SNP must reverse bizarre decision to scrap prison committees

For immediate release 1 February 2012

A Scottish Green Party motion on the Justice Secretary's decision to scrap prison visiting committees will be debated in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.* The motion has attracted support from all opposition parties.

The loss of prison visiting committees would leave Scotland as the only part of the UK without regular, independent monitoring of prisons. Visiting Committees currently carry out around 1500 unannounced visits to prisons each year, monitoring prison conditions and dealing with prisoner complaints among other duties.

In particular, Greens have highlighted the inconsistency with the Prison and Fire Reform Bill proposal to set up independent monitoring for police cells.**

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"The Government’s decision to end the important work of prison visiting committees is quite bizarre, and it’s clear that there’s disquiet even on the SNP backbenches. Kenny MacAskill seems to want to provide a poorer service at a higher cost, all for the aim of hitting arbitrary targets on the number of public bodies in Scotland.

"At the same time, he’s making independent visiting arrangements a statutory requirement for police custody – exactly the opposite of his position on prisons. The contradiction makes no sense, and I’m pleased that the other opposition parties have backed my motion to call for the Minister to keep the visiting committees. We should be helping them to deliver a better service, not scrapping them and bringing their work to an end."

Notes

* The motion being tabled by the Scottish Conservatives for their allotted debate on Thursday is, by agreement, a direct copy of Patrick Harvie's motion, which can been seen at http://scot.gr/pvcs

** See Chapter 16 of the draft Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill:
http://bit.ly/ze7nlo

Energy ministers "clueless" on climate impact of fracking

For immediate release 1 February 2012

Greens have today warned that both the Scottish and UK Governments are failing to properly assess the carbon impact of a potential era of UK gas extraction by the controversial process of fracking.

Appearing before the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee of the Scottish Parliament, both UK and Scottish Government Energy Ministers were questioned by Patrick Harvie MSP on whether the climate change impacts of the gas extracted would be taken into account during the licensing process.* The UK Minister, Charles Hendry MP, confirmed that climate change would not be a factor considered.

Respected climate researchers at the Tyndall Centre estimate that if just 20% of shale gas reserves identified in Lancashire are burnt, 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide would be released: 15% of the UK's carbon budget to 2050.**

In November 2011, SEPA granted a licence for the extraction of coal bed methane in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway. Another firm is drilling for coal bed methane in Airth, Falkirk, though without yet using the fracking technique.

Patrick Harvie said:

"Charles Hendry showed the UK Government’s breath-taking irresponsibility in admitting that the climate change impact of shale gas will not be a factor in deciding whether to approve applications for fracking. But that was nothing compared to the Scottish Minister Fergus Ewing, who appeared to be completely at sea on this issue.

"I have been asking questions regularly on this for months now, and the Minister knew it was coming up at today’s meeting. I’m shocked that he remained unable or unwilling to answer a few clear and specific questions, and it’s clear that if Scotland is going to resist this dangerous new drive to extract ever more fossil fuels, we’ll need a Minister who is at least up to speed on the basics."

* Scottish Planning Policy states that 'potential pollution of land, air and water' should be considered factors in planning decisions. See paragraph 232: http://bit.ly/oq8tBJ

** For an estimate of the carbon impact of UK shale gas, see the Tyndall Centre report, especially the last paragraph:
http://bit.ly/z7ywd5

Scotland must 'set the pace of change' on gay marriage

For immediate release 31 January 2012

Greens have welcomed today's demonstration of cross-party support for legislation lifting the ban on same-sex marriage in Scotland, and have called for a Bill to be published this year.

Patrick Harvie MSP joined with all other opposition leaders in signing the Equal Marriage campaign's pledge of support, ahead of what is expected to be the most well-attended reception ever hosted at Holyrood since the creation of the Scottish Parliament.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"It’s really encouraging to see so much support for Equal Marriage both inside Parliament and outside, and all that’s needed is for the Government to come forward with the legislation.

"I see no reason why a Bill couldn't be published this year, and I’m convinced that when MSPs have the chance to vote on this, Scotland will once again set the pace of change for the rest of the UK by backing equality for same-sex couples. This is a vital signal about the kind of progressive society that Scotland wants to be in the 21st century."

Rail plan should expand station network, not cut it

For immediate release 26 January 2012

Ahead of a debate on Glasgow's stations and the Scottish Government's 'Rail 2014' plan, Greens have called for the Transport Minister to rule out any station closures in Glasgow.

Greens have previously described the package of ideas in the Government’s plan as a ‘third-class shambles’, and have questioned the impact of the proposals on train fares, timetables and overcrowding.

Patrick Harvie MSP, Green MSP for Glasgow, said:

"The Scottish Government has needlessly raised fears across Scotland, and especially in Glasgow, that stations will be closed because of an arbitrary one-mile limit. Ministers must not ignore the need for excellent connectivity within our large cities, as well as between them.

"Our dense urban areas deserve an accessible, convenient rail network, and that means adding new stations and reopening those lost over the years. 2014 offers Scotland a rare opportunity to start building a rail network fit for the 21st century, and if Ministers want to bring ambition to that task they will focus on the investment that’s needed in the network, instead of stirring up worries of a repeat of the vandalism of the 1960s, when stations were closed and services scrapped."

A good day to bury a bad budget

For immediate release 25 January 2012

Commenting on today's Scottish budget debate, Greens have expressed concern that this important debate has coincided with the First Minister's 'international press conference' on the referendum consultation.

Green MSPs have repeated their calls for a reversal to the counterproductive cuts to Scotland's colleges, housing, public transport and active travel budgets at the same time as a huge increase in funding for motorways.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"Today's budget debate will receive a fraction of the coverage that it deserves, and I question why the Scottish Government has chosen to organise its agenda in this way. It's a bad budget, and it deserve full attention and scrutiny at every stage.

"John Swinney's rhetoric on achieving broad agreement on this budget would be more credible if he acknowledged the many voices condemning his cuts to colleges and sustainable transport. The SNP risks snuffing out their 'progressive beacon' if they choose to fund misguided capital projects such as the Aberdeen bypass rather than investing in young people and a low-carbon transport system."