Cathy welcomes Clydesdale £50 combination

Cathy with the new £50 banknote

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie has welcomed the new Clydesdale banknote designs – particularly the new £50 note.

Cathy said: “I am doubly pleased by this new design. On one side, the the note shows Scots doctor and suffragette Elsie Inglis, one of Scotland’s most inspirational women. On the other side is an an image of the Antonine Wall, an important part of my constituency’s heritage.

“It’s great to see the Antonine Wall included in the new design. Given the Wall’s historic importance and status as a World Heritage Site, it deserves greater recognition and exposure. I know that the council is working hard to promote the Wall, and I will be lobbying for more support from the Scottish Government.

“Without a doubt, Elsie Inglis is one of Scotland’s greatest pioneering women, both as a doctor and as a proponent of women’s suffrage and equality. She is famed for her medical work, founding the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children - now the ‘Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital’ – and renowned for her work in the First World War, setting up the Abbaye de Royaumont hospital in France, and a total of 14 medical units across Europe. As an ardent campaigner for women’s rights, she helped to create the Scottish Women’s Suffrage Federation.”

Cathy Backs Dementia Rights Charter

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie, Convener of the Cross Party Group on Carers, helping to launch Scotland’s first ever Charter of Rights for people with dementia and their carers.

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie, who chairs the Cross Party Group on carers at the Scottish Parliament, said that there are “more than 69,500 people living in Scotland who have been diagnosed with dementia, and this is projected to increase to 127,000 by 2031. People with dementia and their carers have the same human rights as every other citizen. However, it is widely recognised that, in addition to the impact of the illness, they face cultural, social and economic barriers to fulfilling these.

“This Charter aims to empower people with dementia, those who support them and the community as a whole to ensure their rights are recognised and respected. In recent years numerous reports have demonstrated that levels of care for people with dementia are simply not at a high enough standard. The publication of a Charter of Rights for people with dementia and their carers is long overdue.”

Pledge to improve Health & Safety

Cathy Peattie MSP with HSE board member Danny Carrigan, HSE Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger, and Chair of the HSE Judith Hackitt.

On Tuesday evening, 22nd September, Cathy hosted a meeting for the Health and Safety Executive in the Scottish Parliament.

“It was good to get so many people together to discuss how we can improve health and safety in Scotland,” said Cathy.

“There is a lot being done to address poor health and safety, but there are still many problems and I am particularly concerned that Scotland has higher rates than the rest of the UK, fewer successful prosecutions, and relatively low levels of fine being imposed. I think there needs to be a formal initiative that brings together and coordinates health and safety action in Scotland, to maximise the benefits of existing work, and to identify what can be done to address the “Scottish Safety Anomaly”. I know some people think that this is down to a different mix of employment and a different culture, but if that’s the case, let’s not use it as an excuse – we need to tackle the causes.”

Action needed on Pavement Parking

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie has called for action on pavement parking and other road safety hazards.

Speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate on road safety, Cathy highlighted the problems pedestrians face because of badly parked vehicles:

“Children are forced to use busy roads when going to and from school. Although we are extremely grateful for the dedication of crossing patrols, the plight of children, the elderly, wheelchair users and those with prams is made worse by obstacles, not the least of which is pavement parking. It is a recipe for an accident when vehicles park on the pavement and pedestrians are forced to use the road. Badly parked vehicles can also make it difficult to see oncoming traffic. More could be done to tackle those problems, perhaps by enforcing existing laws or by creating new byelaws. Failing that, we should consider what legislation we could introduce in the Parliament. We must ensure that people take responsibility for their parking. Motorists should realise the effect that bad parking has on children, young people and others who have to walk on the road. For those who do not take their responsibilities seriously, we need to have recourse to legal remedies.”

Beware Dodgy Doorstep Collections

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie wants people to be wary of doorstep charity collections.

She has been contacted by a constituent from Whitecross about leaflets being put through the door for an “urgently needed clothing collection”.

“The leaflets contain no company name or contact information,” said Cathy, “but my constituent tracked them down before approaching me. Their company registration number revealed that they are W&W Help Ltd., who were wound up in March for failing to submit accounts. They have since been found leafletting in various locations, requesting donations of old and unwanted clothes to help people in developing or eastern European countries. I understand that that as a result of these activities, they are being investigated by police and Trading Standards.”

“People should be aware that collections like this can be charitable or commercial. Both are legitimate if they work within their respective rules, and you can check them out using their charity registration numbers or company details. Personally though, I would advise caution when approached by doorstep collections. If it’s a charity you don’t know, and you cannot tell or aren’t sure about the collection, it’s safer to recycle clothes or take them to a charity shop.”

MSP calls for equality for Scotland

Will Scotland be excluded from UK Equality legislation?

UK legislation to tackle inequality and discrimination may not apply in Scotland if the Scottish Government gets its way.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Cathy Peattie has signed up to groundbreaking study into the causes of breast cancer

Cathy with Audrey Birt, Scotland Director 0f Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie is one of nearly 7,000 Scottish women participating in the world’s most comprehensive study into the causes of breast cancer – the Breakthrough Generations Study. The study will follow 100,000 women for the next 40 years, providing information about lifestyle, environmental, genetic and hormonal factors which will help identify the causes of breast cancer. In future the findings will enable women to reduce their risk of the disease and hopefully to ultimately prevent it.

The Breakthrough Generations Study has been set up in partnership between Breakthrough Breast Cancer and The Institute of Cancer Research. Participants in the study are asked to fill out a detailed lifestyle questionnaire and give a blood sample every five years for the next 40 years. Such a long study is required in order to understand the complex mixture of factors which may be involved in the development of breast cancer and which may act at different stages of life.

Cathy Peattie Calls for Creation of PostBank

Speaking at a meeting in the Scottish Parliament, Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie gave her support to the Post Bank Coalition, which is campaigning for the creation of a new ‘Post Bank’ system.

The PostBank could provide personal and business bank accounts serviced by the Post Office network.

 ”This is a unique opportunity to answer concerns around secure finance for people and the future of the post office network,” said Cathy.

Scottish Parliament backs strong Climate Bill

Raising the Bar for Climate Change legislation

With Falkirk campaigners Norman Philp, Corrie Cuthbertson, David Allinson

Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie said that she was “extremely pleased that MSPs had voted for a strong Scottish Climate Change Bill” and that playing her part in the passage of the Bill had given her great satisfaction.

“As Deputy Convener of the Climate Change committee, I have been involved at every stage, working with the committee and other MSPs, and with the members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, considering and submitting amendments to make this a world-class piece of legislation.”

Grangemouth campaign meets Minister

Representatives of the Grangemouth Transport Forum have met Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson to discuss Grangemouth transport needs – and what Grangemouth has to offer to Scotland’s economy and Scotland’s climate change strategy.