Category: News

Hyslop Welcomes £645m Childcare Expansion Families in West Lothian to save £4,500 per child per year Local Linlithgow Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed the Scottish Government Announcement which would commit £645m to expand early learning and childcare provision across Scotland and save families in West Lothian £4,500 per child a year. Announcing the Scottish Government’s draft budget proposals for 2020/21 in Holyrood, SNP Minister Kate Forbes announced investment that will support the SNP’s plan to almost double the free provision of childcare to 1140 hours from August 2020 for all 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds. Fiona commented, “As well as improving the lives of children, giving them the very best start in life, this investment of £645m – almost doubling free child care provision…

Hyslop Welcomes Lothian Baby Box Numbers Local Constituency MSP for Linlithgow, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed new figures showing the increase in new parents across the Lothians opting to register for a baby box. As of January 2020, 20,949 new families have registered for theirs and 96% of the country is doing the same. Fiona commented, “The baby box is clearly a popular choice for new parents. Packed with clothing, toys, nappies, mats and more, the baby box provides every parent with the basic essentials that every new born needs. “The baby box ensures fairness and equal opportunity for all, regardless of circumstances and means that every child gets the best possible start in life. “I am pleased to see so many new parents taking advantage of this initiative in the…

Hyslop Raises Concerns over Post Office Closure in Springfield Local Linlithgow MSP, Fiona Hyslop, has raised concerns with Royal Mail over the pending closure of Springfield Post Office in Linlithgow. While Royal Mail have advertised the running of the post office for another proprietor, the post office in Springfield, Linlithgow will close on February 25th and only open again if they find someone else to run it. Fiona said, “I am really concerned to hear about the loss of services at Springfield Post Office. The post office which is currently located inside the Spar at Springfield Court is an important community service to many people living in the Springfield area. “There are a number of families and older people who rely on their services who cannot always make the 1.4…

Hyslop Marks Donaldson Trust Strategy at Parliament Reception Local Constituency MSP for Linlithgow, Fiona Hyslop has hosted The Donaldson Trust, based in Linlithgow, at the Scottish Parliament this week (28th January) to mark their new 10 year strategy in supporting neurodiversity and neurodivergent children and young people in Scotland. Guests from different organisations and MSPs were informed about The Donaldson Trust’s future plans, partnership working and heard from the individuals that it supports. There was also a viewing of short animation ‘Walk in my Shoes’ where a young woman spoke of her own experiences how Donaldson’s has been able to support her as she continues her journey to adulthood. Speaking after the event, Fiona said, “I was delighted to welcome the Donaldson Trust to Parliament, as the local MSP for…

Hyslop Backs Proposals for new ‘Scottish Visa’ Local Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop MSP has backed proposal for a new Scottish Visa to address depopulation and cut skills gaps in West Lothian set to be made worse by Brexit. This comes following a cross-party report by Holyrood’s Finance Committee found that, without additional powers for the Scottish Parliament, Scottish public spending may be put at risk by demographic changes. All of Scotland's population growth for the next 25 years is projected to come from migration. However, new UK Government immigration controls and the end of free movement after Brexit are expected to exacerbate the risk of skills gaps and labour shortages in Scotland. The First Minister has announced plans where migrants who want to live in Scotland could choose to apply…

[caption id="attachment_2619" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] Fiona being interviewed about importance of small businesses last year as part of Small Business Saturday[/caption]   Hyslop Calls on Opposition MSPs to Rule out Threat to Uniform Business Rates SNP Only Party Stand up For West Lothian Businesses Local Linlithgow Constituency MSP, Fiona Hyslop is calling on Lothian based opposition MSPs to oppose proposals that introduce risks and uncertainties for businesses - after 27 business organisations signed a letter raising concerns over an opposition amendment to the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Bill. The SNP was the only party which opposed the amendment to the Bill – which would mean that rates would no longer be set nationally and business rates reliefs, including the Small Business Bonus and rates relief for nurseries – would automatically end. If the…

Hyslop Criticises UK Government for Cuts as Emergency Foodbank Parcels Rise to over 1,000 a Day Fiona Hyslop MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency is calling on the UK Government to wake up to the crisis caused by austerity cuts. Recently released research from Oxfam shows that nearly 600,000 food parcels were handed out in Scotland between April 2018 and September 2019. This works out on average at over 1,000 food parcels each day. In March 2019, A Menu for Change and the Independent Food Aid Network collated the total number of food parcels handed out in Scotland for the first time, by combining Trussell Trust statistics and research from independent food banks, which make up 42 percent of the food bank picture. This second wave of research published in January…

Hyslop Welcomes Scottish Government Commitment to Superfast Broadband for all of West Lothian Fiona Hyslop MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency has welcomed the commitment made at Holyrood last week from the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, Paul Wheelhouse, to deliver access to superfast broadband to every home and business in the country. Despite telecommunications being an entirely reserved matter and all legal and regulatory powers sitting with United Kingdom ministers, the Scottish Government has made significant progress in terms of superfast broadband. In his statement to Parliament the Minister announced the use of full fibre—or fibre to the premises—technology. That will provide access to gigabit-capable speeds of 1,000Mpbs. Fiona commented, “This is welcome news for West Lothian, especially for those who live in the most rural parts of…

  As your Member of Scottish Parliament for the Linlithgow Constituency, I am delighted to take the opportunity over the festive period to reflect on the year gone by, and 2019 has been particularly busy. Of course, this year we saw two elections, but also a number of exciting announcements of changes that will help those across the Lothians. This year I hosted a 10 stop surgery tour in July visiting constituents in the smaller towns and villages across the constituency. I also had the pleasure of meeting with a number of local and national organisations, charities and businesses throughout the year to discuss local issues, and I arranged a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and a number of transport organisations in May in Winchburgh to discuss local…