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May 2009 - MPs Pay and Expenses
The House of Commons authorities published details of all MPs expense claims for the years 2004 - 2009. I decided to publish my own expense details in advance of the House of Commons publication. See Parliament/Parliamentary Issues page (button to left hand side of this page).
May 2009 - Harriet Harman MP, Minister for Equality, Crusading against Inequality in Aberdeen
Harriet Harman MP, Minister for Equality, met constituents in Aberdeen to launch the Equality Bill. The Equality Bill will reform equality law and increase equality of opportunity. See the photo here...
April 2009 - Memorial Service in the Kirk of St Nicholas, Aberdeen
Following the helicopter tragedy that occurred on 1st April in the North Sea, I attended the memorial service on Wednesday 15 April in Aberdeen. It was to remember all those who sadly died in the accident. The Prime Minster Gordon Brown MP and the Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy MP also attended to pay their respects to those who had died.
March 2009 - Launch of Integrate.
Integrate is a new initiative from the Community Chaplaincy Scotland. It was established to formalise the voluntary work that was already being carried out with offenders. The workers provide support, information and advocacy, which can often start within the prison, to help the re-integration of offenders into the community. See the photo here...
Jan 2009 - Community Heroes Reception at No. 10 Downing St.
I nominated Alan Thomson, who has worked for many years for Aberdeen City Council, for the Community Heroes Reception which was held in No 10 on 14th January. Alan came down to Westminster for PM Question Time first of all and then he attended No. 10 for the Reception, where he met Harriett Harman MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. See the photo here...
Nov 2008 - Aberdeen City Council (ACC): Care Services for disabled people
I am deeply disappointed that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has taken an extremely cautious approach to the way in which the ACC ignored its responsibilities to disabled people in the City when it made its decisions to withdraw and cut services. I complained to Trevor Philips, the Chairman of the EHRC, back in March 2008.
July 2008 - Piper Alpha 20 years on. In 1988, in the world's worst offshore oil and gas accident, 167 men were killed. On Sunday 6 July 2008 I attended the memorial services with the families and some of the survivors at St Nicholas Kirk and also later that afternoon at the Memorial. I thought it was appropriate to commemorate the 20th anniversary and therefore:
- I introduced a Bill into the House of Commons on 1 April, with the aim of further improving safety for offshore workers in the North Sea. See my speech here...
- I also had a debate in Westminster on 2 July, when I was very pleased to hear the Minister announcing a review of health and safety for offshore workers. Read the debate here...
- See Piper Alpha Charitable Trust Early Day Motion here...
- See Twentieth Anniversary of the Piper Alpha Disaster Early Day Motion here...
2008 - Remploy Factory: I led the campaign to save the Aberdeen Remploy factory by arranging several visits and meetings with Ministers and Remploy. See the photo at the factory, with my colleagues Anne Begg MP, Lewis Macdonald MSP and Richard Baker MSP here...
2008 - Following the closure of the Lemon Tree in December 2007 I have been working with the ‘Save the Lemon Tree Campaign’ to ensure that it is saved as an arts venue for Aberdeen. The Lemon Tree has provided an excellent venue for Arts, Music and Theatre since 1992. In addition, the Lemon Tree has made an important contribution to Community Arts and has been involved in many exciting projects. In 2008 the welcome news that Aberdeen Performing Arts would be taking over the venue meant it was saved. I was very pleased to be at the re-opening and look forward to seeing the venue re-vitalised. The Lemon Tree was opened by the scottish actor Alan Cumming. See the photo here...
June 2008 - I visited the Aberdeen School for the Deaf at Sunnybank School to find out more about an innovative project led by the National Deaf Children's Society, which has been piloted in Aberdeen. See the photo here...
Nov 2007 - Auschwitz Visit: Along with a party of students from the north-east I visited the Auschwitz death camps. Accompanied by their teachers youngsters from more than 100 schools visited the camp in the south of Poland on a fact-finding trip organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. See the photo here...
Wrong Trousers Day June 2007 - Get your Kit on: I got it 'wrong' for Wallace and Gromit and posed with the cheese-loving pair in aid of children's hospitals and hospices. See the photo... People in Aberdeen could also help Wallace and Gromit's Children's Foundation to reach their target of 1 million participants.
Find the Fishermen Campaign: former trawlermen may be entitled to pensions. See my note here... See the list of names supplied by Norwich Union here... |
