Find out what David has been doing this month!

David Duguid MP Newsletter July 2020


** Welcome to the first of monthly email updates on my work here in Banff and Buchan and in Parliament serving our constituency.
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Dear John xxxxxx,

Life is starting to return to something approaching normality after several months of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has been great to see our Prime Minister and Chancellor announce ambitious plans to help our country recover, including a new £30billion economic stimulus across the UK.

The latest package includes a cut in VAT from 20% to 5% for our vital tourism and hospitality sectors, payments of £1,000 for every furloughed worker kept on till January 2021 and a £2bn 'Kickstart' plan to incentivise businesses to hire 16-24 year-olds.

There is also more money going directly to the Scottish Government, bringing the total for Holyrood up to £4.6bn since the start of the crisis.

This is an unprecedented level of support from the United Kingdom government which should be welcomed.

On a personal note, I have spent the past month settling into my new position as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

In my ministerial role, my areas of responsibility include agriculture, fisheries and energy - some of the key industries here in the north-east of Scotland.

And of course, I continue to work on behalf of all constituents across Banff and Buchan. Please get in touch (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Newsletter%20contact%20&body=Please%20include%20your%20full%20name%2C%20address%20and%20post%20code%20in%20your%20email) with my office should you require any assistance.

Yours sincerely,
David Duguid MP

Serving you in

Banff and Buchan

Although strict measures have been in place, I continue to hold telephone surgeries and my team and I have been busy helping many constituents, responding to letters and emails and even helping with prescription deliveries and shopping runs.

A number of residents in Memsie contacted me about speeding through the village. After making representations to Aberdeenshire Council on their behalf, a review is to be carried out into the speed limit through the village to see if a reduction from 40mph to 30mph is justified. For more info click here ([link removed]) .

In remembrance of the Piper Alpha disaster which claimed 167 lives 32 years ago, I paid tribute to workers in the critical energy sector. Read more here ([link removed]) .

I sent a message of support to shop staff across Banff and Buchan following Co-op's campaign to highlight the abuse many staff face. It was wrong before the pandemic and it's wrong now. I support zero tolerance towards abuse of staff in shops. Read my full statement here ([link removed]) .

I expressed concern and disappointment in the Scottish Government who have once again left Banff and Buchan behind when it comes to broadband. Latest figures show 20% of properties in Aberdeenshire cannot access speeds of 30Mpbs. It is not good enough. See more here ([link removed]) .
Serving you

in Parliament

As of 2 July, I have been Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland for one month.

On 1 July, I took my first questions at the despatch box where I spoke about the work the UK Government is doing in and for Scotland.

I have also welcomed the introduction of a UK Government white paper and consultation on plans to protect the UK Internal Market once the EU Transition Period ends in December. This legislation is essential to ensuring there are no barriers to trade between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland after Brexit. Around 545,000 Scottish jobs are supported by demand for goods and services around the UK, and businesses around Scotland – particularly in the production of food and drink – tell us that it is vital that seamless trade continues (see my appearance at the despatch box here ([link removed]) )

I welcomed a world leading package of arts funding from the British Government worth over £1.5 billion. This includes £97 million for the Scottish Government to - hopefully - support arts and culture in Banff and Buchan. You can find out more about that here ([link removed]) .

I also welcomed the huge additional package of support from the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak to businesses and workers up and down the UK. Worth up to £30 billion on top of the £160bn+ already announced during the crisis. It also represents an additional £800 million for the Scottish Government. I called on them to pass that funding on to the people, the employers and the workers of Scotland who desperately need support to stay in business and in jobs. You can find out more about the Government's plan for jobs on my website here ([link removed]) .


In the News

David talks post-Brexit Trade deals, opportunities for the Farming sector and protection for food standards (Farmer's Guardian) ([link removed])

Local MP welcomes start of trade talks between UK and Japan (Buchan Observer) ([link removed])

David sad to see MODO go (Grampian Online) ([link removed])

Local Heroes

Banff and Buchan is full of amazing people and organisations making our community a better place. I want to pay tribute to some of our local heroes each month.

Well done to Turriff Post Office who reached the finals of the Post Office 'We're stronger together' awards which recognised the contributions of local offices during the pandemic. Postmaster Leslie Henderson and Lynne Webster were also nominated as local heroes after it emerged they did not reduce working hours at any point during the pandemic - allowing customer the most opportunity to access services.

Thank you to Skye Hale-Smith, an eleven year old resident of Banff who, during the pandemic took it upon herself to help out her community with positivity packs filled with a variety of treats for people to raise their spirits. Skye is also donating the proceeds to CLAPA (Cleft Lip and Palate Association) which supports people affected with those conditions. Skye was born with a unilateral cleft lip herself and raised in the region of £230 for CLAPA. Fantastic effort and well done Skye!
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