SNP Comments On Exec's Failing Drugs Policy

Reacting to reports in today's Holyrood Magazine on the Scottish Executive's plans for short-life working groups on drugs policies, Shadow Deputy Justice Spokesperson Stewart Stevenson MSP commented:

"After more than seven years, the Labour-Liberal Government have finally realised that they have failed to make a dent on drug misuse in Scotland.

"Cocaine use is rising rapidly while their focussing on methadone for heroin users has merely left many addicts stranded on another dependency.

"Information about drug misuse has been hard to come by and unreliable. No wonder policy making has been haphazard and intermittent, merely responding to crises as they arise.

"The short-life groups now being foreshadowed, which will have no defined remit until 2007, are a last roll of the dice of an administration gambling with Scots lives."

MSP Visits Royal Mail Office In Christmas Run-Up

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson visited the Royal Mail Sorting Office at Fraserburgh where postal workers are gearing up for the Christmas mail mountain.

The SNP MSP was welcomed by Delivery Office Manager Mr Peter Grant and met Fiona Bremner one of the posties who will process the 60,000 items expected at Fraserburgh today.

Every year Royal Mail deliver hundreds of millions of Christmas cards as well as millions of Christmas parcels in addition to the regular mail.

The Christmas rush has already begun in earnest and posties the length and breadth of the country will be putting in many long hours between now and 25 December.

Commenting Mr Stevenson said:

"I always enjoy visiting Fraserburgh Delivery Office to meet the staff there once again and see the scale of the operation. I have visited all the Royal Mail Delivery Offices in Banff & Buchan since I was elected in 2001 and this has turned into something of an annual engagement for me.

“I never fail to be impressed by the commitment of the staff to moving the absolute mountain of mail they deal with at this time of year.

“Christmas is an exceptionally busy time for our posties and they really do pull out all the stops throughout the year to ensure mail is delivered quickly but even more so over the busy festive period.”

ESSENTIAL CHRISTMAS INFORMATION

• In Scotland, Royal Mail delivers to all 2.5 million addresses, with an estimated 250 million cards, letters and parcels throughout the festive season.
• Throughout the whole of the UK – Royal Mail delivers to 27 million UK addresses, with an estimated mailbag of 2.1 billion cards, letters and parcels.
• Royal Mail has more than 350 years experience and a dedicated workforce; it is committed to delivering the massive mailbag expected for Christmas 2006.
  

The people who make Christmas happen:

• Throughout Scotland more than 11,500 people deliver the mail
• Postal workers walk up to 10 miles a day delivering the mail
• Planning for Christmas is vital to ensure everything runs smoothly. Almost as soon as the decorations come down Royal Mail looks forward to the next year
• Royal Mail delivers 8 million items every working day and 45 million items every week throughout the rest of the year
  
• There are over 10,000 posting boxes in Scotland
• 180 delivery offices, 3 mail centres: Edinburgh , Glasgow, Aberdeen
• There are over 1700 Post Office branches across Scotland and just under 16,000 throughout the UK
  

Christmas Tree Vandalism Reinforces Case For CCTV - MSP

Local SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson has said that the vandalism to the Peterhead town Christmas Tree in Drummer’s Corner serves to further underline the need for CCTV in the burgh.

Mr Stevenson – a long-time campaigner for CCTV cameras for Peterhead and Fraserburgh - was speaking after vandals struck the Christmas Tree, damaging the festive lights.

Commenting, he said:

“This is deeply disappointing for the organisers who have done their very best to brighten up the town with the tree and festive lights. The people who have carried out this malicious act deserve punishment and I hope that the public will rally round and report the individuals responsible.

“This incident does serve to further underline the strong case for CCTV cameras in the town. The introduction of this, along with a ban on street-drinking, will help to make our town centres a safer and more pleasant place to be, and would also deter the type of mindless individuals who carried out this wanton act of vandalism.”