Did you mean e'burgh?
Willie Rennie: ...childcare survey found that 55 per cent of respondents said that the challenge of managing childcare was impacting on their ability to work. In my constituency, after-school provision has closed in Newburgh and Newport, which is causing further problems for working parents. What further pressure is the cabinet secretary putting on her education colleagues to ensure that more is done,...
Willie Rennie: On 2 November 2023, the cabinet secretary told me that we would get a response to the proposal for a train station at Newburgh, made in line with the Scottish transport appraisal guidance “in the next few weeks.”—[ Official Report , 2 November 2023; c 51.] It is now months later. When will the people in Newburgh hear whether they have been successful?
Mr Mark Ruskell: ...and Cameron Bridge in June this year, rail campaigners across Fife are feeling inspired and hopeful. Key progress is being made in the business cases for the reopening of stations at St Andrews and Newburgh. Will the cabinet secretary congratulate the communities that are leading the way? Does she see a need to expand rail further in Fife to achieve the modal shift away from car usage that...
Willie Rennie: ...for weeks on end without success. Elaine Stewart could not find an NHS dentist in St Andrews, so she is still using her parents’ address on the west coast. She is not alone. Naomi Kimber from Newburgh is a single mother with no support. She is on universal credit, she cannot work and does not drive. She told me: “In one month, I spent almost £400 on X-rays, two fillings and cleaning....
Wendy Chamberlain: Earlier this year, the UK Government pledged to fund a bridge repair in the constituency of the hon. Member for Moray (Douglas Ross). The Newburgh train station campaign is working to re-establish a train station that will provide a vital transport link. Assuming that strategic funding is not just available to Members of the Conservative party, who can I speak to in order to get that station...
Newburgh Railway Station
Willie Rennie: ...interested is the constitution. When they face the hard reality of life that my constituents are facing, they are not interested any more. That is the harsh reality. I am dealing with patients in Newburgh who are about to have their NHS dentist’s close. I am dealing with the family of a pupil in my constituency who was beaten up because of the violence and behaviour in our schools. I...
Mr Mark Ruskell: Scotland’s rural communities have great ideas on how to improve our national rail network. At the moment, ScotRail services pass through Newburgh, but have not stopped there since the station closed in 1955. A simple low-cost modular station could reconnect Newburgh to the rail network. What discussions has the minister had about the opportunities that modular stations provide? Will the...
Willie Rennie: Last June, in relation to the Scottish transport appraisal guidance, I asked the minister when we would get a decision on the proposal for a Newburgh railway station. She promised to share the timescales with me. We are now six months on, so when will we get a decision?
Railway Station for Newburgh (STAG Appraisal)
Beatrice Wishart: ...accessible and that they tie in with rail timetables. I urge the Scottish Government to up its efforts to open or reopen rail connections to the communities that are crying out for them, such as Newburgh, while upgrades to the far north line and dualling of the Highland mainline would benefit rural communities in the north of Scotland. That is a serious, ambitious and credible proposal for...
Willie Rennie: In light of what the minister has said, the sooner we get to firmer proposals, the better. I am keen to advance the proposal for a train station at Newburgh, which is strategically important for Newburgh as it is disconnected from many other parts of Fife and Tayside. A vibrant community campaign is backing the bid. Will STPR2 make the construction of that train station more likely?
Mr Mark Ruskell: ...move millions of people in Scotland away from car dependency. Will the cabinet secretary give a reassurance that the door will remain open for investment in smaller rail projects, such as Newburgh railway station, that are not specifically mentioned in the strategy, if strong business cases emerge for those projects?
Mr Mark Ruskell: ...our “Rail for All” report last month. Big, visionary thinking is needed if we are to make rail the natural choice for travel. From improved intercity services to new stations including Newburgh, St Andrew’s, Clackmannan and Kincardine, our costed plan would deliver jobs and economic benefit. The committee’s report poses major challenges to the Government about its vision, about how...
Gillian Martin: ...also funded support for farming businesses to diversify and build in resilience, and helped farmers and crofters make their businesses more sustainable, as is the case with the eco-bothies in Newburgh. In other cases, LEADER has supported farmers as they convert areas of the land for activities that promote biodiversity and sequester carbon. Where is the shared priority fund that the UK...
Gillian Martin: ...from fossil fuels to low-carbon fuels and technologies. New and emerging technologies are being worked on in the area, particularly in our two universities, the National Decommissioning Centre in Newburgh and our Oil & Gas Technology Centre, which I have long argued should be renamed the future energy centre, because of its work in supporting all types of energy innovation. I recently met...
Mr Mark Ruskell: I am delighted that Transport Scotland approved last week the “Case for Change” report for the Newburgh rail halt. Can the minister confirm that the £5 million for rail development already mentioned will include an open application process to allow projects to continue through their development pipeline over the coming year?
Gillian Martin: ...innovation, design and manufacture an intrinsic part of our culture, economy and society. The National Decommissioning Centre is a clear example of that commitment. It was opened in January in Newburgh in my constituency, and it is a centre of excellence in the north-east of Scotland, which will develop new capabilities, skills and jobs to meet the decommissioning challenge now and in the...
Gillian Martin: ...the Forvie reserve station. Young children, elderly members of the community and others all met with the common purpose of tackling the tide of plastic pollution that gets washed up on the shore of Newburgh beach and the Forvie reserve. I thank all the volunteers who joined me that Sunday. The beach is home to sandy dunes with Marram grass, which catches a lot of the litter,...
Gillian Martin: ...waters. At the start of the 20th century, it was estimated that there were about only 250 grey seals left in United Kingdom waters, and they were near extinction. Certainly in my home village of Newburgh, I rarely saw a seal on the River Ythan estuary when I was growing up in the 1980s because they were routinely shot by people who had fishing interests. Now, as a result of a range of...