Sir, I was disappointed to read Fiona Hyslop’s letter in Tuesday’s Courier. It once again demonstrates the Scottish Government’s Teflon-like ability to deflect criticism when things go wrong.
Money from taxpayers across the whole UK is being used to fund a project which has doubled in cost. Questions have rightly been asked from all quarters as to why the cost of a project of national significance has increased so dramatically and what is being done to prevent this happening again in the months ahead.
I was also bemused by her comment that the UK Government has provided “a very small amount of financial support”. She conveniently omits the fact that whilst the Heritage Lottery Fund takes decisions independently it is a non-departmental public body which ultimately takes direction from the UK Government and is accountable to the UK Parliament.
This is in the same way that Scottish Enterprise takes direction from the Scottish Government and is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. From Dundee to Dover part of every two pounds spent on a lottery ticket anywhere in the country goes towards supporting good causes and projects across the whole of the UK.
For Dundee this has provided more than £89m to support more than 1300 projects in the city including £14m for the V&A. It may be uncomfortable for the Scottish Government to face the reality that being part of the UK means we have bigger prizes and more money to spend on good causes and projects of national significance in Scotland.
Dundee is on the verge of having a world-leading museum which will bring great benefits to the city for decades to come. Equally, as this paper rightfully pointed out, scrutinising those making the decisions and ensuring every penny is accounted for on a project of national significance is crucial. Rather than being “woefully misinformed”, as was suggested, I would venture that I and an increasing number of people in Dundee and across Scotland are ruefully informed of what is going on at the V&A.
Alistair Carmichael MP. Secretary of Statefor Scotland, Kirkwall.
Woeful attempt to limit damage
Sir, Fiona Hyslop’s attempt (Letters, February 10) to justify the lack of transparency over the Dundee V&A budget problems was a pretty woeful attempt at damage limitation. Ms Hyslop claims that disclosure of the budget issues would have “prejudiced substantially the ability of Dundee City Council to get the best possible deal”. Quite why telling the public the truth would have prejudiced the project is beyond me.
Elected representatives have a clear duty to ensure that public funds are used appropriately, but Dundee councillors or at least the non-SNP ones have been unable to carry out that function as they were kept in the dark about the budget problems throughout 2014.
What is most damning is that the city council placed an agenda note on the policy and resources committee agenda of September 8 2014, to seek approval from councillors to appoint the preferred contractor. In doing so, the council failed to advise all its councillors of the budgetary situation although it had secretly told Ms Hyslop months earlier.
So a decision to appoint a preferred contractor was made by councillors when a material and vital fact the spiralling budget was kept from them. That is a downright disgraceful state of affairs.
Cllr Fraser Macpherson. Councillor for the West End, Dundee City Council.
Early diagnosis is crucial
Sir, It is fantastic news that children and young people with learning difficulties will be able to benefit from the Salvesen Mindroom Centre. Early diagnosis is a must. Far too often children are being diagnosed in their school years, when early intervention (from nine months) can make a world of difference.
This has been proven when it comes to Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). At the moment, there are about 850 treatments for autism but only 11 have some evidential support, with just two having long-term clinical trial results demonstrating their effectiveness and one is PRT.
What is startling is 95% who begin PRT treatment before they are 3.5 years old become verbal. It is currently one of the best validated approaches to treating children with autism spectrum conditions as it results in widespread improvements in communication, social and behavioural domains.
We need to improve how we treat the increasing number of people with autism and related conditions and hopefully we can do this thanks to the Salvesen Mindroom Centre.
Ruth Glynne-Owen. Founder of Speur-Ghlan, 9 Fountain Road, Bridge of Allan.
Disgusted by foul language
Sir, I was disgusted and outraged by the offensive language used by Stephen Fry and other presenters at the Bafta awards ceremony on Sunday evening. All these “luvvies” probably think it is clever to use such inane props as swearing to bring attention to themselves.
It was totally out of place and they should be ashamed. Bafta should choose their presenters more carefully and edit their speeches.
Anne Gwynn. Balbeggie, Perth.
Getting round noise condition
Sir, The reference to the world’s second largest wind turbine at Methil Energy Park (Optimism still flowing despite oil price plunge, February 10), leaves readers in the dark.
The Fife Council economic development team spokesman predicts the turbine will start to turn more in the spring and summer when the sun is higher in the heavens and the flicker effect is dissipated.
It is a fact that the turbine only turns when the wind is from a direction that takes noise away from residents because the turbine cannot meet the noise conditions attached to the Marine Scotland consent.
Fife Council is aware that the Korean company has now applied to have the noise condition varied to allow the turbine to make more noise and so increase its work rate and carry out trials on the turbine’s performance.
They want to vary the condition to take account of the background noise from their neighbour Bi-Fab. A variable limit based on how much noise Bi-fab makes will be a nightmare for residents and an embarrassment to Fife Council who will be unable to enforce a condition that uses it.
The condition proposed unique in planning for wind turbines lays the onus on people in Methil to protect themselves against excessive noise by complaining, when the responsibility should lie with the operator and the local authority to protect people from excessive turbine noise they know will be inflicted on residents.
Scotland Against Spin’s experience with countless complaints about turbine noise in Scotland shows that it is a long, difficult and often impossible process to get complaints upheld and the operator to resolve the problem.
In the meantime people are left helplessly exposed to noise pollution which disrupts their lives and damages their health. We have objected to the variation of the condition.
Graham Lang. Scotland Against Spin, Ceres, Cupar.
All catered for except Gaelic
Sir, I read with interest the article regarding Gaelic- speaking physician Dr Andrew Storey on Saturday. I do hope he doesn’t leave for the Highlands.
If one were to enter the hospital premises in Tayside and Fife one is greeted by laminated sheets from LanguageLine Solutions. With the touch of a button the facility communicates through a multitude of different languages with one exception, Gaelic.
Heaven forbid that a Gaelic speaker from the Western Isles or Highland should require medical attention in the East.
If the good people of Vietnam were to reach these shores in one of their boats, stopping on their way in the Urdu-speaking regions of the sub-Continent or Somalia, there would be no problem. My only solution would be for Gaelic speakers to have a second language. This would not necessarily have to be English, some 30 others come to mind.
In relation to the comments by Mr Mackie in the same edition, he may not need Gaelic, but for the hole in his head he could definitely do with the services of an acute physician.
Dr Jonathan O’Riordan. 26 Linden Avenue, Newport.