David Duguid - Newsletter December 2020

I wrote to NHS Grampian after hearing numerous complaints from residents who were struggling to access GP appointments. I was pleased to see NHS Grampian apologise to patients who encountered these issues and explain the working systems for GP practices during COVID-19. Read the full story here.
 
I welcome the commitment from the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak to extend furlough at the 80% mark for all eligible businesses who need it across the whole of our United Kingdom until March 2021. This will be welcome news to many across Banff and Buchan and again illustrates that the UK Government is continuing to support jobs in all parts of the UK. Click here for more.
 
The Prime Minister’s ’10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ is something I stand behind 100%. This will create jobs and stimulate private sector investment across the UK. It also presents a fantastic opportunity for levelling up in areas like Banff and Buchan, where we could benefit from significant investment in carbon capture and storage at St Fergus. More here.

The Chancellor’s Spending Review delivers for the whole of the UK at a crucial time.  While there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of Covid-19 vaccines, we are still facing an economic emergency. It is great to see, therefore, the UK Government providing an extra £2.4 billion in direct funding for the Scottish Government next year. This comes on top of the £8.2 billion already committed to Scotland to help deal with the pandemic this year, and I hope SNP Ministers will ensure the money is spent wisely. I was also pleased to see significant funding for agriculture and fisheries – as well as investment in subsea technology here in the north-east. The UK Government has supported jobs, public services and businesses throughout this crisis, and this announcement makes clear that will continue. Read more here.
 
 
The Fisheries Act 2020 – the first major domestic fisheries legislation in over 40 years – officially became law on Monday (Nov 23). It will enable the UK to control who fishes in UK waters through a new foreign vessel licensing regime and ends the current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in UK waters. I am delighted to see the Fisheries Act receiving Royal Assent after 10 months of scrutiny, debate and revision in parliament. I have been directly involved in this process as a local MP for Banff and Buchan, on a Fisheries Bill Committee and more recently as a Scotland Office Minister, and I know that it places the UK on a firm legal footing ahead of the end of the EU Transition Period. See the full story here.
 
 
I was also pleased to see the UK and Faroe Islands sign a fisheries agreement after a similar agreement with Norway earlier this year. There have also been memoranda of understanding signed with Greenland and Iceland. This is another important step on the UK’s way to becoming an independent coastal state and Banff and Buchan finally being able to grasp the sea of opportunity that lies ahead. More here.