This will be my first column in the Banffshire Journal since before the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election and I would like to congratulate Karen Adam for being elected as the new MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast.
I would also like to congratulate my party colleague, Mark Findlater for succeeding in narrowing the SNP majority from 6,583 to 772. This was a great achievement for Mark and one of the highest swings to the Conservatives across Scotland.
I would also like to wish outgoing MSP, Stewart Stevenson, all the very best and thank him for his many years of service to the area.
I congratulate all MSPs who gained or retained their seats – particularly here in the North East Scotland Region. I look forward to working with all of them as we all focus on our much-needed recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic which has had a huge impact on our local and national economy.
I am particularly looking forward to working with North East MSP colleagues in delivering a successful energy transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy, while ensuring we take full advantage of the skills, expertise, technology and resources of the energy industry already long established here in the North East.
From Monday 17 May, Aberdeenshire moved to Protection Level 2 as we continue to show a steady suppression of the virus – thanks in no small part to the UK Government vaccine programme as well as the stellar work of our NHS, British Armed Forces and the volunteers and other key workers involved in the vaccine roll-out.
We are now able to socialise with more people, indoors and stay overnight - great news for the many hospitality and leisure businesses that have struggled during lockdown and have put a lot of time and effort into making establishments ‘Covid-secure.’
As well as being able to spend time with friends and family indoors, we can also enjoy a wider range of leisure activities. However, please do continue to follow the social-distancing and hygiene measures where indicated.
Vaccine rollout is continuing at pace across the UK and helping to keep our most vulnerable loved ones safe from this pernicious virus. At the time of writing, I am proud to say that the UK has injected almost 40 million first doses and over 20 million second doses, meaning over 40% of the population is now fully vaccinated.
The Oxford/Astra Zenica (AZ) vaccine, researched with significant investment from the UK Government, and available to all at cost, makes up over a third of all vaccines injected globally and of those, two thirds have been in low and middle-income countries.
Of the 67 million doses delivered globally through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative, 65 million (97%) have been the Oxford/AZ vaccine. Our role in fighting this virus and vaccinating the world is clear and is a real testament to our United Kingdom as a force for good in the world.
Finally, I would like to remind all eligible EU citizens that the deadline for applying to the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme is 30 June 2021. This scheme has been a huge success so far, with almost 5 million EU citizens across the UK having received grants of status, including 268,500 in Scotland.
For more information, go to www.gov.uk/eusettledstatus. Free help is available 7 days a week.