Anne McTaggart: I welcome Margaret Burgess to the front bench and to her new role, in which I know that she will be a huge asset. I declare that I am a member of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, which reported on the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc) (Scotland) Bill. There are more than 100,000 empty buildings and homes in Scotland, contributing to our housing crisis and...
Anne McTaggart: That was before the recession—Mr Brodie forgot to add that part in. Unlike the Scottish ministers, Labour ministers exercised financial due diligence. The Government has not thought about the impact of such legislation on local government. It is estimated that the legislation will cost Glasgow City Council alone as much as £1 million—an extra levy at a time when local government is...
Anne McTaggart: I welcome the opportunity to take part in today’s debate, for which the term “the graveyard shift” springs to mind. Community empowerment and renewal go to the heart of not only my values but Labour Party values. Therefore, I relish the opportunity to speak about the good work that is being done, and the vital work that is still to be done, on that policy area. I am surprised that we...
Anne McTaggart: As a member of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, I look forward to the bill being presented to that committee. I think that it will contain much on which committee members will find consensus. However, the committee will also scrutinise the bill when necessary. I want the bill to provide real support for localism, with power being devolved to the most local levels and those...
Anne McTaggart: I stand corrected by Ms MacDonald. Claire Baker mentioned that if projects are set up in good faith, they can sustain themselves and do not need the same amount of funding thereafter. For the bill to be successful, there must be strong local leadership. Community development courses should be reinstated rather than cut, to allow communities to grow and be trained. There must be joined-up...
Anne McTaggart: I thank the minister for providing an advance copy of his statement. I note that there is no mention in the statement of a specific strategy for cities. Glasgow, along with other cities, is the powerhouse of Scotland’s economy and while I am pleased to note that the minister has included the 2014 Commonwealth games, the national planning framework is about not the next two years but the...
Anne McTaggart: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the topic of gambling as I agree with John Mason in this instance. There are far too many betting shops in Glasgow and it is clear to me that betting shops are indeed preying on the vulnerable in our society. I am seriously concerned about the number of betting shops that exist and their locations near pubs and ATMs. They are luring new customers,...
Anne McTaggart: I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and I thank my colleague Hugh Henry for bringing the issue of child cruelty and neglect to the Parliament’s attention. I believe that every member in the chamber applauds the work that is undertaken by the NSPCC and by Matt Forde—who is a former colleague of mine from Glasgow City Council social work—especially around its new...
Anne McTaggart: 3. To ask the Scottish Government what involvement the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs will have with Glasgow City Council regarding the 2018 youth Olympic games under the major events strategy. (S4O-01348)
Anne McTaggart: I welcome the minister to his new post. Does he agree that we need to create a positive working relationship between stakeholders and that all elected members should be involved in helping to bring the 2018 youth Olympic games to Glasgow, to build on the legacy of the 2012 Olympic games and the 2014 Commonwealth games?
Anne McTaggart: In the chamber this week, there has been a great level of debate regarding employment. This issue affects the lives of more than 500,000 people in Scotland at present and it is only right that it be afforded such time and attention. On Tuesday, we had a debate about women’s employment, and it became clear that that should always be of concern to the Parliament. Women in the workplace still...
Anne McTaggart: All jobs are more than welcome in Glasgow. We are all aware that the times have changed since the 1980s, and so has the job market. We no longer have the major industries in Glasgow, and the problem of unemployment has grown more complex. We cannot allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated. Young people were thrown on the scrap heap and others never worked again and so fell into the trap...
Anne McTaggart: I join David Torrance in congratulating the 5th Fife scout group Kirkcaldy on their achievement in becoming Scotland’s national camping champions 2012. I, too, welcome them to the public gallery. I am confident that I speak for the entire Parliament when I recognise the invaluable contribution that the Scout Association and its many volunteers make to the lives of the young people of...
Anne McTaggart: I am delighted to speak on the important subject of winter resilience and to have the opportunity to represent the many concerns of my constituents in Glasgow. In recent years, we have seen at first hand the importance of having a strong and resilient transport network in challenging weather conditions and we have seen the need for effective management of the resources that are designed to...
Anne McTaggart: How much of a reduction does the Scottish Government grant to local authorities represent?
Anne McTaggart: I believe that the proposed 90 per cent rate for unoccupied properties should be reduced to 50 per cent for public bodies such as local authorities and health boards. The restriction on the level of increase is necessary to protect taxpayers and the quality of services provided by the public sector. I am sure that the Scottish Government is well aware that all public bodies are struggling to...
Anne McTaggart: Yes. Amendment 7 objects to the doubling in the council tax that is payable on unoccupied residential property. Many families find themselves in such a situation as a result of unforeseen inheritances or because they cannot sell their home in an increasingly difficult property market. To ask people in that situation to pay twice the amount of council tax that they may have expected to pay is...
Anne McTaggart: I refer to my previous speech on the proposals and conclude that, as it stands, the bill penalises families in difficult situations and weakens the ability of many public bodies to make their own decisions about financial planning and property reallocation. I therefore press amendment 6.
Anne McTaggart: I want to express my concerns on the challenging process and the questionable content of the bill. As a member of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, I have been involved with the progress of this bill from its inception, and I have consistently been disappointed by the lack of compromise on the part of the Scottish National Party Government at each stage. Not one Labour...
Anne McTaggart: I thank Kenny Gibson for securing the debate. I am delighted to take part in this important debate on presumed consent for organ donation in Scotland. I know that the subject is particularly sensitive and I recognise that a wide range of views are held on the proposed adoption of such a system. I acknowledge the serious and difficult circumstances that are faced by thousands of people who are...
