The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP

April Column 1

Future of Rural Post Offices need addressing

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The decimation of our network of local post offices looms larger every day. The Government are not content with forcing pensioners, mums receiving child benefit and other benefits claimants to transfer their cash to bank accounts.

Now they have revealed that those who opted for Post Office card accounts will not be able to use them after 2010. The BBC are taking away TV licence payments from the Post Office and there is no clear indication of what will happen to rural post offices when the present rural subsidy - already extended once - runs out in 2008.

Almost none of our rural post office will survive this onslaught unless a new way of financing them is worked out. Even busy offices in our market towns are vulnerable because the value of transactions is small.

The Post Office is working on new products such as financial services and insurance to try and plug the gap but this is a competitive sector and, as fast as it creates new possibilities, Government agencies withdraw more of theirs.

When I was the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the last Parliament I put a lot of thought into working out a viable future for the Post Office and Royal Mail.

My successor Norman Lamb refined this to a proposal to release some of Royal Mail's assets to invest in the publicly owned Post Office network (and, incidentally, give employees a stake in the company).

When I questioned Scottish ministers about the future of Scotland's rural post offices, they had no answers, preferring just to attack our imaginative proposals. I said to junior minister, David Cairns, "We have a plan for the future of the Post Office, what's yours." Answer came there none but on present trends it looks like oblivion.

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Ambitious plans for Menie Links

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The ambitious proposals for a world class international golf resort at Menie Links north of Balmedie have certainly made a major impact. Visit Scotland is euphoric. Heritage Scotland is less so.

I was slightly surprised that after announcing the project, Donald Trump then expressed reservations about the proposed offshore windfarm in Aberdeen Bay. This, after all, has been mooted for some time, would or should have been known to Mr Trump and in any case is several miles south of his proposed development.

Developers of Mr Trump's billionaire clout don't suffer obstruction and delay readily. He is entitled to a response that proceeds without unreasonable delay, but he should be careful to show understanding for proper process and respect for other commercial interests.

If it does go ahead then the dualling of the A90 will have to be completed soon and progress on the Western Peripheral Route will be even more urgent.

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Supermarket boom in Gordon

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The race to build new supermarkets across Gordon is hotting up. Tesco's new store in Huntly has already opened for business. Asda's is nearing completion on the site of the old King George V garden centre and Tesco have confirmed plans for a new store in Ellon.

Supermarkets always generate controversy. The public's relationship is almost love-hate. The big four are accused of making excess profits, of squeezing the margins of their suppliers and of forcing small shops out of business by predatory pricing.

This is all about to be investigated by the Competition Commission.

Meanwhile I suspect these new stores will be full to busting on day one. There will be a fall out among other local shops but it will also draw business into these towns - by keeping local customers who currently shop in Aberdeen or Inverurie or elsewhere and attracting customers from a wider area.

It is difficult to predict the longer-term effect but Inverurie has two large supermarkets and a thriving town centre.

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Aboyne maternity services

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The future of rural maternity units is yet again being assessed by NHS Grampian with the last surviving unit that serves part of Gordon - at Aboyne - under threat of closing.

The process of attrition has been going on for thirty years since the closure of Inverurie and more recently Insch and Huntly.

The authorities constantly argue that, with falling birth rates and more women opting for Aberdeen and returning straight home six hours after delivery, community maternity units are under-utilised and the space they occupy could be put to better use.

There is also a shortage of midwives and it is difficult to recruit and retain midwives when deliveries are so limited. Yet, the health authorities say they are determined to maintain a strong community midwifery service, which presumably would comprise trained midwives who will rarely if ever deliver a baby.

Yet, the Scottish Executive argues that women should have a choice over where and how their babies are delivered.

In London, I understand, home deliveries are much more common than in our area. But, if midwives are in short supply in rural areas most potential home deliveries presumably don't happen as women are effectively forced to opt for Aberdeen unless they are very insistent.

There is no doubt that the experience of mums who have delivered in Aberdeen and a smaller unit (and that includes my wife) is that the smaller unit is infinitely preferable.

Angus Health authority has demonstrated that they can operate efficient midwife led units for rural areas at Montrose and Arbroath. So why can't it happen in Grampian?

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By-election in Moray

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Barely has the dust settled on the Dunfermline by-election, spectacularly won by Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie, than we are plunged into a new parliamentary by-election.

This time it is a Scottish Parliament election for neighbouring Moray. As I said in my previous column, Margaret Ewing was popular across the parties and her death at such a young age caused sadness for all who knew her.

Experience shows, however, that regard for a former incumbent does not affect the way people vote subsequently and there can be no doubt that this is a wide-open contest.

What has emerged as an ironic twist of the electoral system from the Scottish Parliament is that list MSPs who wish to contest a constituency have first to resign their seat in the Parliament (you cannot contest an election for a body of which you are already a member).

This has placed the SNP and the Tory candidates with a dilemma. Clearly disillusioned with being only list MSPs both want to contest Moray. Clearly they cannot both win so one at least will be unemployed.

Maybe both of them will. Moray is between two Lib Dem held seats - Gordon and Inverness East, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey - which are not fundamentally different in character. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Linda Gorn, is a local councillor, well-established campaigner who has already appeared on the ballot paper and boosted the Lib Dem vote.

Whatever happens in Moray someone will be happy and some others will definitely be disappointed.