rail Policy - article by Gavin Strang for Campaign Group News

The review of our railways announced by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling last month is welcome. If passengers are to see the improvements that they rightly expect, Ministers must be prepared to be bold and to take fully on board the extent to which the present structure has been discredited.

Our railways have seen a tumultuous decade. Many thought that when John Major took over, rail privatisation - ‘the poll tax on wheels’ as the late Conservative MP Robert Adley christened it - would be ditched. But as a sop to his right wing, John Major proceeded with the sell off. On April Fool’s day 1994, the fragmentation of British Rail began, and by the time of the General Election in 1997, our rail industry had been shattered into over one hundred parts.

Rail privatisation being largely complete, Labour’s 1997 General Election manifesto committed the incoming government not to renationalisation but to endeavouring to make the privatised railways work - ‘to improve the situation as we find it, not as we wish it to be’ - by way of regulatory reforms and a new strategic rail authority.

The news about our railways in the subsequent years is not all bad. Billions of pounds are going into the rail industry every year - total investment in the railways has trebled since the days of the last Tory Government, and the taxpayer is providing £33bn over 10 years. For rail passengers there are 1,500 more services every weekday than in 1997 - and for domestic freight operators, grants were more than trebled.

But there are serious problems on our railways that need to be resolved urgently. The rail infrastructure was poorly managed, maintained and funded by Railtrack. Unit costs soared, leaving poor value for passengers’ and taxpayers’ money. The Hatfield accident in 2000 showed the bad condition of much of our rail infrastructure, and the Rail Regulator has recently announced that it will take until 2008-9 before we see rail service standards back at pre-Hatfield levels.

I have long been of the view that the optimum structure would be an entirely re-integrated rail network, with track and train under the same management. There now appears to be a growing number of commentators who have concluded that decisions about the track should be taken by the people who are responsible for the train services that run on it. As an aside, I have also made clear my view that the railway would be best held in public ownership - however, this policy option has been ruled out in the current review.

There would be a strong case for reflecting the reintegration of our railways at government level - bringing the responsibilities of the Strategic Rail Authority back into the Department for Transport. Of course, there is no question of Ministers running the railways - that did not happen with British Rail - but policy and overall investment should be properly accountable to Ministers and thus to Parliament.

Nowhere is the argument for the re-unification of the railway stronger than in the field of safety. I believe that in the long term a unified structure would be best placed to uphold and improve safety standards on the railways - it has to be preferable from a safety standpoint for the same organisation to be running the trains as is running the signalling and maintaining the track.

Alistair Darling’s review will include the regulation of safety regulation, and there has been speculation that the Government will advocate merging safety with other regulatory responsibilities - for example, passing the safety responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive over to the Rail Regulator. This would be wrong. Wherever responsibility for rail safety lies, it must be with a regulator who is dedicated solely to the complex safety issues on our railways -not with a regulator who has to balance safety with other responsibilities.

Britain’s railways have had a ten year roller coaster ride. The Government is right to make this opportunity for a policy review - but the government would be wrong to put unnecessary constraints on what the review can achieve.

New Year Message from Gavin Strang for The Musselburgh News

As I look back over the old year, I can see no event at Westminster more significant than the vote in March to launch military action in Iraq.

As some readers may recall, I deeply regretted that decision.

War means injury and death for civilians and military personnel, and so can only be justified when all other options have failed. It was my view that we had not reached that point when we went to war - the weapons inspectors had been in Iraq for just sixteen weeks, and some real progress in disarmament had been made.

I was also very concerned that war would have a destabilising effect on the fragile situation in the Middle East, and would gravely damage the campaign against international terrorism.

Many of the atrocities that have occurred in Iraq in recent months suggest to me that the presence of US and UK forces in Iraq is inflammatory. To bring stability to Iraq, it is my view that we should move towards replacing coalition troops with a UN force comprised of troops from other nations.

At this time of year our thoughts are with the men and women in our armed forces, and their families. We also remember the thousands of Iraqis, military and civilian, who have been killed since the start of military action.

On a brighter and more seasonal note, I am delighted to have this opportunity to wish all Musselburgh News readers all the very best for a very happy and peaceful New Year.

Panic fades but the epidemic goes on - an article by Gavin Strang in The Herald

HIV in Scotland - that was back in the 1980s wasn't it? "Don't die of ignorance" and Edinburgh shooting galleries of drug misusers come to mind - but we sorted that one out, didn't we?

Not quite. Anyone thinking that HIV is a thing of Scotland's past could not be more wrong. The panic of the 1980s may have faded, but HIV is still very much with us. That is why I initiated a debate in the House of Commons earlier this month - to highlight the ongoing epidemic and the need for action across the UK.

The prevalence of HIV in Scotland is higher than ever, and is set to continue increasing. Last year, Scotland saw 216 new cases diagnosed - more than in any year since 1986. Quite simply, people who have unprotected sex are at a greater risk of acquiring HIV than ever before.

Figures published by the Health Protection Agency this week show that the number of people living with HIV in the UK increased by almost one-fifth last year - to 49,500. One-third of these people have not yet been diagnosed.

Of course, a lot has changed since the early days. Back in the late eighties in Scotland, the average length of time between HIV diagnosis and death with Aids was just more than two years. Now, most people on highly active anti-retroviral therapy are living past the 10-year milestone, as research revealed last month. While resistance to drugs is a growing problem, the number of people who die with Aids in Scotland has fallen dramatically, from its peak of 115 in 1995 to 25 last year.

The course of the disease in Scotland has changed, too. The number of cases transmitted through intravenous drug use has massively declined - just 10 cases were diagnosed in Scotland last year, the lowest since records began. The most common way of acquiring HIV in Scotland is now through sex between men - the numbers have not declined, and even increased last year.

The number of people in Scotland newly diagnosed with HIV via heterosexual sex has risen dramatically in recent years - from 51 in 1996 to 120 last year. As has always been the case, most of Scotland's heterosexual cases were acquired abroad, but medical experts now expect a steady increase in cases acquired here.

Greater Glasgow overtook Lothian for the first time last year as the region with the highest number of new diagnoses. Of course, these figures can only record people who have been tested for HIV. Many people with HIV in Scotland have not yet been diagnosed. More than half the HIV-positive people screened anonymously at Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics last year had no idea they were carrying the virus - and may still have no idea.

So that is the situation out there. How have we responded? It is generally agreed that we did relatively well in the 1980s, but in the past few years it seems we have been distracted from the urgency of HIV prevention work.

We should be driving the numbers of infections acquired in Scotland right down. We know how HIV is transmitted, and we know how to prevent it. It is a tragedy that so many people still become infected with HIV here each year.

Two weeks ago, Malcolm Chisholm, the Scottish health minister, launched a consultation on proposals for a national sexual-health strategy, drawn up by an expert reference group. The consultation will be open until February, and then the Scottish Executive will bring forward a final strategy.

I will single out one point from the draft strategy for commendation. Funds to help prevent the spread of HIV have always been "ring-fenced" - to prevent the money being spent elsewhere. Last year the Westminster government removed the ring-fence from England's HIV prevention funds, to the dismay of people working in the field. Happily, the expert reference group recommends keeping the ring -fence on Scotland's money to prevent the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases.

Scotland's HIV epidemic has changed unrecognisably, but it has far from disappeared. The more people who engage in the development of the sexual-health strategy the better. They are needed to tackle the sexual-health challenges facing Scotland today.

Gavin Strang is MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh and was the architect of the Aids (Control) Act 1987.

The draft strategy, Enhancing Sexual Wellbeing in Scotland, can be viewed online at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications or ordered through the Stationery Office Bookshop, 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, 0870 606 55 66.

Iraq - comment by Gavin Strang for The Speaker

In a comment Gavin Strang said this week: ‘I deeply regret that military action has been started in Iraq at this time. I admire and support our armed forces now engaged in Iraq, and hope that their operations will be completed with minimal casualties on both sides.’

Iraq - comment by Gavin Strang for the Musselburgh News

'Nobody doubts that the Iraqi regime is guilty of atrocities. We have been reminded of the war between Iraq and Iran and the use of chemical weapons supplied by companies based in the West. Nor do we forget the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds in Northern Iraq. And it is true that the United Nations first addressed Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction in the immediate aftermath of the last gulf war 12 years ago.

'However, war means death and injury to military and civilians, and must always be the last resort after all other options have been exhausted.

'It is my view that the weapons inspection process set in place by UN Security Council Resolution 1441 last November remained an alternative to war that was far from exhausted. The weapons inspections were making progress, and should have been pursued until they concluded successfully or until it became clear that they could not work.

'For this reason I voted in the House of Commons for the amendment that the case for war against Iraq has not yet been established, and against the motion endorsing military action.

'I should make it clear, however, that I yield to no one in my admiration and support for British servicemen and servicewomen. I can only hope that the military action will be carried out with minimal casualties on all sides.'

Iraq - article by Gavin Strang for The Speaker

As I write the eyes of the world are on United Nations in New York. In a fast moving situation, we watch to see whether the international community can resolve the current crisis over Iraq.

War against Iraq must be the last resort. Military action on the scale envisaged would mean injury and death for civilians and military personnel, and further destruction to Iraq’s infrastructure. War would also have a destabilising effect on the fragile situation in the Middle East.

War can only be justified when all other options have failed, and it is my view that we have not reached that point. There is still an alternative to war that is far from exhausted, and that is the weapons inspection process set in place by UN Security Council Resolution 1441 last November.

The weapons inspectors have been in Iraq for just fifteen weeks, and some real progress in disarmament has been made. The weapons inspection process should be pursued until it is concluded successfully or until it becomes clear that it will not work.

That is why I voted with 198 other Members of Parliament in the House of Commons debate that the case for war had not yet been proved.

So what are the options before us today?

Obviously the best outcome is full Iraqi cooperation with weapons inspectors, and the peaceful dismantling of Iraq’s weapons programmes. That would be a victory for the UN, and for the stance taken by Tony Blair.

A second scenario is military action that is not backed by the UN. Now some may say that Resolution 1441 gives authority for war. But it was clear when that Resolution was agreed that neither France, China nor Russia considered that their support for that resolution meant that they automatically supported future military action. An attack on Iraq will only be seen by the world as authorised by the international community if there is a further resolution from the UN backing it.

Without a second resolution we can be confident that war in Iraq would be detrimental to the international coalition against terrorism that has been built since 11 September 2001. Some states now cooperating would reduce their involvement, and individuals would be discouraged from cooperating with police and security services to thwart terror attacks. Indeed a bloody war in Iraq could be a factor in encouraging more people to adopt a misguided and radical approach and support terrorist acts.

If military action is clearly endorsed by the UN then, while many people worldwide would resent the attack, the fact that it was explicitly authorised by the UN would reduce the scale of opposition. A second resolution would unequivocally demonstrate to Iraq and the wider world that any military action was based on international agreement and properly authorised by the only institution in the world which has the authority to do so - the United Nations.

Please follow this link to see Gavin Strang's speech in the Parliamentary debate on Iraq on 26 February 2003.

Musselburgh Parkway - Gavin Strang writes to SRA

Gavin Strang MP has written to Richard Bowker, Chair of the Strategic Rail Authority, putting the case for a Parkway station at Musselburgh.

Gavin Strang MP said today:

‘Last Thursday the Strategic Rail Authority published a Strategic Plan for Britain’s railways.

‘The Plan states that later this year the SRA will produce a strategy document setting out present plans and future options for the East Coast Mainline.

‘I have written to Richard Bowker putting the case for a Parkway station at Musselburgh, which would be good for the economy and the environment of this region.

‘I also put the case for improved track and signalling capacity at Waverley. The lack of capacity at Waverley is a major constraint on the expansion of rail services to and from Edinburgh.

‘Edinburgh and the Lothians need new investment in the rail infrastructure and improved rail services.’

Weapons Inspectors must be given time, says Gavin Strang MP

Gavin Strang MP told a meeting of East Edinburgh and Musselburgh Constituency Labour party in Portobello last night (Thursday) that it would be wrong to launch military action in Iraq before United Nations weapons inspectors had had time to do their work.

Extracts from Gavin Strang’s remarks follow:

‘Nobody doubts the dangers which an Iraqi regime with weapons of mass destruction could pose.

‘But military action must be the last resort - not least because of the damage it would do to the coalition against international terrorism

‘War would also mean injury and death for innocent civilians as well as military personnel.

‘The United Nations weapons inspectors are in Iraq to eliminate Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programmes.

‘The weapons inspectors have been in Iraq for two months, following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1441.

‘The weapons inspectors need more time than that to do their job in Iraq.

‘As UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said on Monday ‘I’m not saying forever, but they do need time to get their work done’.

‘It would be wrong to launch military action before the weapons inspectors have had the necessary time to do their work in Iraq.’

AIDS crisis will touch everyone - an article by Gavin Strang in the Edinburgh Evening News

This Thursday evening, an Edinburgh audience will hear the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa describe how a terrible epidemic is besieging a continent.

Presenting one of this season’s Edinburgh Lectures, Stephen Lewis will examine the links between AIDS, declining productivity and the growing famine in Southern Africa.

Africa’s AIDS crisis is Britain’s crisis too. We have a moral duty to act - we cannot stand by while millions of people die entirely preventable deaths. But it is also in our own self-interest to help combat AIDS worldwide.

The scale of the global epidemic is staggering. Forty two million people are living with HIV. Five million people get infected every year, including three quarters of a million babies born with HIV. Twenty five million people have died with AIDS, leaving 14 million orphans.

Cruelly, the crisis is at its worst in the developing world. In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy has plummeted from 62 to just 47 years - fifty years’ progress in raising life expectancy has been wiped out. . Thirty million Africans are living with HIV, most of them women. . In Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe more than one in three adults are HIV positive. The epidemic in Asia threatens to becomes the world’s largest.

And hopes that the epidemic would level off have been confounded. A report published this July by the Joint UN Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that the AIDS epidemic is still at its early stages.

AIDS is having devastating effects on the very fabric of these countries, corroding economic growth and social and political stability.

AIDS removes economically active people, as it tends to hit individuals at their most productive ages, blighting already fragile economies. The disease is also greatly damaging the public sector. Death rates among health workers and police forces may be so high that lost workers cannot be replaced. In some countries, AIDS is already killing teachers faster than they can be trained.

At the same time, over fourteen million people - nearly three times the population of Scotland - are at risk of starvation in Southern Africa. And HIV/AIDS is greatly exacerbating the growing famine. Seven million agricultural workers have died with AIDS. As farm workers die, villages are losing up to half of their agricultural productivity due to AIDS.

In addition, HIV/AIDS threatens national and international security. As Bill Clinton told the International AIDS Conference this summer, HIV poses a threat ‘not simply to our health but to our economic well being and to our very security. A hundred million AIDS cases means more terror, more mercenaries, more war, destruction and the failure of fragile democracies.’

The tide can be turned. Some nations have brought the epidemic under control and are reducing infections. Uganda’s rate of infection is down from 20% in the early 1990s to about 5% now. Cambodia, Thailand and Senegal have been praised for their HIV prevention work . And Chine has shown some success in reducing HIV/AIDS in high risk groups and in improving openness.

But there is so much that needs to be done.

We need a massive expansion of work to prevent the spread of HIV. Fewer than one in five people at risk have access to preventive services. Education is a proven weapon against HIV - but a UN report says the vast majority of the world’s young people have no idea how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, or how to protect themselves.

We also need to greatly improve the lives of people with HIV, through care and support initiatives. In Africa, HIV treatment reaches just one in every thousand people whose lives it could save. And people with HIV the world over suffer terrible stigma and discrimination.

The good news is that there is more money spent on AIDS than ever before - six times more in developing countries than in 1998. The UK alone invested over £200m in HIV/AIDS programmes last year, supporting programmes in more than 40 countries, and has committed $200m to the Global Fund to fight AIDS TB and Malaria.

But the bad news is that that is nowhere near enough. UNAIDS estimates that AIDS spending in low and middle income countries needs to rise to $10bn per year by 2005- three times its current level.

The insanity of the global AIDS crisis is that it was entirely avoidable. We know what causes AIDS, and we know how to prevent it. The flip side of this coin is that we can stop the crisis from getting worse. This July an international group of experts put together a blueprint for action that would prevent 29 million new cases of HIV by the end of the decade -almost two thirds of the predicted new infections. There is a real opportunity to prevent tens of millions of personal tragedies and to avert further national catastrophes.

Our duty to work urgently to combat AIDS is not just altruistic. Self-interest also dictates that we act.

Firstly, as I have mentioned, the scale of the AIDS crisis represents a real threat to international stability - and has been formally recognised as a potential risk to security by the United Nations Security Council.

Secondly, AIDS is wiping out decades of investment from Britain and other countries to help people in developing countries, undermining all the work that has been done to help those nations reduce poverty and conflict and improve education and health.

Thirdly, as new HIV diagnoses in the UK reach record levels, the global AIDS crisis is reflected in our own HIV epidemic. Nearly three quarters of new diagnoses in the UK of heterosexually transmitted HIV - 1926 people in 2001 - are among people who are from Africa or who lived there for many years. Nearly half of the people newly diagnosed with heterosexually transmitted HIV in Scotland in the last year were exposed to the virus in Africa.

AIDS is a human tragedy and an international emergency. We know how to prevent it. We must act to do so.

Gavin Strang is MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, and was the architect of the AIDS (Control) Act 1987.

Gavin Strang welcomes UK transport investment

Local MP Gavin Strang yesterday welcomed a major investment announcement in UK transport system from the Government.

Transport Minister Alisdair Darling announced that £5.5bn would be invested into the UK’s road, rail and bus infrastructure.

Concerns had been raised by environmental groups though, that an increase of investment in road building would lead to increase use of the motorway network instead of public transport such as rail.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday Gavin Strang asked:

'I recognise the point my right honourable friend made about the strategic road network carrying two thirds of our freight, but will he reaffirm the Government’s commitment to major investment in rail freight? Will he confirm that the Government will continue to invest and take all measures that they can to get freight off the road and on the railways?'

While Mr Darling responded that rail freight had increased 28% over the last five years Mr Strang, speaking this week, still has concerns.

'There is no doubt that this investment in UK transport infrastructure is to be welcomed, but I will continue to pursue the issue of increased capacity on the UK rail network. I still believe that rail provides an invaluable alternative to roads, for both passengers and freight, but investment is crucial.'

'The rail network in Edinburgh East and Musselburgh needs important investment if it is to increase its capacity still further. I will continue to press the Government and the Strategic Rail Authority on the issue of railk freight and issues such as the Musselburgh Parkway Station as a means of providing an integrated transport network for East Edinburgh and the Lothians.'

Iraq - the future of the United Nations is on the line

Speaking at a meeting of his Constituency Labour Party last night, Gavin Strang MP told local party members that the United Nations must deliver a resolution to the Iraq crisis.

Speaking in the Labour Rooms, Portobello, Gavin Strang said

‘The outcome of the current crisis over Iraq could make or break the United Nations.

‘For eleven years the United Nations Security Council has had resolutions banning Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction. And for eleven years Iraq has flouted those resolutions.

‘I am very pleased that the United Nations Security Council was able to agree Resolution 1441 earlier this month, and that weapons inspectors have now returned to Iraq.

‘Before the UN reached this agreement, it looked very likely that the United States would ignore the UN and opt for immediate unilateral military action. This could have had very dangerous implications for the Middle East, and for the coalition against international terrorism that has been pieced together since 11 September last year.

‘The reputation of the United Nations is now on the line.

‘If the United Nations Security Council can see this crisis through to the end - if Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programmes are completely dismantled - then the authority of the UN will be greatly enhanced.

‘But if Iraq is allowed to continue with its weapons programmes without an effective response from the international community, then the United Nations will have failed, and the reputation of the UN will be weakened for a generation.

‘The UN was created to deal with matters like Iraq, and the UN must deliver.’

Meeting with the SRA - local representatives put the case for a new Musselburgh Parkway Station

Representatives from Edinburgh and Musselburgh met with the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) last Tuesday, 5 November, to press the case for improved rail services for Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Gavin Strang MP, East Lothian Council Leader Cllr Norman Murray, and City of Edinburgh Council Executive Member for Transport Cllr Andrew Burns met with Chris Austin, Executive Director of the SRA and Mike Connelly, Stakeholder Relations Manager.

Speaking after the meeting Gavin Strang, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh said:

‘This meeting was a valuable opportunity to put the case for a Musselburgh Parkway Station.

‘We stressed to the SRA the growth of East Lothian, and the area’s ever stronger economic links with Edinburgh.

‘We set out how the Parkway Station would attract more passengers onto the region’s rail services.

‘The East Coast Mainline is in head-to-head competition with the airlines. In deciding whether to travel by air or rail, businesspeople are heavily influenced by the journey time. Locating a parkway station at Musselburgh would enable the railways to timetable the shortest possible journey time to London. Furthermore the transport links by road into the Parkway Station would be excellent. Motorists driving form the West side of the city would be driving out of congestion to the station.

‘The station would be good news for the rail industry, for passengers, for the environment and for the economy of our region.

‘In turn the Strategic Rail Authority described how a Musselburgh Parkway Station would have to be accompanied by work to improve the capacity of the infrastructure.

‘The meeting was extremely positive, successfully raising the profile of the proposals for the Parkway Station.

‘The Strategic Rail Authority promised to work with Network Rail and GNER to assess how best to respond to the proposals. Mr Austin undertook to report back to me when the SRA has done some further work on the matter.’

A new Musselburgh Parkway Station - meeting with the SRA

Representatives from Edinburgh and Musselburgh are to meet with the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) next Tuesday 5 November to press the case for improved rail services for Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Gavin Strang MP, East Lothian Council Leader Cllr Norman Murray, and City of Edinburgh Council Executive Member for Transport Cllr Andrew Burns will meet with Chris Austin, Executive Director of the SRA.

Gavin Strang, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh said today:

‘Scotland needs new investment in the track and improved rail services.

‘We will be meeting the Strategic Rail Authority to press the case for major enhancements to rail services for people in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

‘Here in East Lothian and Eastern Edinburgh we are especially interested in the new Musselburgh Parkway station promised by one of the bidders for the East Coast Mainline franchise.

‘A Musselburgh Parkway station should be a major benefit for people travelling to and from Edinburgh - including the growing number of commuters.

‘A Parkway station will also be terrific news for people travelling longer distances - to and from the South and Northern Scotland. People who live in Edinburgh’s suburbs and beyond currently have to travel to and from the city centre to use mainline services.

‘The local economy should benefit as there will be better access for business to the East of Edinburgh and East Lothian.

‘A Parkway station will also be good for our environment - it will cut the number of people who need to drive into Edinburgh, relieving congestion in the city. Plus the station will make rail far more attractive for people travelling long-distance, making them more likely to choose rail over road or air.

‘I am delighted to have this opportunity to put the case for a Musselburgh Parkway station to the Strategic Rail Authority.’

Iraq

Gavin Strang addressed a public meeting held in the Church Hall Bellfield Street. The text of his speech follows.

I am very pleased to have been asked to come here today. Nothing is more important than war and peace, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to discuss the crisis over Iraq with you.

Whatever else I say this evening, I want to make it clear now that I am sure we are all agreed that we must do all we can to avoid war in Iraq. We know what war means - civilians killed and injured as well as service personnel on both sides. We know the huge power of the US military machine - even when the forces try very hard to minimise civilian casualties, as we saw in Afghanistan, many innocent people are killed and injured.

There will be a range of views expressed tonight - and I think my view may differ from that of the other speaker - but I emphasise that we can all agree that military action would be a deeply regrettable development.

I think it might be helpful to look at a little history now, to establish how we got where we are today.

First let me take you back to 1945. When the United Nations was born in San Francisco in the aftermath of the second world war, it was in the hope that we could develop a world in which we did not go to war on the scale that we had in the past, and that we would rise to the terrible challenge of weapons of mass destruction.

Giving the Security Council the power to enforce the resolutions agreed by the community of nations was quite deliberate. The Security Council was to be the marshal, preventing conflict and restoring and keeping the peace.

Now let’s move forward 46 years, to January 1991 and to the matter in hand: Iraq.

In January 1991, Iraq had just withdrawn from Kuwait and the Gulf War had just ended. Some of you may remember that I opposed that war, as war must always be the last resort and I did not believe that alternative means had been given a chance to work.

The UN Security Council then agreed Resolution 687 which sets out the terms of the ceasefire. The Resolution imposed clear obligations on Iraq for the destruction of its weapons of mass destruction programmes.

The Resolution established a UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) to ensure the destruction of Iraq’s chemical, biological and ballistic missile capabilities, and charged the International Atomic Energy Agency with the destruction of Iraq’s nuclear capability. The Resolution also obliged Iraq to recognise the inviolability of its border with Kuwait and to return all Kuwaiti Prisoners of War.

When the terms of the ceasefire resolution were met, and not before, sanctions would be lifted - although subsequently the oil-for-food programme has allowed Iraq to sell unlimited amounts of its oil in order to buy food and medical supplies.

As you will be aware, Iraq violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement throughout the following decade. Just 7 months after the passing of the cease-fire resolution, Iraq was found by the UN to be in ‘material breach’ of its terms. Through the 1990s significant progress was made by the weapons inspectors, but unfortunately Iraq refused to cooperate fully with the inspections process. In November 1998 the Security Council passed a resolution condemning Iraq for "flagrant violation” of the ceasefire resolution and other relevant resolutions.

Then in December 1998 the US and UK launched Operation Desert Fox - four days of air strikes against suspected weapons of mass destruction infrastructure, Republican guard units and key command and control centres.

In the meantime, UNSCOM had become increasingly discredited among some Security Council members, and rumours of the involvement of US and Israeli intelligence abounded.

In December 1999 the Security Council passed Resolution 1284, disbanding UNSCOM and setting up UNMOVIC - the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission - and setting out a timetable for action and for the eventual lifting of sanctions should Iraq choose to cooperate.

Unfortunately the Iraqi regime chose not to comply with the resolution and effectively refused to cooperate with the UN Commission.

So what is the situation in Iraq at the present time? As you will all probably recall, the UK Government produced a dossier on the day of the emergency debate in the House of Commons last month - a debate which I spoke in. The dossier sets out the assessment of the UK intelligence agencies of Iraq’s activities since the UN teams left in 1998 - producing chemical and biological weapons, working to develop a nuclear weapon, and extending the range of its ballistic missiles.

How we get to the crisis of today?

There is no doubt in my mind that the atrocities of 11 September last year have been a factor in influencing the US position on Iraq. Not because there is any serious evidence of a link between Iraq and those terrible events, but because they mark a watershed in the thinking of the US leadership and probably of a significant proportion of the US population.

Those atrocities certainly triggered the far greater importance given to pre-emption in US military doctrine. Pre-emption means attacking a perceived threat before it can act against you, and it was given great prominence in the new US military strategy document published last month.

We have seen an escalation of tension throughout the last year. The situation is now a fast moving one. George W Bush has challenged the UN to resolve the situation, still threatening to deal with it unilaterally if the UN fails. And international pressure and the threat of military action have prompted Iraq to say that UN weapons inspections will be allowed to resume.

All eyes are now on New York, to see whether a Resolution can be found that can satisfy all sides at the UN Security Council.

So that’s 57 years of history. What should happen next?

In the emergency debate in the House of Commons last month, there was agreement right across the House that the best solution to this crisis would be the swift reintroduction of inspectors to Iraq and the total dismantling of Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes.

I should mention that I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister say in that debate that the purpose of UK policy is not regime change but disarmament. This is important. Regime change in Iraq is the explicit objective of the United States. I do not agree with this. While the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule may well be a good thing, I do not believe that it is legitimate for one state simply to decide that it is going to change the regime of another.

I was very disturbed over the summer by the apparent disregard of the United States for the international community and for the role of the UN. Some of the statements from Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney in particular provoked great concern.

I am particularly worried about the impact that a unilateral attack by the United States might have on the stability of the Middle East, and on the coalition against international terrorism that has been pieced together since 11 September last year.

That is why it is so important that the matter has been put to the UN. This is crucial, for if war is to be averted, it is through the UN that that will happen - through the strict implementation of UN resolutions. As I see it, this alone will keep the US from launching military action.

The UN was created to deal with matters like Iraq, and the UN must deliver. The challenge to the British Government is to do everything it can to help the UN resolve this crisis, through the effective enforcement of resolutions passed by the UN Security Council.

But if all else fails, what then? There was an overwhelming consensus in the debate last month certainly among Labour MPs that any use of force to achieve the objectives must be authorised by the United Nations Security Council.

But no-one in their right mind would want war. As I said earlier, war means dead and injured people - service people and civilians. And war could mean throwing a lighted match into the tinder-box that is the Middle East.

It remains my sincere hope that this situation will be resolved by the strict enforcement of UN resolutions, and without fresh military action against Iraq.

MoD’s Fire Services should not be privatised says Gavin Strang

Gavin Strang MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party TGWU Group, tonight addressed a meeting organised by the Transport and General Workers’ Union in the Gynn Room, Imperial Hotel, at the Labour Party Conference in Blackpool from 8pm.

Speaking in Blackpool tonight, Gavin Strang MP said:

‘Prime Minister Tony Blair made reference yesterday to World War Two. We all know about Britain’s finest hour, standing alone against Germany. But perhaps many people do not realise that our finest hour was not just the work of ‘The Few’ - those brave RAF pilots and crew. Our pilots could only do the job that they did because of the back-up they had on the ground.

‘I want to remind you of the extent to which the current Labour government has deployed forces since 1997. No-one could have predicted that our armed forces would have been involved in the many and diverse situations that they have been - including East Timor, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

‘Was there ever a time when our armed forces were conducting as many concurrent activities abroad as they are now? And if we are going to ask our armed services to risk their lives in the name of our country they must be supported - at home and abroad.

‘We have to ask ourselves - why is the Government looking at privatisation? Nobody believes that it is about recruiting better people who are more able at fighting fires. No, it is driven as all these privatisations are - by financial considerations.

‘I was involved in the fight against the privatisation of Air Traffic Control. The difference here is that every single Opposition Party in the House of Commons is officially opposed to the privatisation of the Defence Fire Services.’

Notes for editors

Iraq - United Nations must deliver says Gavin Strang

Speaking at a meeting of his local Constituency Labour Party last night, Gavin Strang MP told local party members that the Iraq crisis should be resolved internationally.

Speaking in the Labour Rooms, Portobello, Gavin Strang said

‘The majority of the British people are clearly concerned at the build-up towards a new military operation in Iraq. There is certainly a broad spectrum of opinion in the Parliamentary Labour Party and the Labour Party in the country which wants to see this matter resolved within the framework of the United Nations.

‘Particularly worrying is the impact that a unilateral attack by the United States might have on the stability of the Middle East, and on the coalition against international terrorism that has been pieced together since 11 September last year.

‘The House of Commons was at its best this week. Members of Parliament deal with nothing more important than war and peace.

‘There was agreement across the House that the best resolution to this crisis would be the swift reintroduction of inspectors to Iraq and the total dismantling of Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes.

‘We should all be concerned about Iraq’s programme to develop Weapons of Mass Destruction. There have been UN resolutions requiring the destruction of Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes since 1991, and Iraq has violated those resolutions time after time.

‘The focus is now on New York and the United Nations.

‘The situation is fast-moving. George W Bush has challenged the UN to resolve the situation, threatening to deal with it unilaterally if the UN fails. And international pressure and the threat of military action have prompted Iraq to say that UN weapons inspections will be allowed to resume.

‘The UN was created to deal with matters like Iraq, and the UN must deliver. The challenge to the British Government is to do everything it can to help the UN resolve this crisis, through the effective enforcement of resolutions s passed by the UN Security Council.

‘No-one in their right mind would want war. It remains my sincere hope that this situation will be resolved by the strict enforcement of UN resolutions, without the need to launch fresh military action against Iraq.'

Please follow this link to see Gavin Strang's speech in the Parliamentary debate on Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction on 24 September 2002.

Pie-in-sky policy not working - an article by Gavin Strang in the Edinburgh Evening News

Holiday-makers jetting off for some sunshine this summer should spare a thought for the air traffic controllers guiding their planes.

Because one year after it was privatised, all is not well at National Air Traffic Services (NATS).

In the last month alone the House of Commons Transport Select Committee has slammed the ‘cost-cutting and penny pinching mentality foisted on NATS’ by privatisation.. The National Audit Office has issued a warning about NATS’ crippling level of debt. And an internal briefing from NATS’ Chief Operating Officer has slammed air traffic control related delays as ‘dire’.

Staff numbers are being cut. NATS has announced that it plans to cut over one in five engineers - a reduction of almost 300. Cutting back on engineers just as NATS’ massive new centre at Swanwick is getting up and running must be a bad idea. And in a field like air traffic control, once engineering expertise is lost it is very difficult to build back up again. NATS also plans to reduce the number of air traffic service assistants by nearly 300 - almost one in four - a decision which the Transport Select Committee condemned as ‘incredible’.

Investment has been delayed. Supporters of the privatisation often argued that it would allow NATS to invest in its infrastructure with private money. But just three months after privatisation, NATS announced that the construction of the New Scottish Centre at Prestwick was to be delayed. And last month the Transport Select Committee warned that they think it ‘highly unlikely’ that NATS will meet the new intended completion date of 2009.

The investment problems may not stop at Prestwick. The National Audit Office has warned that ‘…there is still a risk that NATS will not be able to fund and deliver its investment plan.’

NATS has already needed millions of pounds of public money to bail it out of financial difficulties. The privatised NATS was left particularly exposed to world events, as the National Audit Office highlighted last month. NATS and the Civil Aviation Authority had warned that the extremely high level of debt that the privatised NATS was carrying would leave NATS vulnerable to adverse incidents. CAA chair, Roy NcNulty, has now said that NATS’ financial structure has ‘proved to be inappropriate’. And as the private shareholders of NATS are all major established airlines, they suffered severe financial problems at precisely the same time as NATS itself did.

So when the atrocities of 11 September caused a sudden decline in air traffic, steeply diminishing NATS’ income, NATS suffered much more than it needed to. Had the economic structure of air traffic control in this country been as it was before privatisation, I am convinced that NATS would have been much better able to weather the impact of 11 September.

The Keep Our Skies Safe group of MPs argued strongly for an injection of government money, even though we are opposed to the present framework of regulation and private ownership. The government went on to provide NATS with a £30million loan.

Morale is low, as reports of poor performance are splashed all over the media. Take a poll of international pilots and they will tell you that the UK’s air traffic system had a world record second to none. But its reputation is now suffering. There have been three major computer failures in the last six months. Ryanair has condemned the ‘serious decline in the service levels of NATS’ . JMC Airlines has said that NATS’ performance is ‘so abysmal that carriers who have other options are seeking to re-route to avoid NATS controlled airspace’. And Colin Chisholm, NATS Chief Operating Officer, has warned his staff that performance has been ‘truly awful’. All this at a time when traffic levels have been down.

Privatisation always was a bad idea. The control of air traffic entering our skies and traversing the length and breadth of these islands requires a monopoly provider - there is not the scope for competition as there was in some other privatisations. Nor is there much scope for NATS to improve its revenue by enhancing services, so the only way for the private sector owner of NATS to significantly improve the return on its capital is to cut costs - which raises safety concerns.

Privatisation endangers the excellent working relationship between the UK’s civil and military air traffic controllers, and threatens the seamless operation that we would need if there were a threat to our national security.

Privatisation is also a public relations disaster waiting to happen. The privatisation was unpopular before it happened - in an NOP poll, five times as many people opposed the sell-off than supported it. But in the future, if there is a serious incident, however irrelevant privatisation may be, it may prove impossible to disentangle privatisation from the disaster in the minds of commentators and public alike. This government would get the blame regardless.

So how do we get out of this mess?

Last month the House of Commons Transport Select Committee said that NATS privatisation should be reviewed ‘before it does terminal damage to the United Kingdom’s aviation industry and vital national interests’. The Committee is right.

My view is that our air traffic control is a public service and it should be brought back into the public sector, under public control. That is the way we make sure that safety is the overriding priority. The private sector is not an appropriate environment for an activity where there ought to be just one driving consideration: the safety and security of our skies.

NATS needs to invest for the long term, and it should be given the ability to do so. The Labour government has had the vision to give municipally-owned Manchester Airport the right to borrow on the private markets. Surely a publicly owned NATS would be allowed to do the same.

The government must make sure NATS has the infrastructure and personnel it needs as new technologies emerge. Otherwise NATS will be unable to play its part in European air traffic control in the future - bad news for our aviation industry and bad news for our economy.

The sooner National Air Traffic Services is brought back into the public sector, the better for all of us.

Congestion charging may be justified, but only in central area of Edinburgh

Gavin Strang MP has said he would support in principle congestion charging for the centre of Edinburgh, but that charging people to cross the outer city boundary would not be the best way forward.

Gavin Strang has written to Councillor Andrew Burns, City of Edinburgh Council Executive Member for Transport, in response to the Council’s consultation on congestion charging which closes today.

Speaking in Edinburgh, Gavin Strang MP said today:

‘I welcome the City of Edinburgh Council’s consultation on congestion charging, and support the Council’s determination to tackle our congestion problems and raise money for better public transport.

‘There are areas in Edinburgh that are blighted by congestion and where vehicle fumes are causing real public health issues.

‘The City of Edinburgh Council’s proposal to introduce a charge for driving into the city centre will help reduce future congestion and raise millions of pounds for public transport improvements, including a new tram network serving the North and West areas of the city.

‘However, I would be concerned about the impact of an outer-boundary charge on communities on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

‘Congestion is not generally a problem on the eastern outskirts of Edinburgh. Yet there are a large number of people who need to cross the outer area boundary frequently on local journeys – on business, to shops and to local services.

‘People from Musselburgh, Tranent, Prestonpans and elsewhere often need to cross the outer boundary in the course of their daily business. Likewise, people from areas like Portobello and Craigmillar often need to pop over the boundary and then return. The boundary between the communities of Joppa, Portobello, Newcraighall and Craigmillar in Edinburgh and Musselburgh in East Lothian has no natural or commercial basis. It is a local government boundary.

‘Charging people for using their streets can be justified where it will address a serious congestion problem and provide local public transport improvements.

‘I would support the Council in principle introducing a charge for driving into the city centre. It should reduce congestion, and the Council estimates that it will raise £900 million over 15 years for public transport improvements. But I am not persuaded that the time has come for congestion charging at the outskirts of the city.’

Our Post Office can still deliver - an article by Gavin Strang in the Edinburgh Evening News

THE postal service in Britain is one of the most essential public services in the country. It has provided the British public with more than 300 years of mail delivery services. We all use it, and I for one must admit that I can occasionally take it for granted.

Postal services play a key role in modern economic and social life, providing communications between individuals, business and government.

It is a service which the public values, has a proud tradition of high standards of service, and is a testament to the staff who provide it.

The recent announcement of job cuts, post office closures and restructuring is a mere symptom of the severe difficulties facing our postal services.

The only positive news recently was that Consignia will return to its former brand names of the Royal Mail and the Post Office - a debacle which has already cost the service more than £2 million.

In 2000, the Postal Services Act was passed. It was designed by the Government, at the behest of consumer representatives, the unions and the Royal Mail itself, to allow the Post Office greater commercial freedom in order to compete in a communications sector which was developing rapidly.

The Act also provided for the creation of an independent regulator, Postcomm, which, in 2001, became responsible for the independent regulation of the postal services market in the UK.

Postcomm’s primary statutory duty is to exercise its functions in a manner best calculated to ensure the provision of a universal postal service at an affordable and geographically uniform price.

Postcomm’s secondary duty is to exercise its functions in a manner that is best calculated to further the interests of postal users, wherever appropriate, by promoting effective competition.

The recent proposals released by Postcomm are threatening the end of the universal service throughout the country for a uniform price, and this would result in a failure in both its primary and secondary statutory duties.

THE Post Office, or Consignia, as it is now known, is in dire straits. It is losing more than £1m a day and examining drastic cost-cutting measures. It is failing to meet its delivery targets, and although generally public confidence in the service remains high, it is crucial that these problems are addressed.

For years, the Post Office was making a profit and only in the last two years has the service operated at a loss. During the 18 years of Conservative government, 90 per cent of the profits generated by the service were siphoned off into the Treasury, leaving a trail of under-investment behind. As electronic mail, the internet and private couriers entered the communications arena, the Post Office was ill-prepared to widen its range of services.

The crisis in our rail services has left Consignia’s fleet of mail trains in disarray, affecting reliability of service, and leaving the company short of its targets for first-class, next-day, mail delivery.

The current economic slowdown has led to a reduction in the volume of mail traffic. At the present time, it costs Consignia 28p to send a first class piece of mail, yet it only receives 27p.

The obvious answer is that to sustain a viable universal service, it should raise the price of a stamp by a penny, to cover the cost of delivering it. Consignia did apply to Postcomm to do this, yet the regulator in its wisdom said that this was unacceptable, and that Consignia must find other ways to reduce its costs.

So thousands of jobs are now at risk in Scotland as, bound by the regulator, and in difficult circumstances, Consignia struggles to maintain a public service that is crucial to the development and future of this country. More than 480 post offices have closed in the past year, and services are already suffering.

Consignia now proposes to close one in three urban post offices to stem its losses, and between 30 and 35 are expected to shut in Edinburgh alone.

If things were not bad enough, it is in this climate that Postcomm has proposed the introduction of competition into the postal services market.

In a three-phase process, the most lucrative areas of Consignia’s monopoly are to be opened to private competition within months.

Consignia cross-subsidises its monopoly so that profits made in lucrative areas are able to help sustain rural services to our most remote communities.

The Conservatives rejected the idea of a competition-driven postal market, as proposed by Michael Heseltine, due to their concern about public opinion and rural services. The National Audit Office, in its report Opening the Post (the risks and opportunities), highlighted the problems which would accompany any decision to open the postal service monopoly to competition in the current climate. It admitted that the introduction of competition could result in 'a breakdown in the delivery of a universal service at a uniform price'.

AT European level, the union Network International, which represents more than three million workers in the postal sector worldwide, is urging a re-think on liberalisation of European postal services, as it is not only in the UK that the universal service provision is at risk.

Is there any good news, you may ask? The announcement on March 15 that the consultation period for the Postcomm proposals would be extended was welcome news. This followed an early day motion and a debate in Westminster , when MPs on all sides raised concerns about the future of our postal network and appealed to Postcomm to give the public more time to respond to the document.

A further six weeks has been provided so that the public, individually and collectively, can raise their concerns with Postcomm.

The service provided by the Post Office is central to a stable economy and to consumers. The people of Edinburgh are well aware of the effect that the introduction of competition can have on our public services - we need look no further than the recent bus wars. Disruption to services, public confusion and dissatisfaction - we cannot allow the Post Office to become the next Railtrack or service levels to fall to those of the city’s bus service.

The provision of a morning delivery to every address in the country must be maintained and at a uniform price throughout the country.

Capital needs new age of the trains - an article by Gavin Strang in the Edinburgh Evening News

As Edinburgh grows and develops, we need new ways to tackle the transport challenges we face. Rail will be an important part of the answer.

Anyone who has driven across town during rush hour will know that Edinburgh has congestion to rival any city in the UK.

If we do not act, Edinburgh’s congestion will get much worse. Left alone, traffic in Edinburgh will increase by 30% by 2021.

That would be disastrous. Bad for our health as we breathe in more pollution, bad for our economy as it adds costs to business, and bad for us all held up in traffic as we try to go about our daily lives.

Transport policy-makers learned a big lesson in the last century: we cannot tackle congestion just by building new and bigger roads. We must instead improve public transport so more people can choose to leave their car at home.

Edinburgh is only a fraction of the size of London. But it is worth noting that 69% of people working in central London get there by rail. The proportion in Edinburgh is only 3%.

Edinburgh is a fast growing city. I believe we are at the stage of our development where the proportion of people travelling by train should rise significantly.

There is no doubt that rail is the best way to move large numbers of people into and around Edinburgh. Rail can get people from A to B directly, safely, comfortably and cleanly.

So what does the future hold?

In and around Edinburgh there are interesting plans afoot.

Edinburgh Council has secured funding for Phase 1 of Crossrail, providing from June cross-city services from a new park-and-ride station at Newcraighall through to West Lothian via a new station at Brunstane, Waverley, Haymarket and, from next year, Edinburgh Park.. There are also calls for Crossrail to extend into Midlothian and beyond.

We should also see a rail link to Edinburgh airport. Glasgow and Edinburgh are the two largest airports in the UK without rail links, making these cities less attractive for business visitors and for tourists. The Scottish Executive confirmed last week that a rail link will be developed.

Trams should be making a comeback too. Edinburgh Council is taking forward preparatory work on a tramline for North Edinburgh and will seek further funding from the Scottish Executive for preparatory work on a West Edinburgh tramline.

For the future, there are also proposals for the reopening of the South Suburban railway - currently used by freight - for passenger services.

Looking further afield, the bulk of rail services within Scotland are currently provided by ScotRail.

Last week the Scottish Executive announced that instead of extending ScotRail’s franchise when it expires in 2004, a new franchise will be awarded. The new franchise will be for 15 years, rather than the current 7 year term, allowing the successful bidder time and security to invest in rolling stock and infrastructure. From my postbag I am more than aware of the need for improvement.

In addition to the new franchise, development of Waverley Station has long been planned as pressure on the station has increased steeply. It was announced last week that work on Waverley Station should begin in 2004, and the plans have been altered to provide better facilities for services for the West of Scotland as well as to those for the East and South.

The Borders need a rail link to Edinburgh, and the campaign for the reopening of the line should be supported.

Last week Wendy Alexander gave the strongest backing yet to re-opening the Central Borders Rail Link, saying that the line is key to the development of Edinburgh as a financial centre, and that she wants to make it as easy to get from the Borders to Edinburgh as from Hertfordshire to London.

Scottish Borders Council has been awarded £1.9million towards obtaining the necessary Parliamentary permissions for reinstating the line. A bill is expected to be presented to the Scottish Parliament at the turn of the year, with work starting in 2005.

Looking North, the bus priority measures on the road from the Forth road bridge are a positive development, but we also need to get more people across the Forth by rail. The SRA is currently examining a scheme to allow two trains to run simultaneously in the same direction on the same line on the Forth bridge.

Northwards to Aberdeen and Inverness and southwards to York and London, rail services are currently provided by GNER. Investment in these lines is greatly needed.

Given airport congestion and the environmental benefits of the train, rail must be made attractive to people travelling between Edinburgh and London.

Investment in the East Coast Main Line is in the national interest, and it is also very much in Edinburgh’s interests as a major European centre. And out to the east of the city, plans for a Musselburgh Parkway Station would be a major boost for our transport infrastructure.

Last month at a meeting with myself and Norman Murray, Leader of East Lothian Council, Christopher Garnett, the head of GNER confirmed that the company still intends to go ahead with the Musselburgh Parkway Station.

A Musselburgh Parkway Station would be beneficial not only to the people on the East of the city - it would also relieve congestion in the centre of Edinburgh.

So that is what is on the cards for Edinburgh’s railway connections. I am sure that everyone who travels into and around Edinburgh will join me in urging decision takers to be bold - after decades of neglect and the nonsense of privatisation, our city needs better rail links and services.

Of course rail is not the only answer to Edinburgh’s transport questions. New links take time and money to develop, and in many parts of the city there are no plans for a rail link.

Decent rail services must be part of an integrated transport solution including a modern bus network and facilities for bikes, pedestrians and motor vehicles. But if we are serious about addressing Edinburgh’s transport problems, then we must be serious about a role for rail.

Keep First Past the Post for Scottish local elections - an article by Gavin Strang MP in Campaign Group News

The debate over electoral reform for local government in Scotland is gathering pace.

In 1999 Labour promised the Liberal Democrats, our coalition partners in Scotland, that a programme of change for local democracy would be brought forward including progress on electoral reform. The McIntosh Commission then recommended proportional representation (PR), and while the Kerley Working Group was unable to produce a unanimous report, the majority recommended a Single Transferable Vote (STV) system.

A White Paper is promised before Easter, and there will be a consultation within the Labour Party.

The advantages of First Past the Post (FPTP) for local government in Scotland are very clear to me.

Firstly, the constituency link - the bond between councillor and ward - is at its strongest under FPTP. Under the current single-councillor system in Scotland, each ward has one councillor, so every constituent can ascertain easily who is accountable to them and who they should go to with local issues. Under many PR systems there would be councillors who are not tied to any one ward, and under the STV system favoured by the majority of the Kerley Working Party, multi-member wards will be required. We have had multi-member wards in the past in Scotland, and they are the norm in much of England. It is my view that single member wards give a more clearcut accountability between councillors and their constituents.

Secondly - and importantly for Labour Party members - First Past the Post lends itself to local party involvement and influence. By and large, local party members select their local candidate. PR systems tend to entail a significant amount of central party influence - and our experience of central party involvement in candidate selection in Scotland has not been a happy one.

Thirdly, FPTP is simple, easily understood and delivers clear-cut results. If we want to enhance voters’ involvement in local elections, it is imperative that we keep the electoral system accessible. I do not see how using a system like STV, where the successful candidate may depend, for example, on the second choices of people who voted for the least popular candidate, will move us in the right direction.

Finally, First Past the Post is far better than PR systems at delivering a clear majority result - PR systems make hung councils far more likely. There are several reasons why I believe we should steer away from making hung councils the norm:

• Hung councils give third parties a disproportionate amount of power. An unpopular party can choose the nature of the administration by choosing which party to enter into coalition with. This reflects the wishes of very few of the electorate.
• It is harder for an electorate to vote an unpopular administration out of power. A coalition in a council can suffer quite substantial swings against it in an election, but still remain in power.

• If a party gains a majority in a council at an election, it does so on a manifesto, written in black and white and put to the voters. There is clear democratic advantage to this: the electorate can hold that party’s Councillors to account against that manifesto. And the ruling party has the opportunity to implement its manifesto. But if the party has to go into coalition with another party, the authority of the manifesto is greatly weakened, and indeed there is a ready-made excuse for jettisoning more awkward commitments.

Proponents of PR often state that PR is more democratic than FPTP. But the likely effect of PR - the hung council - is to have the nature and policies of the administration taken away from the ballot box and the manifesto, and shoved into the legendary smoke-filled room.

I will not pretend that First Past the Post does not throw up anomalous results from time to time. All electoral systems do.

But there are great benefits from FPTP that no one PR system can give us - the constituency link, accessibility, local party involvement, more clear-cut results. I fear that to ditch the benefits of First Past the Post in favour of PR would be to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Local MP's dismay at Post Office job cuts

Gavin Strang MP expressed his dismay this week at the news that 15000 jobs were to go in the postal service industry.

The news was broken at the beginning of the week by Consignia, the new name for the Post Office, that plans were afoot to cut costs dramatically.

Gavin, along with a growing number of MPs at Westminster, feels that the decision by the postal services regulator, Postcomm, to open the monopoly previously held by the Royal Mail to competition from private companies, could lead to major problems with the daily delivery.

In a debate in Westminster this month Gavin spoke passionately about his concerns for the future of the national postal network.

“There is a fear that enormous damage will be done, and a British institution, that provides a great service, will wither away. The concern is not only felt by trade unions and people in the labour party, but extends throughout the population.”

“My experience of the Royal Mail in my constituency, where I have lived for more than 30 years, is that it provides an excellent service”.

Gavin spoke this week on the new developments.

“It is always distressing to hear that workers are going to lose their jobs. I hope that, even at this late stage common sense will prevail and the Communications Workers' Union will be able to reduce the scale of the losses and insure that there are no compulsory redundancies."

Please follow this link to see the Parliamentary debate on Consignia on 12 March 2002.

We must keep our promises in Afghanistan - Gavin Strang

Gavin Strang MP tonight addressed a meeting organised by Portobello and District Council of Churches on 'War on Terrorism - is there an alternative?' at 7.30pm in Portobello Parish Church Hall.

Extracts from Gavin Strang's speech follow:

'The military action in Afghanistan was controversial.

'I believe that the military action was necessary. It was right to try to track down the perpetrators of the atrocities in the US on 11 September, and to take action against the Al Qaida network to try to prevent further atrocities. But tragically, many hundreds of innocent people were injured and killed, and the already threadbare infrastructure in Afghanistan will have been further damaged.

'Whatever view you take of the military action, there is now a moral obligation on the US, Great Britain and the international community to provide resources and support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

'Under the Taliban, many people in Afghanistan were already suffering dreadful hardship. Even before 11 September, four and a half million Afghan refugees were on the move.

'The military action has removed the Taliban, making future progress possible, but it has also caused further disruption and destruction.

'It is vital that we help rebuild Afghanistan.

'It will only be possible for the new administration in Afghanistan to tackle the huge problems facing that country if they do so against a background of progress.

'If we let down the interim government, if people in Afghanistan do not get the help that they have been led to expect, then the destabilising effect would be disastrous. Support would grow for dissident groups who want to take power from the interim administration.

'We must not repeat the mistakes of the past.

'It is widely known that the US backed Pakistan in supporting the factions in Afghanistan who fought the old communist regime, and who became allied to Osama Bin Laden. The communist regime was duly overthrown. But then the outside world walked away. And Afghanistan was left to fall prey to the Taliban.

'Having taken military action to disable Al Qaida and overthrow the Taliban, it is our duty to help the people of Afghanistan rebuild their country, and we must be prepared to provide help and resources for many years to come.'

Post Office - Gavin Strang welcomes Government promise

In a letter to Gavin Strang MP, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt MP has reaffirmed the Government's commitment to ensure people will always be able to receive their benefits in cash at their local Post Office, if they want to do so.

The move towards automated credit transfer - putting benefits straight into bank accounts - had caused concern that people who still wanted to take their benefits in cash from their local Post Office would lose out.

There are still concerns about how the move to automated credit transfer will affect local Post Offices, as Post Offices will lose much of the money that they are paid for distributing benefits. Post Offices in less well-off urban areas are set to lose the most.

Gavin Strang MP said today:

'I am glad that people who want to do so will always be able to draw their benefits in cash at their local Post Office.

'I am still concerned about the threat to Post Office businesses arising from the move to encourage most people to receive their benefits in their bank account.

'Post Offices in less well-off urban areas get the highest proportion of their income from benefit administration, so are set to lose the most.

'In her letter, Patricia Hewitt has informed me that both the Government and Post Office Limited are keen to establish new services and to increase income streams that will help to maintain the long-term viability of individual sub post offices and of the post office network as a whole.

'It is vital that we ensure that this country has a thriving network of local post offices - and a great deal must be done by the Government and by Post Office Ltd to ensure the viability of the Post Office network into the future.'

World AIDS Day - an article by Gavin Strang in the Edinburgh Evening News

TWENTY years ago, in the United States, the first case of Aids was officially reported. Since then, 3312 people in Scotland have been diagnosed HIV positive, and 793 have died.

Edinburgh and Lothian have seen more than their fair share of HIV - 1440 people have been diagnosed with HIV here. More cases are still diagnosed in Lothian than in any other region of Scotland.

Some people have been tempted to think that Aids has gone away, and that HIV is a threat of the past for Scotland. They could not be more wrong.

Certainly, the dreadful predictions of the early 1980s didn't come true, and the lives of people with HIV have been transformed by "combination therapies" - cocktails of drugs.

But HIV is very much here in Scotland today. And we forget about it at our peril.

Three times as many people are diagnosed with HIV in Scotland through sex between men and women than there were in 1986. Heterosexual sex is now the most common transmission route.

And, while Scotland was successful in reducing the number of cases of HIV transmitted through drug use, the Public Health Laboratory Service has warned that the rate of "works sharing" is thought to be worsening.

The UK did relatively well at fighting HIV in the early years. Public awareness was high and health agencies made major HIV prevention efforts. Nowhere was this more so than in Lothian, where the number of cases of HIV caught through drug injecting fell from 117 reported in 1984 to just 13 by 1990. But complacency set in. Perhaps