Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
Karen Adam is now the MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast
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14 January 2011
Local MP & MSP Meet With Ernst & Young
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson and MP Eilidh Whiteford will meet with senior officials from Ernst & Young this afternoon for an update and discussions on the Les Taylor Group. The meeting will take place at the Les Taylor Group Head Office at Longside Road, Mintlaw. Local Aberdeenshire councillor for Central Buchan Norman Smith will also be attending.
12 January 2011
Stevenson Comments on TV Chef's Fish Campaign
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has welcomed the publicity given to the struggle that Scottish fishermen face and the heartbreaking practice of discards which ineffective EU rules force upon them, thanks to the launch of TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight campaign.
The first in the series of programmes was broadcast yesterday (Tuesday) and graphically highlighted the CFP regulations which force fishing vessels to dump tonnes of perfectly good fish back into the sea.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
“I welcome anything that brings the crazy conditions that the fishing industry to the forefront of public consciousness. Where some previous programmes examining the issue have been less than balanced, I was happy to see that Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall got right to the heart of the matter in identifying the ineffective Common Fisheries Policy as the cause of discards.
“It is heartbreaking for all involved in the fishing industry to be forced to discard perfectly good fish because of regulations that are simply not suitable for a mixed fishery.
“Nobody has a greater stake in building a profitable but sustainable fishing industry than people in the industry itself. Indeed the Scottish fleet has led Europe in trying to introduce more sustainable methods such as selective fishing gears, real time closures and lately the catch-quota scheme which allows vessels to land more but catch less.
“However, the fundamental fact is that responsibility for managing the waters off Scotland’s coast needs to be taken away from Brussels and put under regional control. With negotiations over reform of the CFP approaching, that must be a clear priority for everyone with the interests of the fishing industry at heart.”
The first in the series of programmes was broadcast yesterday (Tuesday) and graphically highlighted the CFP regulations which force fishing vessels to dump tonnes of perfectly good fish back into the sea.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
“I welcome anything that brings the crazy conditions that the fishing industry to the forefront of public consciousness. Where some previous programmes examining the issue have been less than balanced, I was happy to see that Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall got right to the heart of the matter in identifying the ineffective Common Fisheries Policy as the cause of discards.
“It is heartbreaking for all involved in the fishing industry to be forced to discard perfectly good fish because of regulations that are simply not suitable for a mixed fishery.
“Nobody has a greater stake in building a profitable but sustainable fishing industry than people in the industry itself. Indeed the Scottish fleet has led Europe in trying to introduce more sustainable methods such as selective fishing gears, real time closures and lately the catch-quota scheme which allows vessels to land more but catch less.
“However, the fundamental fact is that responsibility for managing the waters off Scotland’s coast needs to be taken away from Brussels and put under regional control. With negotiations over reform of the CFP approaching, that must be a clear priority for everyone with the interests of the fishing industry at heart.”
Stevenson Calls For End To Fuel Duty Highway Robbery
SCOTLAND’S PARLIAMENT NEEDS FINANCIAL POWERS
SNP MSP for Banff & Buchan Stewart Stevenson has hit out at the reneging of a Tory and Lib Dem promise over soaring fuel prices, as the SNP vowed to make the need for a Fuel Duty Regulator and bringing down the cost of fuel a key Holyrood election issue.
Local MSP Mr Stevenson pointed out that cutting fuel by 10p per litre in Scotland would only cost about half of the estimated £1 billion in extra revenue the Treasury is set to rake in as a result of rising oil prices.
Prices for unleaded in Banff & Buchan are hitting 130p per litre while diesel can be higher than a staggering 140p per litre at some garages in the North-east.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
“The country is crying-out for action to bring down fuel prices, and the Holyrood election campaign is a vital opportunity for Scotland to demand that the Scottish Parliament has the economic and financial tools needed to act in the interests of our communities and the travelling public. Westminster – where the powers currently lie – has failed to do anything, and the Tories and Lib Dems have reneged on their pre-election promises.
“Across Banff & Buchan hard-pressed families are being hit really hard by soaring fuel prices in a nation that produces huge amounts of oil, much of which comes ashore in this very constituency. That is just outrageous.
“The untaxed price per litre is less than 50p and margins for fuel retailers are actually quite small. The bulk of the cost is tax with over 70p going to the treasury per litre through fuel tax and VAT.
“This is a huge issue on the doorstep and the forecourts – and the SNP will make it a big issue in the election. It is a key illustration of why we need to build up Scotland’s Parliament, and equip it with the full powers of financial responsibility.
“A Fuel Duty Regulator – which the Tories supported before the election – would bring duty down when oil prices go up. Cutting fuel by 10p per litre in Scotland would only cost about half of the estimated £1 billion in extra revenue the Treasury is set to rake in as a result of rising oil prices.
“It’s a national scandal that, in Europe’s oil-richest country, people in Scotland are paying among the highest fuel prices.”
SNP MSP for Banff & Buchan Stewart Stevenson has hit out at the reneging of a Tory and Lib Dem promise over soaring fuel prices, as the SNP vowed to make the need for a Fuel Duty Regulator and bringing down the cost of fuel a key Holyrood election issue.
Local MSP Mr Stevenson pointed out that cutting fuel by 10p per litre in Scotland would only cost about half of the estimated £1 billion in extra revenue the Treasury is set to rake in as a result of rising oil prices.
Prices for unleaded in Banff & Buchan are hitting 130p per litre while diesel can be higher than a staggering 140p per litre at some garages in the North-east.
Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:
“The country is crying-out for action to bring down fuel prices, and the Holyrood election campaign is a vital opportunity for Scotland to demand that the Scottish Parliament has the economic and financial tools needed to act in the interests of our communities and the travelling public. Westminster – where the powers currently lie – has failed to do anything, and the Tories and Lib Dems have reneged on their pre-election promises.
“Across Banff & Buchan hard-pressed families are being hit really hard by soaring fuel prices in a nation that produces huge amounts of oil, much of which comes ashore in this very constituency. That is just outrageous.
“The untaxed price per litre is less than 50p and margins for fuel retailers are actually quite small. The bulk of the cost is tax with over 70p going to the treasury per litre through fuel tax and VAT.
“This is a huge issue on the doorstep and the forecourts – and the SNP will make it a big issue in the election. It is a key illustration of why we need to build up Scotland’s Parliament, and equip it with the full powers of financial responsibility.
“A Fuel Duty Regulator – which the Tories supported before the election – would bring duty down when oil prices go up. Cutting fuel by 10p per litre in Scotland would only cost about half of the estimated £1 billion in extra revenue the Treasury is set to rake in as a result of rising oil prices.
“It’s a national scandal that, in Europe’s oil-richest country, people in Scotland are paying among the highest fuel prices.”
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