MSP Hits The Road Again With Central Buchan Surgeries

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson will be holding a series of surgeries in his Mobile office in Central Buchan villages on Friday 9 October.

The surgeries have been rearranged from his summer tour when the recall of Parliament meant that his scheduled series of stops that day had to be postponed.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“It was unfortunate that owing to unforeseen circumstances I had to postpone my surgeries which had been scheduled in Central Buchan.

“However, I will be keeping my commitment to these villages and my surgeries will take place on Friday 9 October as I feel that even in this age of instant communications it is important to be accessible to constituents in their own communities.

“I have now held over 600 constituency surgeries since I was elected to represent Banff & Buchan and seen several thousand people at my surgeries and I look forward to meeting the people of Central Buchan next week.”

Note:

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson will be available for consultation in his mobile office at the following locations. No appointment is necessary although constituents are welcome to phone the Constituency Office in advance on 01779 470444 to advise their attendance.

Friday 9 October

10.00 - 10.25 NEW PITSLIGO, The Square
10.40 - 11.05 STRICHEN, North Street
11.20 - 11.35 MEMSIE, adj. BT exchange
11.45 - 12.00 RATHEN, adj. public hall
12.10 - 12.25 LONMAY, adj. Ban Car Hotel
13.45 - 13.55 NEW LEEDS, Manse St.
14.10 - 14.25 FETTERANGUS, Hall car park
14.40 - 14.55 OLD DEER, opp. old Post Office
15.05 - 15.20 STUARTFIELD, The Square
15.30 - 15.45 AUCHNAGATT, Hall car park
16.00 - 16.20 NEW DEER, Hall car park
16.30 - 16.45 MAUD, Station car park

MSPs Congratulate Long-Serving Fraserburgh Manager Ahead Of 1000th Game In Charge

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has written to congratulate Charlie Duncan, manager of Fraserburgh FC for almost 25 years, ahead of his 1000th game in charge this Saturday. The Fraserburgh manager will clock up this remarkable achievement in the coming Scottish Cup replay against Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic.

Additionally, North East SNP MSP Maureen Watt has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament congratulating Charlie Duncan and Fraserburgh FC on their long and successful partnership.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“For any manager to be in charge of a football club for 1000 games and almost 25 years is a remarkable achievement, but at this level of the game it is truly exceptional.

“Charlie Duncan has created a terrific record during his time in charge of the club, something that is testament to his loyalty and abilities as a manager. Given the immense history of the Scottish Cup, there could scarcely be a more appropriate competition for this milestone to take place in.”

Ms Watt added:

“It is entirely right that we take the time to applaud an achievement that we are unlikely to see repeated at any time in the near future. I congratulate Charlie Duncan on his record to date and am sure there is still more to come from his time as manager of Fraserburgh FC.”

Stevenson Backs Carbon Capture Research

Detailed research to identify sites beneath the North Sea where carbon dioxide can be stored safely will be backed with Scottish Government funding, it was announced today.

The Scottish Government will contribute £75,000 towards the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage study.

Previous research has shown that Scotland can accommodate industrial emissions generated in Scotland and North East of England for the next 200 years. The research will now make detailed assessments of the potential of specific sites.

Speaking at a conference on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Climate Change Minister and Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson said:

"Carbon capture and storage will play a critical role in Scotland's future energy mix and has the potential for a whole new industry supporting up to 10,000 new jobs.

"We already know that Scotland has the storage capacity, the natural resources, and the technological know how for CCS to reduce emissions and produce clean energy.

"The second phase of this collaborative research, which also includes financial contributions from all industrial partners, will further assess carbon dioxide storage sites under the North Sea.

"We have been pushing hard in Europe to promote CCS opportunities in Scotland and will bid to lead the EU's CO2 transport and storage network study later this year.

"We also continue to press the UK Government for quick action on the CCS competition, where we are hopeful that a Scottish entrant will be successful. We want to see CCS develop in Scotland and demonstration projects as soon as possible. Scotland can be a world leader in CCS and we will take every possible step to make this a reality."