Stevenson Welcomes SNP Commitment To End Graduate Endowment

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed the proposal by Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop to scrap the Graduate Endowment scheme.

Mr Stevenson said:

"The graduate endowment scheme was always a fudge, introduced by the Lib-Lab coalition in 2001 to replace the highly unpopular tuition fees.

"It was introduced as part of a system of student support based on the principles of the Cubie committee: student support should promote social inclusion, barriers to widening access and participation should be removed. It is a policy that has failed to deliver those aims.

"The SNP want to see Scottish Education return to the principle that it is an individual's ability to learn, not their ability to pay, that dictates their educational achievement.

"Not only is the graduate endowment unreasonable, at a time when we need to invest in our most important resource, our people, it is also singularly inefficient as a method of raising money.

"I hope that our proposal will gain support, particularly from the Lib-Dems, who were always keen to peddle the half-truth that tuition fees had been abolished, when, in reality, the graduate endowment meant they were simply deferred.

"I regard this is a positive step forward for Scotland and the removal of a barrier to young people achieving their full potential. It also demonstrates the SNP's commitment to a thriving higher education sector, which us particularly relevant in this region given the need for the Crichton to continue to flourish and expand."

Key rural roads to benefit from major investment

Schemes worth a combined total of £32 million get underway today to improve two vital links for the communities and businesses in the north west and south west of Scotland.

A £22.8 million scheme will upgrade the last remaining section of single track trunk road in the country by turning a 7.7km section of the A830 in the West Highlands into two-lane status.

Transport Scotland will also invest £9.2 million into Dumfries and Galloway's infrastructure by widening the A75 at three sections along the 159 km trunk road to provide safe overtaking opportunities.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: "The importance of both trunk roads to the communities and businesses they serve can not be underestimated. The A830 provides a lifeline connection for the rural West Highlands and this investment will give the region a stronger economic link for the future.

“The A75 plays a valuable role in the south west, linking South Ayrshire with Dumfries and Galloway and work there will safely improve traffic flow and improve connections.

“But both roads are also important nationally, playing a valuable role in Scotland’s transport network and providing links to ferry connections. I am delighted that work gets underway today.”

The section of the A830 in the North West stretches from Arisaig to Loch nan Uamh and forms part of the ‘Road to the Isles’ that links Fort William to Mallaig.

The project will significantly improve safety, traffic flow and journey times and result in better links with Mallaig’s ferry connections to Skye. It will also strengthen connections for the area’s businesses and the tourist industry which is so vital to the regional economy.

The A75 work will also improve safety and traffic flow by allowing faster moving vehicles to overtake platoons of slower vehicles - reducing driver frustration and improving journey times.

A 875m section of the South West route at Barfil to Bettyknowes will have overtaking opportunities provided and the road alignment improved. A 375m section of road at Newton Stewart will also be widened with a cycle route provided to take cyclists away from the trunk road, through Newton Stewart. And from Planting End to Drumflower a 1km stretch will be widened to allow overtaking with alignment also being improved.

Both the Barfil to Bettyknowes and Planting End to Drumflower schemes will also include the provision of safe crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists.

The A75 links South Ayrshire with Dumfries and Galloway through Stranraer, Dumfries and Gretna. It connects ferry terminals at Stranraer with the M74 and A77.

Contractor Graham Construction will deliver the A75 works that will be complete in spring 2008. The contractor for the A830 work is Morrison Construction and this scheme will be complete in early 2009.

Traffic management will be required to allow work to be safely delivered on both schemes and this will result in a level disruption to road users. Drivers are urged to plan their journeys accordingly.

Notes:

1) Transport Scotland is the national transport agency responsible for trunk roads, rail and national concessionary travel. It is an Executive agency directly accountable to Scottish Ministers and came into effect on 1 January 2006. For further information visit www.transportscotland.gov.uk

2) To consider public transport options visit www.travelinescotland.com or www.transportdirect.info

3) The value of the Arisaig work is £22.8 million with £3 million coming from European funding and the remainder being funded by Transport Scotland.

Road accident figures 'disappointing'

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson today expressed disappointment at road accident statistics for Scotland which show a ten per cent rise in fatalities.

Figures published today show that 314 people died on Scotland's roads in 2006, a 10 per cent rise from 2005, including 14 more child fatalities.

In response, the Minister announced:

• He will be bringing together an expert panel from across Scotland and beyond to advise on additional road safety measures
• That this will form part of a new 10-year strategy to improve road safety in Scotland

Mr Stevenson said:

"For each affected family, this will have been traumatic. For Scotland, each fatality is one too many. So today's statistics are more than a mere disappointment.

"I hope today's statistics will be a wake up call to drivers who take unnecessary risks and to those who put lives in danger. But we can all do more to make our roads safer.

"That is why I will be bringing together experts from across Scotland to form part of a new ten year strategy to improve road safety across the country.

"We must ingrain a deeper understanding of road safety and develop a more responsible attitude among young people. We have the chance to shape their behaviour before they even step into a vehicle.

A primary school educational resource for younger children is also being rolled out.

Mr Stevenson added:

"A road safety resource "Streetsense 2" will be provided to every primary school in Scotland as part of the effort to educate people of all ages on road safety.

"Streetsense will help give younger primary school children vital understanding of the dangers of the road - the importance of which has been brought home to all of us with today's worrying child fatality stats."

The provisional total number of people killed in road accidents in Scotland in 2006 was 314: 28 (10 per cent) more than in 2005. This figure is the fifth lowest since current records began more than fifty years ago and although there have been rises in some years, the general trend in road accidents fatalities has been downward. The previous year's statistics showed the lowest fatality rate for more than 50 years.

Today's statistics also show falls in the number of people who were seriously injured and in the number slightly injured.

However, the figures show that there were 25 child fatalities in 2006, 14 more than in 2005.

The Minister will bring together experts from across Scotland and beyond - the police, advanced driving experts, road safety organisations, the Children's Commissioner, youth groups and others - to advise on what more could be done and identify options to provide greater protection for drivers.

This will help to inform a new 10 year strategy for road safety in Scotland.

Streetsense is an educational resource for teachers to allow them to teach road safety to young children. It was developed by Road Safety Scotland and includes: Separate booklets which progress through different levels, suggested lesson plans, pupil worksheets, suggested answer sheets, parent/guardian information and task sheets, written assessments with answers, activity record sheets, glossary, word flashcards, curricular links, summary of activities, teachers' notes, Gym Cards, Audio CD's, photographs, posters, and leaflets. Copies will now be made available to every primary school in Scotland. It will help teach children from an early age about keeping safe when using the roads.

The Scottish Executive is funding a six month pilot scheme in the Grampian Police area, aimed at increasing take up of the Pass Plus post test driver training scheme. Pass Plus provides training on elements of driving not covered in the driving test, including driving in town, on rural roads, at night, in all weathers, an dual carriageways and on motorways. The Executive is paying £75 towards the cost of the training in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Council areas, in addition to grants offered by the Councils themselves.

Road Safety Scotland is implementing a strategy for road safety education which aims to ensure that children receive a minimum amount of road safety education covering all stages of their formal education, from pre-school to upper secondary school. Road Safety Scotland oversees the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland, which offers road safety training to all 3 year old children in Scotland. Membership of the Club is free with Executive funding.

Crash Magnets, a resource for upper secondary pupils, developed by Road Safety Scotland, is aimed at encouraging responsible attitudes to driving and being a passenger in cars before young people get behind the wheel. It covers issues such as speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use and seat belt usage.