Report to the People
The Importance of Good Advice
Last week, MSPs from every corner of the country returned to Edinburgh for the beginning of the new parliamentary session.
One feature of the parliament when it is in session is that, after close of business in the evening, there are many politicians far from home in a strange city. Interest groups and other organisations were not slow to capitalise on this and now hold a multitude of briefing sessions or meetings on any number of topics.
These meetings are a good opportunity to learn more about a current issue or debate from a particular standpoint. And, while it is unlikely that those attending would agree with every view which is expressed, it is unusual to learn absolutely nothing.
On Wednesday evening I attended such a briefing session held by the Association of Legal Advice Networks (ASLAN). This is a body which brings together a number of groups - such as the Scottish Employment Rights Network, Citizen’s Advice Scotland and the Scottish Association of Law Centres - whose central aim is to advise people of their rights.
Among those at the ASLAN meeting on Wednesday was Jim McCourt from the Inverclyde Advice and Employment Rights Centre. As a former trade union official, I know how complex laws surrounding unfair dismissal and industrial injuries can be. This vital service provided by Jim and his colleagues guides members of the public through this process.
The meeting got me thinking about the range of advice services which exist in Scotland and it was still in my mind when, as a happy coincidence, I presented an IBM computer to the local Advocacy Group on Friday.
The Group concentrates on representing people or groups who are in danger of being pushed to the margins of society. In common with all advisory services, they realise that, for whatever reason, people may need someone to stand up for them.
Both of these meetings underlined, I feel, the need for access to good advice. We probably have more rights than we realise. But what use are rights if we don’t know they exist, or cannot enforce them?
Advisory services help me enormously in my work as an MSP. Their specialist knowledge in specific areas allows me to offer a better service to constituents who raise complex matters with me. By working together, we enhance the local democratic process and stand a better chance of finding real solutions to complicated and distressing problems.
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