Candidate Response – Katy Gordon, Liberal Democrats
There is a perception that young people and students are disengaged from politics, or worse – apathetic. I do not believe that is the case. The young people I meet are passionate about the most pressing political issues such as climate change, human rights and the war in Iraq.
While the other parties are demonising and blaming young people, the Liberal Democrats will prioritise them. That is why the Liberal Democrats are the most popular party amongst young people.
We want to deliver a bold vision of Scotland’s future – with 100% of Scotland’s electricity coming from clean, green renewable sources. We will deliver real action to cut carbon emissions by a million tonnes above our UK share. Scotland can be a global leader in the tackling climate change.
We want to see Scotland’s young people empowered with votes at 16, and real power to change and improve their communities and lives.
I am extremely proud that it was the Liberal Democrats who brought about the abolition of tuition fees and the reintroduction of grants in Scotland. That action has genuinely benefited young people in Scotland.
The contrast is stark between the decisions taken on student finance with Liberal Democrats in government and by Labour governing on their own in Westminster.
Liberal Democrats will steadfastly oppose the introduction of top up fees in Scotland.
And unlike the SNP we will not promise what we cannot afford to deliver.
We will take action to reduce the burden of debt for young people and ensure that fear of debt is not a barrier to getting an excellent education. As a means to achieve this we will scrap the graduate endowment.
The money that the endowment currently raises for grants and bursaries will instead be met by Government to support those students in most need. We will also ensure that the maximum available bursary for the poorest students will increase significantly – above inflation – to make a real difference.
If Nicol Stephen is elected Scotland’s First Minister he will continue to improve student support in Higher Education. We will launch a review to consider the delivery of a new guaranteed minimum income for students in Scotland to ensure they have the support they need to succeed.
We must work to encourage more young people to consider a higher education. Too many young people have low ambitions for their future. We will establish a National Widening Access Unit to work in schools to raise aspirations and ensure all our young people are given the opportunity to go as far as they desire.
Ultimately, the biggest support that we can give students in Scotland is to continue to invest in higher education. The Liberal Democrats are committed to the significant new investment that is required. A degree from a Scottish university must continue to offer excellent opportunities for life, where students can use their skills and talents and earn the rewards that come from study.
We are the only party to commit to fully funding the request from Universities Scotland for £168 million a year for higher education.
In response to the 10 specific points raised in the SRC manifesto, I would say the following:
1. Asylum seekers should qualify for home level funding – We will launch a review of means testing in Higher Education and as part of that review we would be willing to consider the circumstances of asylum seekers in Higher Education Scotland.
2. Students should not be charged for prescriptions – We want to make the system of prescription charges fairer for all. We will limit the maximum amount that anyone has to pay to one prescription per month. Any prescriptions over and above that will be free to all. We will maintain a system of exemptions for pensioners, people on low incomes and those with chronic illnesses so that they will continue to pay nothing. The cost of abolishing all prescription charges is around £40 million per annum and rising. We think that this money is better spent on extra dentists and nurses.
3. Top up fees should be kept out of Scottish universities – It was the Liberal Democrats who brought about the abolition of tuition fees and the reintroduction of grants in Scotland. The contrast is stark between the decisions taken on student finance with Liberal Democrats in government in Scotland and by Labour governing on its own in Westminster. Scottish Liberal Democrats will steadfastly oppose the introduction of student top-up fees in Scotland. The next step for student funding is to take further action to reduce the burden of debt for young people and ensure that fear of debt is not a barrier to an excellent education – we will abolish the graduate endowment for students, but maintain the fund that goes towards grants for the poorest students.
4. Spouses of international students should not pay council tax – The council tax is an unfair system that penalises those on low incomes. The poorest 20 per cent of the population pay more of their income in council tax than the richest. We want to scrap the unfair council tax and replace it with a fairer local income tax based on the ability to pay. Under our plans 70 per cent of households in Scotland will be better off. The average LIT rate in Scotland would be 3.5 to 3.75 per cent. We would seek to introduce a local income tax from 2009/10.
5. Taught postgrad students should receive equal financial support – We will also launch a review of means testing in Higher Education and would consider the circumstances of postgraduate students as part of this review.
6. Stop climate chaos – Our manifesto is rated as the greenest of the main parties. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats will lead a renewables revolution, with 100% of our electricity generated from clean, green sources.
We can lead the world in wave and tidal power, exporting our expertise and creating thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of new investment. There will be huge opportunities for Scottish Universities to lead in the research and development of these new technologies. We are committed to more environmental education, which is why we want to make every school an eco-school. We want all of the public sector, including universities to start generating a proportion of their own power on site, around 20% by 2020.
7. Tenancy Deposit Schemes should be introduced – We want to strike a balance between the need for minimum standards, and overly burdensome bureaucratic regulations. We will review the implementation of the landlord registration scheme and continue to support homeowners for the repair and maintenance of their homes. To protect people who rent in the private sector we will introduce a mandatory national rent deposit scheme.
8. The HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) system needs to be revised – We agree that the purpose of HMOs is to primarily protect health and safety of those staying in them. There is a need to find balance in how these are used, but we would be concerned at the use of HMOs to exclude students from living in certain areas.
9. Public transport should address the needs of students – We will continue to invest record amounts in public transport, and ensure that the quality of transport is of the highest standard. We will consider ways of creating faster links between Scotland’s cities, and ensure there is better transport, particularly buses that are available when people most need it. If we can use technology to improve the service to passengers on our main bus services, the opportunities for giving people access to public transport when they need it are even greater. On transport safety we will continue to support community wardens to work alongside community policy officers and support the roll out of taxi marshals for taxi ranks in large towns and cities to improve safety at evenings and weekends.
10. Contraception and GUM clinics should be easily accesible – We will commit to sustainable funding to back up the Scottish Sexual Health Strategy from 2007 to 2011. This long term investment will help build capacity and in turn address waiting times, with a view to introducing a maximum wait of 48 hours to access GUM clinics. We want to allow GPs and local health centres to employ family planning and GUM specialists. The funding will be ring fenced to ensure these important services receive every penny. We will continue to support education campaigns for young people. We also want more specialist sexual health services located outwith traditional healthcare environments.
Response provided by Katy Gordon, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP candidate for Glasgow Kelvin and Glasgow List
This information is also published on her website on http://www.katygordon.org