The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MP

May Column (2)

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Bus safety bill points the way

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Last week I introduced the School Bus (Safety) Bill which has cross party support. It has taken some time and wide consultation to enable me to produce a bill which could make a positive contribution to safety on school buses.

I readily accept that we cannot legislate against accidents and every road user has to share responsibilities but I strongly believe we should give serious consideration to a number of measures.

These include ensuring school buses should be distinctively coloured and equipped with flashing lights and three point seatbelts. I have recommended that when they are stationary dropping off or picking up children there should be no overtaking.

At the same time I accept that we need to provide safety training such as advising children not to attempt to cross the road until the bus has moved off.

I also want a school bus safety council to monitor the operation of school buses and make safety recommendations in the light of experience

It has been disappointing to me that the Department of Transport have been reluctant to respond positively to any of these suggestions or to give them proper debating time.

I hope my bill can become a focus towards introducing sensible and workable road safety measures which will reduce the number of fatalities and injuries associated with school buses.

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Sun shines on Fair Trade Formartine

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Udny Green was blessed with perfect weather last Sunday for its celebration of Fair Trade status being awarded to Formartine.

I have been pleased to support the campaign by the local Fair Trade group that held its fist meeting a couple of years ago to set about achieving Fair Trade status - a demanding routine.

As Chairman of the International Development Committee I have also had close association with the Fair Trade Foundation nationally and its energetic director Harriet Lamb.

Fair Trade has exceeded many expectations in recent years, having been taken up by national supermarkets and achieved sales of Fair Trade products approaching £1billion in the UK.

Millions of producers in some of the poorest countries of the world have benefited from guaranteed prices and support for their communities.

It is not easy to win or hold Fair Trade status as Formartine, Ellon, Inverurie and Aberdeen will testify. In the current recession there have been signs of a slowing down of Fair Trade sales.

I hope that will only be a blip. There is a great range of quality Fair Trade products about. Even if they do command a premium it is worth noting it is poor people who benefit from it.

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Green energy should bring North East bonus

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News that agreement is in the offing to create a green energy park on the site of the Inverurie Paper mill is not new but is nevertheless welcome.

Some years ago I supported representations made by the local management of International Paper for a biomass plant to power the mill and export electricity to the grid. In the event it did not go ahead because of the reduction in the price of gas.

Nevertheless, the work done then is no doubt helpful to the present project. I hope it may help turn this into a prestigious site of regional, even national importance.

Meanwhile proposals to develop a hotel and business units on part of the site may provide a welcome boost to investment and employment in the town.

I understand quite a number of former mill employees have found other jobs. Nevertheless, the wider the range of diversified job opportunities we have the stronger will be our local economy.

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Sri Lanka must be generous in victory

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If reports from Sri Lanka if the defeat of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) is correct I welcome the end of this 30 year conflict. What is needed now is humanitarian relief for the 250,000 civilians who have been displaced and are being accommodated in IDP camps some of which I visited just a couple of weeks ago.

The Sinhalise majority in Sri Lanka are in triumphal mood as is the Government. However, now is the time for magnanimity and a new vision for a pluralist Sri Lanka where the minority Tamils, Moslems, Burgher and Malays are fully respected and play a full role at all levels in civil institutions.

The conflict zone has been heavily mined and priority must be given to de-mining and allowing people to return to their communities as quickly as possible.

If this doesn't happen and people remain displaced long term and their rights are not restored and strengthened then the disaffection that sparked the conflict will be rekindled. Neither Sri Lanka nor the international community want that.

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Whisky tax threatens jobs

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The increase tax on alcohol at a time of recession was rightly vigorously opposed during the passage of the Finance Bill through the House of Commons.

Pubs are struggling and many are closing. Of course, alcohol tax is not the prime cause but it certainly doesn't help - on top of the high cost of renewing licences about which many local pubs, hotels and restaurants have complained to me.

I have long argued that drinks should be taxed according to alcohol content. This would end the nonsense whereby Government policy discriminates against home produced spirits such as whisky and gin and taxes wine, which we mostly import, more lightly.

This has the effect of undermining the industry's campaign for less punitive duties against our whisky exports in growing markets. If we subject whisky to high taxes at home, how can we make the case for lower taxes abroad?

Whisky has been having a successful time in recent years with production up and distilleries re-opening and new ones planned. I hope that the latest tax increase when we are facing a downturn does not choke off this success or deter future investment.

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Laurencekirk stations opens - time for Kintore

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I hope the re-opening of Laurencekirk Station last week gives renewed encouragement to campaigners for re-opening Kintore for which I and others have been campaigning for years.

These things take time and it is understandable if people become discouraged. However, we should not give up. Kintore is justified, can be done and would be a success.

The Transport Minister was keen enough to claim credit when opening the station but most of the campaigning and a large part of the funding came form the community, Aberdeenshire Council and cross part campaigner led by the local MP and MSP.

I was not invited to the recent meeting on Kintore station. (The Minister never answers my letters). From the reports I have seen it doesn't seem to have taken us further forward.

This would be a simple decision to make and all the parties to success would I know play their part if there was any leadership from the Scottish Government. If the Minister makes the commitment of course it may be another minister who opens it!

ENDS