SNP MSP Stewart Maxwell has welcomed an announcement by Scottish Water that an area of Giffnock prone to flooding is to benefit from an investment in improved drainage and sewerage.

The area surrounding Bagabout Burn, beside the junction at Robslee Drive and Treeburn Avenue, has suffered from regular flooding over the years affecting up to 100 nearby households. (more…)

More than £500,000 is to be given to the Holocaust Educational Trust over the next two years, to support the continuation of the successful project, Lessons from Auschwitz, which provides opportunities for Scotland’s children and young people to learn about the Holocaust.

The continued funding will help children and young people to travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau where they will gain first-hand knowledge of the Holocaust and develop an understanding of the possible consequences of prejudice and racism in society.

The Lessons from Auschwitz project has been funded by the Scottish Government since 2009 and has seen 8 Scottish projects, 1433 students and 181 teachers from across Scotland participate. (more…)

Commenting on the tobacco ban – which ends the open display of tobacco products in large shops and sales from self-service tobacco vending machines- Stewart Maxwell MSP said:

“I’m absolutely delighted the ban on displaying tobacco products comes into force tomorrow. The changes are part of a wide range of measures to improve the health of Scots.

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Four Scottish universities have ranked within the top 100 universities in the world according to recent analysis which measures scientific research performance.

St Andrews, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Universities have all ranked within the top 100 in the table. Drawn up by experts at the Leiden University in the Netherlands, the ranking system measures advanced indicators of scientific impact, collaboration and the number of citations that research receives. (more…)

The Scottish National Party has welcomed the comments by Professor David Blanchflower, a former external member of the Monetary Policy Committee; and James Scott, formerly Executive Director of Scottish Financial Enterprise; on the debate about Scottish independence and the Scottish Government’s proposals for a currency union with the rest of the UK following a Yes vote. (more…)