Poor MSP response over Dundee civil service jobs campaign

You can't fail to be disappointed by the failure of many of the area’s MSPs to directly reply to a letter sent to them by the council’s Chief Executive seeking their support for Dundee’s campaign for more civil service jobs for our city. I am particularly critical of the pathetic lack of response from Dundee’s two constituency SNP MSPs.

The Chief Executive David Dorward was instructed by city councillors at my suggestion to write to all 9 MSPs representing Dundee in the Scottish Parliament – 7 regional MSPs and the 2 constituency members for Dundee West and Dundee East – requesting that they pledge their support to the city’s campaign to bring more civil service jobs to Dundee.

This followed a report to the City Development Committee (again requested by me) that highlighted the lack of decentralisation of civil service posts to Dundee in recent years (see http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/reports/agendas/cd071209.pdf) – a contrast with the success in this during the early years of the Scottish Parliament – and showing the failure of Scottish Government since 2007 to honour SNP promises to bring more civil service jobs to the city (see Shona Robison MSP’s comments at http://tinyurl.com/ych3eh2) :

“Nearly all of the parties gave their support to the fight for civil service jobs in the city, when reminded by convener of the Public and Commercial Services union Hamish Drummond, that such jobs were leaving the city.

Shona Robison was given a rousing hand when she said a fair share would be far more than they were getting at the moment.”

Responses to the recent City Council request came directly only from Alison McInnes, Liberal Democrat MSP for NE Scotland, Richard Baker, Aberdeen-based Labour MSP for NE Scotland, and Nanette Milne, Conservative MSP for NE Scotland. All backed the City Council’s campaign. The other 6 MSPs have failed to reply, although John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth, wrote instead of Shona Robison to say,

“Any potential relocations of Scottish Government functions will be considered in terms of ensuring the best use of the existing government estate, providing best value for money for the Scottish Government as a whole and maintaining or improving the operational effectiveness of the function in question.”

John Swinney’s lukewarm response, written in oblique civil service language and committing the SNP Government to do absolutely nothing, contrasts hugely with the words of the SNP when in opposition. Shona Robison promised her constituents she would really deliver on civil service jobs and now she can’t even be bothered to write directly to the council reaffirming her commitment to bring civil service jobs to the city. As for Joe FitzPatrick, he simply ignores the council’s request. It’s a pretty pathetic state of affairs.

I have asked David Dorward, the Council’s Chief Executive, to write to the MSPs for our area who have thus far failed to respond thus far to the Council’s call over civil service jobs calling on them to support Dundee.

We need cross-party commitment on this, to bring more public sector jobs to the city

The following details which MSPs responded and who did not :

SNP Constituency MSPs
Shona Robison – failed to reply but passed on letter to John Swinney MSP to respond
Joe Fitzpatrick – failed to reply

SNP
Maureen Watt – failed to reply
Nigel Don – failed to reply

Labour
Richard Baker – replied, supporting the City’s campaign
Marlyn Glen – failed to reply

Conservative
Alex Johnstone – failed to reply
Nanette Milne - replied, supporting the City’s campaign

Liberal Democrats
Alison McInnes - replied, supporting the City’s campaign

E-mail from the City Council Chief Executive :

From: David Dorward
Sent: 18 February 2010 17:24
To: Fraser Macpherson
Subject: Re: Civil Service Posts

Dear Fraser,

I can advise you that I have received 4 responses from the following MSP's:

Nanette Milne

Richard Baker

Alison McInnes

John Swinney on behalf of Shona Robison

I will get hard copies of the letters delivered to your office tomorrow morning.

Best regards

David

David K Dorward
Chief Executive
Dundee City Council