1 SOUTH AYRSHIRE CONSERVATIVE AND UNIONIST ASSOCIATION January 202 3 Report Sharon Dowey MSP Introduction It’s been a busy few months in the Scottish Parliament, and I wanted to share what I’ve been doing to support constituents in South Ayrshire and hold the Scottish Government to account. This has involved questioning the Scottish Government on issues relati ng to health, education and justice, and pushing the SNP to leave their independence project behind in light of the recent UK Supreme Court judgement. With the country in the midst of a global cost of living crisis, now is not the time to be considering ye t another divisive referendum. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak I would like to congratulate the Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak MP on his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. With difficult decisions up ahead, I know that Rishi will 2 deliver for the whole of the UK by supporting our economy and reducing the impact of the global cost of living crisis. I hope that the Scottish Government will work collaboratively with our new Prime Minister to deliver the best possible outcomes for Scotland. United Kingdom Supreme Court Judgement Last month, the UK Supreme Court decided that legislating for an independence referendum was not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. Now that we have legal clarity on this, it’s time for the SNP Government to move on from IndyRef2 and focus on the issues that matter most. That means focusing on health, education and justice – matters that are devolved to Holyrood. Hearing of the amount of money spent on legal fees and government publications around Scottish independence, my collea gues and I have been calling on the SNP to stop spending public money on division , and start investing it in our public services. Parliamentary Committees In my role as Deputy Conven e r of the Public Audit Committee, I am continuing to ensure that public money is spent effectively by the Scottish Government and other public bodies. O n the 4 th of November this year , I questioned First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on her government’s decision to award a ferries contract to FMEL. Awarding a contract to Ferguson Marine shipyard in Glasgow has been a disaster for the Scottish Government and is letting island communities down . The aim was to provide two new ferries for the government - owned CalMac Ferries, and yet the project is now five years behind schedul e and may cost the taxpayers up to three times more than the original £97 million ‘fixed price’ set out in the contract. Here’s one of my contributions appearing in the press: 3 You can read more of what I asked Nicola Sturgeon in the Guardian and in the Public Audit Committee’s Official Report. Local Press I have continued to engage with the press during my time as an MSP. As a result, I’ve been raising awareness of my work in the community and in the Scottish Parliament, as well as promoting local campaigns: 4 Potential Closures of A&E and ICU services at Ayr Hospital After a whistleblower reached out about the potential closures to A&E and ICU services at Ayr Hospital, I wrote to Humza Yousaf asking him to categorically rule this out: 5 New Scottish Conservative Proposed Legislation in the Scottish Parliament Bill Sponsoring MSP Lead Committee Right to Addiction Recovery Douglas Ross Health, Social Care and Sport Victims, Criminal Justice, Fatal Accident Inquiries Jamie Greene Criminal Justice Removal from Office and Recall (MSPs) Graham Simpson SPPA Schools ( Residential Outdoor Education) Liz Smith Education, Children, Young People Dog Abduction Maurice Golden TBC Disability Commissioner Jeremy Balfour Equalities, Human Rights, Civil Justice Fly - tipping Murdo Fraser Net Zero Domestic Abuse (Prevention) Pam Gosal TBC Voluntary Action South Ayrshire (VASA) New Initiative Launch I was delighted to attend the official launch of Voluntary Action South Ayrshire ’s new initiative, South Ayrshire Lifeline and Cosy Spaces. South Ayrshire Lifeline is a fantastic magazine providing a range of help and support services including money and home energy tips , and m y team and I were delighted to help assist in the delivery of these across Dunure and Fisherton. With the help of Royal Mail and volunteers, South Ayrshire Lifeline has been delivered to over 50,000 homes. 6 Portfolio Questions: Health and Social Care Local communities in Ayrshire and Arran are facing a real problem with pharmacy staff shorta ges. With planned pharmacy closures and reduced opening hours becoming the norm in Ayrshire, picking up prescriptions becomes more of a challenge for vulnerable people and those who work irregular hours. From conversations that I have had with pharmacists , they’ve told me that this problem is a result of the government increasing their workload and leaving staff to work elsewhere. That’s why I asked the Scottish Government what workforce planning it has done to increase the number of pharmacists, and whet her the number of pharmacy places at Scottish universities has increased: You can listen to my questions, and the response offered by the Scottish Government, here International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women At the end of November, I spoke in my colleague Pam Gosal’s members’ business debate on recognising the international day for the elimination of violence against women. During the debate, I spoke about a case I am currently dealing with surrounding a man who assaulted multiple partners and traumatised his children. After sharing this with Parliament, I explained that violence against women and girls has no place in our society. Ultimately, it’s our responsibility to establish a system that deters and punis hes abusers and supports victims. 7 In my role as an MSP, I will continue to stand up for women and girls in the Scottish Parliament: Standing up for Women’s Rights On the topic of standing up for women, I’ve been holding the Scottish Government to account on their Gender Recognition (Reform) Bill. This Bill will change the process to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), which legally recognises that a person’s gender is not the gender that they were assigned at birth. Instead , it recognises their ‘acquired gender’. By removing the requirement for a gender dysphoria diagnosis and significantly reducing the period that one must live in their acquired gender before a GRC is issued, I’m worried that the simplified process will un dermine women’s rights. To share my concerns and stand up for women’s rights, I met with campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament in October. Listening to those outside the Scottish Parliament, it’s clear that many feel Nicola Sturgeon and the Scott ish Government are not listening to women’s concerns on this Bill. Failing to listen to women on this issue, the Scottish Government introduced the GRR Bill to Parliament: 8 I want to ensure that single - sex spaces for women are protected, keep prisons and hospital wards single - sex, and ensure that men cannot abuse the system. By allowing individuals to self - ID their gender, I’m not convinced that single - sex spaces will truly b e ‘single - sex’. While I am committed to advancing equality for trans people and making their lives easier, this Bill is not the way to do it. After lengthy consideration, my concerns that the impact of this Bill would harm women’s rights and single - sex spa ces led me to vote against it at stage one. However, with the Bill obtaining the required majority to pass the initial stage, the draft legislation passed at stage one. Following this, my Scottish Conservative colleagues tabled amendments that would have banned sex offenders from obtaining a GRC un less they could prove they had gender dysphoria. I was both astonished and extremely disappointed that the SNP and the Scottish Greens voted these amendments down. On top of this, when my Scottish Conservative colleagues and I began scrutinising the Bill in detail before Christmas, this was met with accusations from the SNP that we were deliberately delaying proceedings. While the SNP might not like this, it’s our job to scrutinise the government and their proposed legislation. During the stage three deba te before Christmas, I attended a women’s rights demonstration with campaigners outside of the Scottish Parliament: Following lengthy debates, the Bill passed with a majority of 86 to 39. As one of the 39 members to oppose this Bill, I can assure you t hat I have not changed my mind on this legislation – and I will continue to stand up for women’s rights at every turn.