December 2008

Pat on the back for the posties

MSP pays tribute to the hard-working postal staff delivering our Christmas card and parcels.

Concern about winter pressures on NHS

Duncan McNeil has praised the medics and staff at the Inverclyde Royal who coped during one of the hospital’s busiest ever days.

Get it on time, MSP told

Duncan McNeil has backed a campaign led by the Parkinson’s Disease Society for people with the condition to get better treatment in hospital.

Beware of the loan sharks, says MSP

Time to cut bills

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has told power companies to cut their bills after a year of eye-watering price hikes.

Have your say, urges MSP

Disabled parking bill takes step forward

Plans for a new law to tackle people who abuse disabled parking bays has passed the first hurdle.

Asbestos justice a step closer, says MSP

Plans for a new law that will compensate people for past exposure to asbestos have passed the first hurdle.

Duncan McNeil has called on the Scottish Government to take stronger action to solve the area’s probationary teacher crisis.

29th October

First moderator from Greenock, celebrates MSP

Duncan McNeil has paid tribute local minister William Hewitt after he was named Moderator-designate of Church of Scotland.

Inquiry calls into flooding chaos

Duncan McNeil is calling for an inquiry into the flooding problems which caused chaos last week.

MSP demands meeting over prison switch

Duncan McNeil is to meet with prison bosses in a bid to keep jail in Inverclyde.

Praise for outgoing health boss

Duncan McNeil has saluted the chief executive of Greater Glasgow Health Board after he announced he is to step down.

Rich heritage of science set to continue

Duncan McNeil is delighted that school pupils are to receive lottery funds to remember world famous inventor James Watt.

MSP Duncan McNeil has called on the Scottish Government and Scottish Water to work together to reverse the escalating sewage flooding problem plaguing Inverclyde.

Local MSP to lead national investigation into child poverty

Duncan McNeil is to head up an inquiry into the Scottish Government’s attempts to reach child poverty targets in 2010.

Duncan meets governor of local prison

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil met with staff at HMP Greenock during a tour of the prison this week.

MSP campaigns for deaf pupils

MSP is backing calls for a national register for deaf children.

Duncan voices ambulances concerns

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has backed attempts to end the single crewing of local ambulances.

Labour party chair Duncan McNeil last night branded Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill a ‘daft laddie’ during a Parliament debate on prisons.

Encouragement for children’s panel workers

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has praised the area’s children’s panel workers in Parliament.

MSPs Trish Godman and Duncan McNeil are backing the Wear it Pink fundraising event for Breast Cancer Campaign.

Damian’s Law comes to the Scottish Parliament

Knife campaigner John Muir put forward his campaign for Damian’s Law to the Parliament on Tuesday.

McNeil blasts grotesque waste of talent

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has demanded the Scottish Government take action over the probationary teacher crisis.

Inverclyde a priority for new grant

Community groups across Inverclyde have been made a priority for a cash windfall.

August 2008

Greenock to miss out on housing cash

Inverclyde won’t receive a penny of the £100 million the Scottish government has pledged to get the Scottish housing market through the credit crunch.

Time to act over council strikes

Residents who wish to stay on in Greenock will be cared for once the residential centre is closed, MSP told.

A third of pensioners don’t claim pension credit

Local MSP Duncan McNeil is urging local pensioners to check if they are eligible for pension credit.

McNeil admits concern over police resources

Greenock MSP Duncan McNeil has expressed concern that the area’s top cop feels his team are being handicapped by a lack of resources.

McNeil to speak at Cloch anniversary dinner

Local MSP Duncan McNeil is backing a plan that could hand the area’s most vulnerable people major savings on their bills.

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has backed at a special event organised in honour of tragic schoolboy Darren Pyper.

Duncan McNeil has backed proposals for a National Sentencing Council – a body which could ultimately deliver stringent penalties for knife carriers.

Bill next step in knife campaign

The campaign for mandatory sentences for knife carriers is set to be subject of a member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament later this year.

Bring an end to the 'space invaders' who target disabled parking bays

Training Day Gives Local Groups Fairer Chance to Hit Lotto Jackpot

Local community groups are set to receive help in securing their fair share of lottery funding, thanks a to a Big Lottery Fund training day being held in Greenock.

McNeil Condemns "Slur" on Inverclyde's Tenants

Duncan has attacked the insulting suggestion that his constituents who voted in favour of transferring their homes from Inverclyde Council to River Clyde Homes were too stupid to realise what they were doing.

McNeil Backs Against Betting Shop Violence

The Starting Price on those who abuse betting shop workers is a £500 fine, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, warned today.

Churches and Voluntary Groups Saved as Government Caves in to Water Pressure

The Scottish Government has conceded to Labour demands in the Scottish Parliament that the water rate exemption for the charity and voluntary sector - introduced by Labour - should continue after 2010.

"See CMU's Great Work for Yourself", McNeil Invites Health Secretary

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, has invited the Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, to come and see for herself the great work being done in the under-threat Community Midwife Unit at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Knife Crime: Minister Won't Back Words with Actions

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, says Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, must back up his words on knife crime with actions.

Apprenticeships for All - McNeil Backs Parliament Bid

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, is backing a bid to give every school leaver in Inverclyde the right to an apprenticeship.

McNeil Fights Water Rate Threat to Local Churches

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, is calling on the Scottish Government to lift the threat of crippling water rates from local churches and voluntary groups.

McNeil Makes Bid for Expert Opinion on Maternity Services

Independent expert panels should have the power to recommend the reversal of failing hospital reorganisations - such as the centralisation of consultant-led maternity services at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital

Minister Agrees to Examine BB Gun Licensing

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, has welcomed Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill's, comments that properly licensing the sale of BB guns could be explored by the Scottish Government.

McNeil Demands IRH Car Parking Guidance Guarantee

MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, is demanding a guarantee that new guidance finishes for good any chance of hospital car parking charges being rolled out to cover Inverclyde Royal Hospital.