Grant moves freight onto Caledonian Canal

The Scottish government is spending £255,000 on a plan to put freight onto the Caledonian Canal, which it reckons will take 15,000 lorry trips off the road.

The 60 mile Caledonian Canal runs the length of the Great Glen allowing vessels to sail from the west coast via Fort William up to Inverness and the North Sea.

A six month pilot scheme aims to transport 7,600 tonnes of timber on the canal as well as 6,000 tonnes of timber from Loch Etive to Corpach.

In addition, a mobile floating pier on Loch Etive will be used to transfer 108,000 tonnes of timber by water over the next five years.

Following a maiden voyage by the MV Kanutta through the canal, Stewart Stevenson, Scottish minister for transport, infrastructure and climate change, said:

“Not only will this route further open up Scotland for business, it will also support our aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taking lorries off our roads, and helping to clear congestion on the vital A82 route.

“The Scottish Government is working closely with British Waterways and Highland and Islands Enterprise to enable our canals to become an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative transport method.”

Stevenson Hails 29% Increase In Aberdeenshire Apprenticeships Under SNP Government

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed figures which show the availability of Modern Apprenticeships has increased dramatically under the current Scottish Government. During the previous administration, apprenticeship places across Scotland fell by 20% from 20,649 to 16,930 but they have been restored to 20,218 since the SNP took office. Adult apprenticeships fell by just over 4,000 during the previous administration from over 11,000 to 7,359 but have also increased to over 11,000 under the current Scottish Government.

In Aberdeenshire, the increase in places is above the average, with a 29% growth in places since 2006/07. There are now 824 apprenticeships available in the area compared to 640 at the end of the previous administration.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“I am delighted that the SNP Government is successfully reversing the previous administration’s legacy of neglect when it comes to apprenticeship places. Apprenticeships are more important than ever during these difficult economic times as people seek to retrain and learn new skills.

“The situation in Aberdeenshire is well ahead of the national average and is testament to the fact that apprenticeships are clearly important to the fishing and oil & gas industries.

“These places are a key part of our economic recovery strategy and the contrast to the previous administration clearly shows that the SNP is the only party which can be trusted to protect and create jobs for people across Scotland.”

Stevenson Welcomes Positive Talks With UK Minister On School Transport Safety

Banff & Buchan MSP and Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson has written to his Westminster counterpart, UK Transport Minister Mike Penning to see if legislation on school bus seatbelts could be transferred to Holyrood.

Mr Stevenson was speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee. The meeting was also attended by Banffshire campaigner Ron Beaty.

Mr Stevenson said the Scottish Government had previously had talks on the issue with the UK Government "without getting any sense that that would be a request which if made would be accepted". However, with the recent change in the UK Government and positive talks with the new Minister, this is something that Mr Stevenson and Schools Minister Keith Brown would work on.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

"Keith Brown, the Schools Minister, wrote to Mike Penning in June seeking to see what could be done in terms of legislative competence in terms of seatbelts.

"I think we`ve subsequently become aware of what has happened in Wales and how that competence has been given there.

"I`ve been discussing that this morning with the Minister from the UK Government and I think it is clear that is an area where we can make significant progress in terms of taking forward school bus safety."