Alasdair Allan and Crichton

11 April, 2011 - 09:42 — admin

Alasdair Allan Campaigns for New Barra Hospital

 
SNP candidate for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, has used a campaigning trip to Barra this week to call for a new hospital building for the island, saying that the present building could not be tolerated much longer.
 
Alasdair Allan commented:
"The community in Barra are clearly united in their support of St Brendan’s Hospital and the hard work which its dedicated staff do. But it is also clear that the present hospital building can’t be tolerated indefinitely.
 
The building is simply too cramped and inadequate, with no proper storage space, leading to equipment being stored in corridors. A modern building is needed if the hospital is to have a future.
 
The Health Secretary has seen this building herself with me and agrees that the building is not fit for purpose. In the last parliament, I raised this point in parliamentary questions, and had it confirmed that if NHS Western Isles can come up with a proposal, then it will be looked at in terms of central funding.
 
I believe that this urgently needs to be pursued. I accept the need for the Health Board to produce a watertight case for funding, and that requires work, but the situation is becoming ever more urgent. Barra needs a hospital, and I intend to put the local demand for that hospital at the centre of this election campaign."
  
Crichton pledges
Support for
Barra petition
 
Donald Crichton has pledged support to the group on Barra  campaigning against the marine environmental designations in the Sound of Barra and East Mingulay.
 
Speaking on Barra this week, the Western Isles Labour candidate said he would be supporting the group's campaign led by Angus Macleod for a petition to the Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament calling for an inquiry into the SNP Government's handling of the process.
 
Mr Crichton said: "Apart from the ill conceived plans for these designations in the first place and their detrimental impact on the local fishing industry, the SNP Government's handling of this issue has been a shambles from start to finish.
 
There are serious questions to be asked about the whole process. Why did the Government trigger the consultation process as early as May, 2008 when the scientific case wasn't  received from SNH until August, 2009? And when did Alasdair Allan know it was going out to consultation?
 
The community of Barra has been let down by Roseanna Cunningham and Alasdair Allan has failed to convince two successive environment ministers of the damaging impact these designations will have.
 
I will be supporting the petition to the Scottish Parliament so that all the facts are known and the same mistakes are not repeated."