Gavin Newlands: Backing my constituents over failed Green Deal

This issue is important to me as Paisley and Renfrewshire North was the hardest hit constituency in Scotland by mis-selling, and increasing numbers of constituents have come forward asking for help. However, this has clearly also become an issue across all of Scotland and many parts of the UK.

Green Deal mis-sellers were enabled by the UK Government, who were more interested in performing a show and dance around looking Green than actually properly implementing their policy. 

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The Green Deal sounded like a good idea, and some people may have benefited, but as the cases of mis-selling and the use of dodgy tactics pile up, it is becoming clear how much of a failure this initiative has been. I worry unless the UK Government acts soon to fix the mess, future policies that aim to provide energy efficient homes will be doomed to fail. 

I used the debate to challenge the Government on many points like the horrendous lack of a proper accreditation process, billing issues due to inaccurate meter reading caused by panel-meter incompatibility, and what the Government would do for those constituents who had already paid their debt off and are unable to access any available redress. I was pleased to be joined by colleagues across parties in calling for the UK Government to provide immediate financial redress to those affected. 

My other focus recently has been on Brexit and Northern Ireland. As the SNP’s spokesperson on Northern Ireland, I led for the SNP in the debate on a bill relating to the Northern Irish Executive. Almost two years ago, power sharing in Northern Ireland broke down due to a number of complex reasons, yet due to Brexit, normal functioning of the Northern Irish Executive and Assembly has not returned.

The UK Government is too distracted with the ongoing Conservative civil war, and as a result they have not paid enough attention to the ongoing situation in Northern Ireland. A hard Brexit would be an economic catastrophe for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the UK. Although I would rather we remain in the EU, staying in the Single Market and Customs Union would be the next best thing and would eliminate the threat of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

I would also like to highlight charities I’ve been supporting, which include Breast Cancer Care and ASDA’s Tickled Pink campaign. Breast cancer affects thousands of people in Scotland every year. Make sure you or your loved ones are getting regular check-ups so that we can catch every case early and beat breast cancer for good.

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Lastly, Christmas is coming, and many families will be struggling financially in the run-up. That’s why I am supporting Renfrewshire Christmas Toy Bank. You can drop off toys (please only new ones) as a donation at my office in Porterfield Road, Renfrew, or at any of the following: RSA Convenience Store, 27b Moss Street, Paisley; Comicrazy Cafe, 45 Old Sneddon Street, Paisley; Big Kids Little Learners Classes, Johnstone; C Allan and Sons Accounting Firm, 102 Mill Business Centre, Seedhill Road, Paisley.