Sir Menzies Campbell MP and local councillor Donald Lothian survey where a burn burst its banks in Falkland, North East Fife.

Following the extensive flooding witnessed in North East Fife over the past few days, local MP Menzies Campbell and MSP Iain Smith have praised the emergency services and residents for their “swift action” and have called for a full review of North East Fife’s flood plan.

Sir Menzies Campbell MP said, “It was clear from my visit to affected areas in the constituency yesterday (Wednesday) that the amount of water and the damage that ensued had taken most people by surprise. The work of the emergency services and residents alike must be commended for their swift action and the following clear up.

“It is also apparent that there is a need for a full review of North East Fife’s flood plans. We must identify where flood prevention needs bolstering and how residents can be protected in the future.”

Iain Smith MSP said, “The priority is to ensure that all residents affected have any damage to their homes fixed as a mater of urgency. It is imperative that all agencies are doing everything they possibly can to help those affected.”

“By all accounts the emergency services did a very good job during this flooding but it is clear that a full review of flood plans needs to be carried out. Questions need to be asked such as: Is the current flood prevention needing updated? What future measures need to be put in place? Is emergency service cover adequate?

“The areas where flooding has occurred up and down the constituency needs to be identified and evaluated in order to ascertain what more can be done to minimise future disruption and damage.”

ENDS

Menzies Campbell with members of Cupar & District Driving Instructors protesting against the test centre’s closure.

North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Menzies Campbell is continuing to fight against the closure of the Cupar Driving Test Centre and has again written to Jim Fitzpatrick the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport to press the case for keeping it open.

Menzies Campbell said, “The Minister has informed me that the Cupar Test Centre will close on 30th September 2008 but I am not prepared to accept this without a fight.

“I have called on the Minister to review this decision and to carry out an up-to-date examination of local circumstances which in my view more than justifies keeping the Cupar centre open.”

Ends

Liberal Democrat MP and MSP for North East Fife, Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP have expressed their deep disappointment at the decision by the Royal Mail to go ahead with their proposals for closure in North East Fife and have branded the consultation period as nothing more than an exercise in futility.

Commenting on today’s news, North East Fife’s MSP Iain Smith said, “This is an absolute disgrace. The Royal Mail has clearly ignored the views of the people in North East Fife. Gordon Brown and the Labour Government must take full responsibility as their instructions to the Royal Mail to unnecessarily close post offices have caused this quite unacceptable situation.

“I made a point of stating at the beginning of this consultation period that it should in no way replicate the shambolic consultation which surrounded the St Andrews Post Office last year which only acted as means for the Royal Mail to tell residents of their final plans. Again, it appears that this consultation is little more than a sham.

“It is clear that this is a Government that does not listen and a Royal Mail that has no interest in its customers. Rest assured that we will continue to campaign against this. ”

Sir Menzies Campbell MP said, “What is the point of consultation when the Royal Mail simply plough ahead with their original proposals regardless of public opinion and the undoubted inconvenience which will be caused.

“I am particularly concerned about residents in Lower Largo, Cupar, Guardbridge and in the Scoonie Road area of Leven. In my view there is an overwhelming case for retention of these facilities which has simply been ignored.”

ENDS

Following this afternoon’s (Tuesday) meeting with KPMG Director Gary Fraser, administrator of Curtis Fine Papers in Guardbridge, North East Fife’s MP and MSP, who have been spearheading the discussions, noted that there is still “a glimmer of hope” for the mill if a buyer can be found in the next couple of weeks.

Commenting, Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP said, “We have urged KPMG to do all that they can to keep the mill as a going concern. It is important that the window of opportunity is maintained to give any individual or institution the best possible chance to acquire the business. It is clear that time is of the essence in this instance.

“We would very much like to see the mill continue to make paper as the facilities and people are there for it to do so however, if paper making is no longer an option it is important that every step is taken so that job opportunities are created on site.”

ENDS

North East Fife MSP Iain Smith and MP Sir Menzies Campbell today (Monday) met John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary fro Finance and Sustainable Growth, in Edinburgh to discuss the future of Curtis Fine Papers after last week’s announcement that the company was in administration.

In a joint statement after the meeting the Parliamentarians said, “We had a constructive meeting with the Cabinet Secretary and his officials. We emphasised our belief that everything should be done to try and preserve the business, and in particular that the Scottish government and Scottish Enterprise should use all their contacts to try to identify potential buyers or investors. We were encouraged by the Cabinet Secretary’s response that he shared that ambition.

“We have arranged to meet the administrators tomorrow (Tuesday) when we will again emphasise the importance of keeping the business going.”

In light of the recent news that Curtis Fine Papers, based in Guardbridge, have had to call in the administrators with the loss of up to 260 jobs, North East Fife Parliamentarians Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP have issued the following statement.

“This is a devastating blow for Guardbridge and the local economy the paper mill has been a major employer for over 100 years and it is deeply concerning that 180 jobs have been lost with immediate effect and another 80 threatened.

“We have contacted John Swinney’s Office to ask for an urgent meeting with the cabinet secretary to discuss what the Scottish Government can do to assist either in keeping the paper mill as a going concern or to assist in finding new jobs for our constituents.

“We will also be seeking an urgent meeting with the administrators KPMG to explore the prospects for salvaging jobs at the mill. Furthermore, we will also be seeking an early meeting with representatives of the work force and are ready to assist wherever possible.”

ENDS

North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell today visited Forth Coastguard station at Fife Ness in the constituency to talk to staff about the vitally important work that they do for the fishing industry, shipping and leisure in the Forth coast area.

Sir Menzies has previously highlighted the importance of the services provided by the Coastguard during the course of a debate about the Coastguard Agency in House of Commons. He told his Parliamentary colleagues that for the fishing industry the availability of coastguard cover 365 days of the year was essential for safety and confidence.

Commenting after his visit Sir Menzies said, “The importance of the Coastguard service to all users of the coast and sea is clear. The job they do 365 days a year, round the clock is absolutely vital.

“The skill and dedication of Coastguard officers at Fife Ness, which I have seen today, is remarkable and my whole-hearted thanks go out to them for the vital job which they are doing.”

North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell formally opened the newly refurbished Gateside Memorial Hall on Sunday 22nd June.

North East Fife Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP have thrown their weight behind the campaign by the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters to save the Post Office card account (POCA2), which enables over 4 million people to access their pensions and benefits at a Post Office each week.

The current contract for providing pensions and benefits is due for renewal by the Government and Liberal Democrats are keen that the Post Office is awarded the new card account. The National Federation of Sub-Postmasters estimates that the loss of this service will result in 3000 more Post offices being forced to close.

This move, coupled with the current Post Office plans to close Post Offices in North East Fife, has been branded by Sir Menzies and Mr Smith as a “full scale offensive” on the vital service offered by the local Post Office.

Ming said:

“I have said it time and time again. Post Offices have a very important role to play in people’s lives. They are vital assets for many local people and any closure will cause inconvenience. Post Offices are also ideally placed to provide pensions and benefits.

“Liberal Democrats have vigorously opposed the Government’s plans to close 2,500 Post offices this year, on top of the 4,000 they have already closed, along with the 3,500 closed by the Conservatives. If pensions and benefits can no longer be obtained from Post Offices this would damage the PO network even more. This full scale offensive must be resisted.”

ENDS

I shall vote against the Government—not because I am soft on terror or because I fail to recognise the seriousness of the threat, but because I believe that the Government’s proposals are profoundly mistaken, and that they are wrong in both principle and practice.

Much of what I might have said has already been eloquently expressed by my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) and the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis). In approaching this matter, we all have a responsibility to show independent judgment, and we must exercise that judgment in striking a balance between the competing interests of security and individual freedom. If I have a criticism of the debate so far, it is that the second of these interests has formed a smaller part of our proceedings than I would have wished.

When I look across at the Labour Benches, I am reminded that for a long time Labour Members voted against the renewal of prevention of terrorism legislation so far as it applied to Northern Ireland. In 1987, after I was elected, I participated in the votes on that. In those days, Labour voted against, but then, lo, there came out of the north-east a new young shadow Home Secretary from the constituency of Sedgefield, and he persuaded his party that instead of voting against, abstention would be sufficient. My point is that Labour Members did all that through exercising their independent judgment, and we too must exercise that when the matter currently under discussion goes to the vote. My objection to the Government position has been echoed by many Members in our debate: they have simply failed to prove the case at this time for the extension of the period of detention that they seek.

I do not rely on the judgments of others. That is a kind of political card game: “You play your Lord Stevens, and I’ll play my Lord Falconer, and what did Lord Goldsmith have to say about this?”—or Lord Carlile, for that matter. Such judgments may be persuasive, but they are by no means determinative of the positions we must take.

I would have had more respect for the Government if they had been willing to put their case simply, frankly and bluntly. I am not against consultation, but the scurrying around of the last few days and weeks has been demeaning to the Government, and also to Parliament. Compensation for miners is, no doubt, an extremely important issue, as is raising the economic blockade of Cuba, but what the devil have they got to do with the prevention of terrorism in the United Kingdom? Also, from where have come the allegations of Danegeld for the Democratic Unionist party? I hope that none of these stories is true; I hope that they are all the product of fevered imaginations. However, if they are part of what is necessary for the Government to have their legislation, I suspect that they are not a price worth paying.

I will vote against the Government because any time any Government seek to diminish the freedoms that are the cornerstone of our system, it is our duty collectively and individually to hold that Government to account and to subject them to the most rigorous scrutiny. That duty transcends all our other responsibilities; it is our primary duty. It is the constitutional reason why we are sent to this place, and, if I may be excused sounding somewhat flippant, I should say that it has nothing to do with the communications allowance, nothing to do with how many prepaid envelopes we use, and nothing to do with seeking to be regarded as the constituency MP of the year. Our job is to hold the Government to account and to scrutinise them as rigorously as we can. When what they are seeking to do interferes with the liberty of the citizen, that duty is even more important than it normally is.

That duty transcends the credibility, and even the survival, of the Prime Minister. This debate and the vote that we will have in due course should not be about whether he is strengthened or weakened, because the issue is whether the rights of our citizens are strengthened or weakened by what we do in this place. I shall vote against the Government, because I think that the so-called concessions are—to use less elegant language than the Joint Committee on Human Rights did—political boiler plate.
The concessions leave far too much to the discretion of the Home Secretary, they are—as the hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve) has pointed out in several telling interventions—complicated to the point of incomprehensibility and ambiguity, and they blur the distinction between the responsibility of Parliament and the administration of justice. If we make a judgment that it is necessary to introduce the reserve power, and if that judgment is based on the circumstances surrounding an individual case, we inevitably become engaged in the administration of justice. The inferences that may be drawn from either a willingness or an unwillingness to accept the Government’s case could be substantial in the subsequent disposal of the case against that person. I have searched my memory, and searched elsewhere, but I can think of no other instance when the House of the Commons has been called on to pass legislation based on individual circumstances after criminal proceedings have been commenced against an individual. If that is not a novel constitutional doctrine, I do not know what is.

If we want to defeat the terrorists, we have to defeat not only their wish to blow up buildings, but their wish to damage and undermine the very freedoms upon which our system is based.

The Home Secretary gave the game away earlier today when she said, “Trust me.” Of course one starts with a presumption in favour of trusting the Home Secretary, but such trust has not always been justified in every Home Secretary who has occupied that Front-Bench post since I first entered this House, and it is not likely to be justified in every future case. Parliament can exercise an informed judgment only if the information is put before it. If the information is put before Parliament in sufficient quantity, and it is of sufficient quality to enable it to exercise that judgment, that raises precisely the point that the hon. Gentleman makes: that the prejudice to the individual may be overwhelming.

Once freedoms of the kind that we are debating are removed or even diminished, they are not easily recovered. We should never imagine that what we now take for granted was handed out by benevolent monarchs or by altruistic Governments. They were won. Sometimes they had to be seized physically, and sometimes they could be seized by political or other methods. But they had to be acquired, because the natural acquisitiveness of the Executive means that it takes power to itself as often as it can. If we give the power back, how difficult will it be to restore the freedoms and the personal liberty that we regard as so important?

It is not right to legislate on the basis of what might be. It is much less right to legislate on the basis of what might be when that involves an attack on freedom and liberty. The reason why I was a little disparaging about Stevens, Falconer, Goldsmith and Carlile was that we should not be moved by the opinions of others. On an issue of this kind, we should be moved by our own judgment, and that is why I will vote against the Government.

Sir Menzies Campbell has asked the Scottish Government for a second time for their views on the re-introduction of a passenger railway line after the Minister failed to respond to Sir Menzies’ earlier inquiry.

Sir Menzies, who has been campaigning for the re-introduction of the passenger rail link for the Levenmouth area, had written to the Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson back in April asking what plans, if any, the Government had for the railway’s re-introduction. The reply that was received recently came from the Chief Executive of Transport Scotland, which noted the current position with the SEStran feasibility study.

Commenting Sir Menzies said, “The Minister has failed to answer the question here and I have again pressed him for an answer. It is clear that the re-introduction of a passenger rail link to Levenmouth would be hugely beneficial to the regeneration of the area. The social and economic advantages are huge.

“I want it, Levenmouth wants it, Fife Council wants it, lets see if the Scottish Government wants it.

Sir Menzies Campbell MP has expressed his “profound disappointment” at reports that the UK Government’s proposed regulations for Ship-to-Ship (STS) oil transfers will not have any bearing on the Firth of Forth, despite undertakings given earlier this year.

Sir Menzies supported Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz’s Private Members Bill in the House of Commons earlier this year, which was later withdrawn in good faith after the Under Secretary for Transport gave an assurance that the Government would take action.

Commenting on the proposed regulations Sir Menzies said, “This consultation does not include a single proposal which would prevent STS in the Firth of Forth. At the time of the Government undertaking to deal with this matter I called for firm actions and not words but it looks like the proposed measures have completely ignored the threat to the Firth of Forth. This is not good enough. The Private Members Bill was withdrawn in good faith and the Government have quite simply taken advantage.

“These unregulated STS oil transfers in the Firth of Forth pose a huge and unnecessary risk to the environment and to the quality of life of everyone who lives along the Forth’s coastline.”

North East Fife’s Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians, Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP have reiterated their call to fight against Post Office closures and have called on the communities affected to make their voices heard.

The Post Office is proposing to close Cupar’s Westport Post Office and the offices at Lower Largo, Newton of Falkland and Scoonie Road in Leven together with a further proposal to change Guardbridge to an outreach Post Office (such as in Springfield).

Sir Menzies and Mr Smith are writing to the Postmasters, residents, community councils and all councillors in the areas affected asking for their views on the proposals from the Post Office.

Commenting, Sir Menzies and Mr Smith said, “We have said it before and we will say it again, Post Offices have an important role to play in peoples lives. They are vital assets for many local people and any closure will cause inconvenience.

“Fife Council must be congratulated on its efforts to help Fife’s Post offices by transferring its bill paying facilities from Local Offices to Post Offices. This kind of innovative thinking has given a boost to services.

“We want to hear from the people affected by these changes and what they think. The consultation period is a chance to make local views know to the Post Office. We hope that this consultation means more than the flawed consultation process instigated for St Andrews Crown Post Office.”

Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead MSP is playing politics with Pittenweem says Lib Dem MP for North East Fife Sir Menzies Campbell.

Commenting on the launch of a consultation document on the Scottish fishing industry today, local MP Sir Menzies Campbell accused Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead of playing politics with Pittenweem.

Sir Menzies said, “I met with senior representatives of the FMA (Fisherman’s Mutual Association) on the 17th April at Pittenweem and thereafter I wrote to Richard Lochhead on 23rd April drawing attention to the plight of fishermen at Pittenweem who could not afford to go to sea because of the price of oil. I asked what proposals he had for the future of the fishing industry.

“I have only had a formal acknowledgement of my letter and no adequate reply. Today he is visiting Pittenweem and making announcements about the fishing industry.

“He chose not to tell either the constituency MP or MSP that he intended to do so. This is a breach of the Ministerial Code and serious discourtesy. SNP Ministers don’t know how to behave. This is not the first time they have failed to observe proper practise when visiting North East Fife. Fishing in Scotland, and in North East Fife in particular is far too important to be treated in this partisan way. After Mr Lochhead’s caravan has moved on, Pittenweem will need more than Ministerial photo opportunities,” concluded Sir Menzies.

The Liberal Democrat Constituency MSP for North East Fife, Iain Smith raised this matter in the Scottish Parliament today as a point of order. Mr Smith said, “Whilst I welcome Mr Lochhead’s recognition of the importance of the village based fishing industry and of Pittenweem in particular, I am deeply concerned at yet another example of discourtesy to this Parliament and its Members by a Government Minister.

“Surely it is a serious discourtesy to the Parliament and the many members who represent fishing communities that Mr Lochhead is making an important announcement of Government fishing policies in Pittenweem and not in Parliament. To the Press and not to the Parliament,” concluded Mr Smith

ENDS

North East Fife’s Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians Sir Menzies Campbell MP and Iain Smith MSP have vowed to fight against any Post Office closures in North East Fife.

Liberal Democrat MP’s including Menzies Campbell campaigned to stop the government’s Post Office closure programme when a motion was proposed recently in the House of Commons demanding the Government halt their plans to make 2500 branches shut up shop. But enough Labour MPs rallied around the Government’s closure plans to reject the motion and ensure the closure programme can continue unhindered.

Commenting, Menzies Campbell said, “The loss of any local Post Offices will hit communities in North East Fife hard. Post Offices are vital assets for many local people and any closure will likely cause difficulties, particularly for older people and those with mobility problems. We will continue to fight against closures.”

Iain Smith remarked, “Post Offices, rural or urban, have a very important role to play in peoples lives and more must be done to support them. The current system neither benefits consumers nor smaller businesses; it has effectively threatened the existence of the Post Office and Royal Mail.

“Fife Council must be congratulated on its efforts to help Fife’s Post offices by transferring its bill paying facilities from Local Offices to Post Offices. This kind of innovative thinking has given a boost in the services.”

Concluding Sir Menzies and Mr Smith said, “Post Offices are ideally placed to become local access centres for a variety of services such as the successful trial of Police services within rural Post Offices in the East Neuk.”

ENDS

Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North East Fife, Sir Menzies Campbell, has reiterated his scathing attack on Gordon Brown’s sleight of hand on the 10p tax rate at a time when those hardest hit will have now received their first pay cheque under the newly defined tax bands.

Sir Menzies, who was the first person to bring this matter to the attention of Parliament at the time of Gordon Brown’s final budget as Chancellor, has also lambasted the Government’s spin on their tax rise by questioning the “compensation package” which is not only less than adequate but also offers no guarantees at all.

“The Government won’t say how many people it will help. They won’t even say if it will be permanent, or just for one year. And they already seem to have gone back on their promise that it will all be backdated,” remarked Sir Menzies.

“As I said at the time of the budget, things have gone seriously wrong when Labour has pushed up taxes on people on low incomes to pay for tax cuts for the better off. Gordon Brown giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other. His persona has evolved from Stalin through Mr Bean to Paul Daniels.

“It seems Labour has totally lost touch with the reality of ordinary people’s lives. Labour is no longer on the side of the less well-off.

“Thousands of residents on lower incomes in North East Fife will receive sharply increased tax demands at a time when they are also facing big rises in bills for gas, electricity and transport.”

Sir Menzies has also called into question the Conservative party’s role in 10p tax debacle, “The Conservatives have a hypocritical record on this subject,” observed Sir Menzies. “When the 10p rate was first introduced they voted against it; they later abstained from voting on the subject and now they are voting against its abolition.

“I voted against this measure becoming law and will do so again if another vote is called. Liberal Democrats believe that the standard rate of income tax should be cut by 4p by increasing taxes on the wealthy rather than on the poorest in society,” concluded Sir Menzies.

North East Fife MP, Sir Menzies Campbell has called on the Scottish Government to state its intentions with regard to the re-introduction of the Levenmouth rail link.

In a letter to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Sir Menzies, whose constituency includes Leven East, has asked for clarification on what plans, if any, the Scottish government has for the re-introduction of the Leven to Thornton line.

Sir Menzies remarked on the “vital importance” of the regeneration of the Levenmouth area and that the re-introduction of the line would be “hugely beneficial” to this end and noted that “The provision of good public service links would aid economic development, assist tourism, and reduce CO2 emissions.”

Text of the letter to Stewart Stevenson MSP

Stewart Stevenson MSP
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure & Climate Change
The Scottish government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
EDINBURGH, EH1 3DG

22nd April 2008

Dear Mr Stevenson

I should be grateful if you could tell me what plans, if any, the Scottish government has for the re-introduction of the Levenmouth passenger railway link.

The regeneration of the Levenmouth area is of vital importance and the re-introduction of the passenger rail link would be hugely beneficial. The provision of good public service links would aid economic development, assist tourism, and reduce CO2 emissions.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

Menzies Campbell

North East Fife Parliamentarians, Iain Smith MSP and Sir Menzies Campbell MP have today launched a new campaign to cut accidents or our roads in North East Fife. The Liberal Democrat campaign, which focuses on the rural nature of North East Fife’s roads aims to ensure that safety for all users is increased by tackling dangerous driving, speeding, the use of seat belts and using mobile phones whilst driving.

The Liberal Democrat campaign “Be Calm, Be Considerate and Be Correct” focuses on four key points:

1- Combating Speeding
2- Increased use of seat belts
3- No to Mobiles whilst driving
4- Greater consideration for all road users

Commenting on the campaign, North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell said, “We have seen too many people killed or seriously injured on our roads in recent years. Our rural roads and the variety of road users from tractors and buses to bicycles and horses that use them, mean that drivers have to take particular care.”

Iain Smith MSP commented, “Speeding though our rural villages such as Ceres is of major concern and I have written to the Chief Constable of Fife Constabulary and the Head of Fife Council Transportation Services at ascertain what measures are in place to combat this. I have also written again to BEAR Scotland asking for an update on their Road Accident Reduction Plan with regard to the safety of the A92 through North East Fife”.

Mr Smith remarked on an official study showing that 1 in 10 motorists is failing to wear a seat belt and less than a quarter of Scots see driving at 80 mph in a 70mph zone as a serious offence by calling these statistics “extremely disappointing”.

“The message is simple: You are more likely to be involved in an accident if speeding or using a mobile phone, and more likely to be killed or seriously injured if not wearing a seat belt.” Iain Smith concluded.

ENDS

North East Fife Member of Parliament, Sir Menzies Campbell has called today’s Budget from the Chancellor of the Exchequer “neither fair nor green”.

Commenting on its content, Sir Menzies said, “ This budget is neither fair nor green. It does not go nearly far enough with green taxes, which could be used to help low and middle income families in the form of tax cuts. The Government has produced a budget that protects the rich and abandons the poor. Many people in North East Fife who are already feeling the pinch are even worse off today.

“None of its green tax proposals, Aviation tax, road tax changes or plastic bag taxes will be implemented before 2009 at the earliest. This is hardly the urgent attention that the environment needs.

“This too is the budget when the Government gave up on its 2010 child poverty target. By it’s own calculations, it will only be putting an additional £1bn into combating child poverty, £2.5bn less than is needed to meet its target.”

ENDS

After being consulted by a number of constituents recently about alleged breaches of the planning system North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Menzies Campbell has written to Ronnie Hinds the Chief Executive of Fife Council to establish the position with regard to the Council’s record on planning enforcement.

Commenting Menzies Campbell said: “I appreciate that planning enforcement issues are very often far from straight forward, but it is a matter about which there is significant public interest. I have therefore written to Mr Hinds to establish the current position with regard to this matter”.

Ends

Follows is Menzies Campbell’s letter to Ronnie Hinds

Ronnie Hinds
Chief Executive
Fife Council
Fife House
Glenrothes
Fife KY7 5LT 4th February 2008

Dear Mr Hinds,

In December 2004 I had an exchange of correspondence with your predecessor about the ability of the Council to take enforcement action against alleged breaches of the planning system. For ease of reference I enclose a copies of that correspondence.

It would be improper of me to comment in detail about the alleged breach at Fordelhill since it is currently the subject of litigation in Cupar Sheriff Court. But a number of constituents who have written to me about Fordelhill are clearly concerned about the expectations of enforcement in Fife.

May I therefore ask how many enforcement staff are employed? Whether there are any vacancies, and if so how long these vacancies existed? How many cases there have been in the last 12 months for which records are available where enforcement action was requested? How many enforcement notices and stop notices were issued during that period? How many cases were reported to the Procurator Fiscal during that period with a view to prosecution.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Menzies Campbell