Christina spoke in the debate on 25 November 2009:

“When our children can easily access the treasure troves of art and architecture from Scotland’s past and present, mark our nation’s remarkable role in the development of modern medicine, banking and commerce and be inspired by the exploration and adventures of Scots who criss-crossed the world, they will have more chance of becoming bigger people than we currently imagine.

We have a remarkable country with a remarkable history. We have made an incredible contribution to the world and we have an incredible contribution still to make. We should help Scotland’s children to celebrate that.

There is great strength in a nation that can look at its own history, mark it well, bask in the reflected glow of achievement, note its downfalls and learn from all of it. We do not own the past and we cannot prescribe or narrow it. That is not our job. We set a framework and we let the teachers teach. We do not tell them what to teach and we do not check their jotters. What is taught in Scottish history classes will be the decision of those who set the classes, those who set the exams and those who inspect them. Politicians cannot and will not interfere…

The subject is important not because studying history lodges facts, names and dates in young Scots’ minds but because it gives them a panorama of time and a vista of the nation’s experience that can inform their thinking and their concepts about the nation and the world in which they live. If memory serves, it was Ken Macintosh who said that in the chamber a while back.

History belongs to the nation.”

The full text of Christina’s speech can be read at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1125-02.htm#Col21493.

Christina spoke in the debate on 19 November 2009.

“Educational aspects will become more and more important as public spending is slashed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in London and we have less and less room for manoeuvre in the Scottish budget. Councils will face financial constraints like every other public body will, and although they will continue to want to improve education in their areas, as they have always done, I have no doubt that the pressure to find savings will be intense and that there will be a temptation here and there to look at closing schools for financial rather than educational reasons.

I believe that the people who stand for election to councils, including those who are successful, do so with the intention of improving services, and that none of them stand with a secret desire to close schools. Equally, I am sure that no councillor is elected with an ambition to find large savings from their municipal budgets. I am sure, too, that the discipline of preparing the educational arguments for HMIE will help our councillors to crystallise their thoughts on education provision in the areas for which they are responsible. That discipline will help them to improve on the already excellent work that they do.”

Read the full text of her speech at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1119-02.htm#Col21418

Christina McKelvie MSP today welcomed the unanimous support in Parliament for SNP legislation protecting Scotland’s schools.

The Schools Consultation bill – which passed today – places more stringent requirements on Councils looking to close schools.

Councils now have to explain educational benefits from closure proposals, consult for set periods of time and individuals and communities can also request that the Government calls in any decision to close a school.

During the debate, Ms McKelvie, who is a member of Holyrood’s Education Committee, said that the bill’s requirement for local authorities to prove the educational benefits of any school closure proposal would help councillors to crystalise their thoughts about educational provision in their areas.

Speaking after today’s vote, Ms McKelvie said:
“This legislation will bring extra protection to schools of all kinds across the country.

“For too long the balance of power between parents and councils when it comes to school closures has been off kilter.

“With this legislation councils proposing closures have a new set of obligations to live up to that will ensure the views of parents, children and communities are taken into account.

“I also believe the process of forcing councillors to consider the educational benefits of any closure proposal will help to stimulate further thinking about improving local education provision.

“Today’s bill sees the SNP fulfil a key manifesto commitment and deliver a better future for Scotland’s school communities.”

Christina McKelvie MSP has welcomed an announcement by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village will be built by a South Lanarkshire company, creating 50 new jobs in the area.

The £200m project will be undertaken by construction-skills company CCG. Off-site construction of timber framed houses for the Village will take place in a new factory in Cambuslang, which is due to open in April 2010. At least 60 per cent of the 50 new jobs will be recruited from the local area and half of the vacancies will be for apprentices.

SNP MSP Ms McKelvie, whose constituency includes the area from which local recruitment will take place, said:

“These new jobs will be a great boost for South Lanarkshire’s employment market.

“The area has undoubtedly taken a severe hit from the recession, and the construction sector has been badly affected, so Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement is extremely welcome.

“I congratulate CCG construction on securing these jobs for South Lanarkshire. I’m particularly pleased at the number of apprenticeships that will be created – good news for local young people who are entering the job market at a difficult time.

“I’m delighted that the area is already benefiting from the new opportunities being generated by the Commonwealth Games and that a South Lanarkshire company and its staff will be making such a key contribution to the Games’ success.

“The SNP Government has always been clear that it will ensure that the Games bring wider benefits for hard-pressed communities and South Lanarkshire will soon be getting its first Commonwealth Games Bonus.”

DEMANDS FOR 21st CENTURY END TO CHILD DETENTIONS

Welcoming news that Gordon Brown is to apologise for the UK’s role in sending thousands of its children to former colonies in the 20th century, SNP MSP for Central Scotland Christina McKelvie has repeated calls on the UK Government to end the 21st century detention of children in UK Border Agency immigration removal centres.

The SNP oppose the detention of children in Dungavel and Scottish Government efforts have led to the establishment of a pilot project intended to keep children out of the centre. However, earlier this month the SNP obtained officials figures, normally used for internal Border Agency information only, revealing that:

· between October 2008 and September 2009 103 children were detained at Dungavel in Scotland

· between July 2008 and July 2009 884 children were held at Yarls Wood in England

· between Sept 2008 and August 2009 328 children were held at Tinsley House

· 1315 children were detained in three detention centres across the UK in a 15 month period

· In the last 5 years 889 children from 488 families have been held for over 28 days – this requires ministers to personally approve continued detention.

Commenting, Ms McKelvie said:

“Gordon Brown is right to apologise for the UK’s role in sending these children to former colonies in the 20th century, this was a shameful period in our history and it is important that this is recognised.

“But today, in the 21st century, the detention of children behind barbed wire in immigration removal centres is also intolerable and must end.

“Right now Gordon Brown’s government is detaining the equivalent of a high school every year across the UK and over 100 children in Scotland. Detaining children in centres made for adults is simply wrong, and it’s time for the UK Government to end this practice.

“The SNP has had a long-standing commitment to ending this practice and has repeatedly called on the UK Government to act – not only in practice but in law through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The Scottish Government’s success in bringing a pilot project to Glasgow to keep families out of Dungavel is welcome, but it seems the UK Government is determined to ignore it’s commitments to end child detention in Scotland all together.”

SNP MSP Christina McKelvie has voiced concerns that the new tighter immigration rules announced by Gordon Brown could have a detrimental effect on Scotland because they do not take into account the unique demographic challenges facing the country.

The Prime Minister indicated in a speech today that he intends to drastically reduce the range of professions for which migrants from outside the EU will be allowed to work. Sectors such as engineering and care work could be affected.

The Scottish Government has long made the case for Scottish-specific flexibilities within the immigration system to allow for effective responses to the challenges caused by our ageing population and increasing dependency ratio, a position reiterated this week by External Affairs Minister Michael Russell during a meeting with the UK Immigration Minister, Phil Woolas

Ms McKelvie commented:

“Once again, we have another change in immigration and asylum law announced from London with no consideration for Scottish needs.

“As Michael Russell made clear just this week, Scotland should have the flexibility to attract people of working age to help fill our skills gap and contribute to growing Scotland’s economy.

“The plans announced by the Prime Minister today have the potential to ride roughshod over the unique needs of Scotland’s population and economy. I’m particularly concerned about the impact they could have on the care sector, where our workforce requirements will continue to grow as our population ages.

“This is just the most recent example of Scotland apparently not figuring at all in the UK Government’s thinking about immigration and asylum.

“It comes hot on the heels of a nonsensical rule change which forces newly arrived asylum seekers in Scotland to travel 400 miles to Croydon before they can lodge their asylum claims and evidence that the UK Government is still locking up dozens of innocent children in Dungavel, actively undermining the Scottish Government’s attempts to find alternatives to detention.

“The case for control of immigration and asylum policy being handed to the Scottish Government is now unanswerable. Gordon Brown should do the right thing before Labour at Westminster does any more damage to Scotland’s interests in this regard.”

A transcript of the Prime Minister’s immigration speech can be found at:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page21296

Michael Russell’s comments following his meeting with UK Immigration Minister Phil Woolas can be read at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/11/10085050.

Christina McKelvie MSP has signed up to ‘Think Positive’, a campaign run by NUS Scotland to tackle mental health issues among students in Scotland.

It is estimated that over 19,000 students in the Scottish Parliamentary Central Scotland region will suffer from mental ill health at some point in their lives. Across Scotland it is estimated that up to 140,000 students currently studying at college and university will experience mental health problems.

Think Positive is a project run by the National Union of Students in Scotland to tackle the stigma of mental ill health, raise awareness of this issue among students, college and university staff and the general public.

Christina McKelvie said:

“I was very pleased to sign up to NUS Scotland’s Think Positive campaign, which highlights an important issue for students.

“We have a growing student population in Lanarkshire, with flourishing institutions such as the University of the West of Scotland Hamilton campus and Motherwell College.

“University and college years are an exciting time, but they can also be very stressful. It’s essential that any student experiencing mental health problems knows that they don’t have to struggle alone and that there is support and advice available.

“It’s in all our interests that mental health problems don’t stand in the way of our students realising their full potential and getting the most from their education.”

Kainde Manji, NUS Scotland Women’s Officer, said:

“NUS Scotland’s Think Positive campaign is working with students, colleges and universities across Scotland to tackle mental ill-health among students. We believe that mental health is becoming a bigger issue across colleges and universities in Scotland and it is therefore more important than ever that we work to get the support services that people need.

“It’s great to have the support of politicians from across all parties for this valuable project and we will be working hard over the coming months and years to come together to make a difference for students suffering mental ill health.”

S3M-05144 Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): NHS Lanarkshire Reaches Finals of Health, Work and Wellbeing Award— That the Parliament wishes NHS Lanarkshire good luck at the finals of the prestigious UK National Business Awards on 10 November 2009, where it is one of the finalists competing for the Health, Work and Wellbeing Award; notes that this category recognises organisations that successfully maintain a safe and healthy working environment beyond legal obligations, promote healthy lifestyle choices, support staff with a health condition to remain in work and promote positive wellbeing and management practices throughout the organisation; congratulates occupational health staff in NHS Lanarkshire for their achievements in working to build an organisation that values and protects the health of its workers, and encourages employers across Scotland to follow their example by doing the same.

S3M-05140 Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (Scottish National Party): Memorial to Blantyre’s International Brigaders— That the Parliament is pleased to note the unveiling in Blantyre of a permanent monument to local International Brigaders Thomas Brannan, William Fox and Thomas Fleck, who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War; believes that this memorial is a fitting way to commemorate the heroism of these and other Scots who gave their lives to defend democracy against fascism, and commends the support and generosity shown by South Lanarkshire Trades Council and by ordinary people in Blantyre to ensure that future generations will remember this courageous sacrifice.