MP Welcomes New Music Licensing Rules
Permission to play or perform millions of songs in public has been made easier and quicker to access in a new Performing Rights for Music Code of Practice introduced in the UK.
The new code appears alongside the UK Government’s Digital Britain Report which required greater transparency in licensing practices and the new UK code is the first in the world to be updated.
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie today welcomed the new code, launched at the House of Commons last month, which aims to improve licensing practices for businesses such as pubs, clubs, cinemas or workplaces who regularly play music in their premises.
Stewart Hosie said: “I welcome the new code of practice which has improved the system of collecting fees for the use of copyright music in the UK. It has also simplified the complaints procedure and for the first time introduces an independent Ombudsman to adjudicate on disputes concerning licenses for music.
“I am aware of occasional problems that occur with venues not having licenses for playing music and of the general complaint – which is a world-wide issue – of people who create or perform music not being rightfully paid for their work.
“Obviously only public venues require licenses and the PRS for Music perform a valuable task in allowing wide access to music in a way that the creators are also rewarded.
“We all enjoy music and although our tastes will widely vary, it is important that there is a simple, easy-to-understand system of licensing which is fair to both sides.”
PRS for Music administer more than 40 different tarriffs designed to suit different types of premises and users of music
There are more than 10 million pieces of music created by songwriters and composers around the world and the Performing Rights Society for Music, formed in 1914, represents 60,000 songwriters and composers.
Copies of the Code of Practice are available at Stewart Hosie’s Parliamentary Office at 8 Old Glamis Road, Dundee.
Shona & Stewart Support Macmillan Cancer’s ‘Conquer a Corbett’ Challenge
Shona Robison MSP and Stewart Hosie MP handed over sponsorship money raised by their participation in the Macmillan Cancer Support charity’s Scottish fundraising event, ‘Conquer a Corbett’.
They presented the cheque to Shirley Millar, Area Fundraising Manager, Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday.
The Dundee East politicians did the sponsored hillwalk, tackling a Corbett, Meall a’ Bhuachaille (2657 ft) known as ‘Shepherd’s Hill’, in Glenmore Forest Park as part of their main holiday at Aviemore.
MP’s ‘Cautious Welcome’ to Business Start up figures
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie, SNP Treasury Spokesperson at Westminster, has given a cautious welcome to a quarterly report which shows that new business start-ups in Scotland and in Dundee have increased since the 1st quarter of this year.
The figures, announced in the quarterly Scottish Business Statistics report produced by The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers, which incorporates all of Scotland’s banks, show 4,383 new businesses were set-up in Scotland in the second quarter of 2009, an increase over the first quarter of the year.
Stewart Hosie said: “New businesses in Dundee City Council’s area have risen in the 2nd quarter of the year from 95 to 116, a 22% increase.
“While clearly welcome news, the number of business start-ups is still down from the figure for the 2nd quarter last year which was 140.
“This confirms the view that while people are still seeing business opportunities in Dundee, we are not out of the woods yet.”
The national figures show that the leading sector for business start-ups were Real Estate, renting and other property businesses, with Wholesale and Retail Trade, and Construction taking second and third position. Growth is almost equally spread between sole traders, partnerships and companies.
ENDS
Notes: These statistics can be viewed at CSCB website: www.scotbanks.org.uk
SECRET TREASURY DOCUMENTS BLOW GAFF ON LABOUR CUTS
SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP has seized on leaked Treasury documents which reveal secret UK Government plans to slash spending by nearly 10 per cent.
The internal papers are dated the day before the last Budget in April, and predict that departmental spending will fall every year from next year until 2014.
Mr Hosie said:
“These papers blow the gaff on Labour plans to slash public spending, and suggest the Prime Minister has not been honest with the public or parliament.
“It is incredible that all the time Gordon Brown was making promises about investment and denials about cuts to Scotland’s budget, Downing Street was secretly drawing up plans to make real terms cuts which would pull the rug from under recovery.
“Gordon Brown has been left completely exposed by this leak, and he must own up to Labour’s secret cuts plan.
“Imposing cuts to public investment while the economy is struggling to re-establish growth is exactly the wrong policy prescription and can only have the effect of putting recovery at risk. In Scotland, Labour’s £500 million cuts could destroy 9,000 jobs and hit frontline services.
“The SNP Scottish Government will set out its budget this week and is working harder than ever to ensure that we invest in our priorities and stimulate a strong recovery but the UK Government’s cuts agenda pose an undeniable threat.
“Labour are presiding over the first real terms fall in Scotland’s public spending since the dark days of the Tories’ spending plans in the 1990s, which will be hugely damaging to jobs and services.
“The UK Government’s catastrophic financial failure underlines the need for Scotland to have responsibility to run our own affairs – with the ability to take the decisions needed to reflate our economy, contribute to recovery, and overcome the Downing Street downturn.”
MP Calls for Action over Carnoustie Flooding
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie has followed up his recent visit to see flood damage in Carnoustie with a further letter to Angus Council and Dundee City Council, calling for action to prevent the problems recurring in the future.
Stewart Hosie said: “Now that the immediate risks from the recent flooding have reduced, I have written to Angus Council and to Dundee Council to express a number of concerns.
“The first is that – in Carnoustie in particular, where a number of the houses have ground level ventilation, there appeared to be no sand bags available for residents to offer even the most basic protection for their properties.
“Secondly, the issue of the Barry Burn – this was raised with me by a number of constituents. It would appear that permission was not granted to have it dredged, and the local view is that this contributed to the difficulties there.
“Thirdly, again in relation to Carnoustie – there is real anger that a meeting which local people believed was meant to have been arranged with Council officials to discuss the risks of flooding in their area did not happen. I would urge that such a meeting now does take place so that the views of all those affected can be heard.
“The fourth issue, and this relates to both Carnoustie and Dundee, is the most serious.
“Residents in Carnoustie & Old Toll Loan in Dundee are adamant that the building of Burnside School and new housing off the Kellas Road has contributed to the flooding they have recently witnessed.
“They believe that water which previously used to soak away is now not doing so and instead running into their properties (or in the case of Old Toll Loan – into The Dighty which burst it’s banks).
“On this important point, I have asked that Council engineers investigate whether this is the case and ensure that there is adequate capacity for water to soak away – or be redirected – to ensure there is no repeat of these difficulties?”
Don’t Lose Your Vote, says City MP
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie is encouraging residents of Dundee to make sure that they are registered to vote whenever the UK Government calls a General Election.
The Electoral Registration Office is currently carrying out their annual autumn canvas which allows voters to check that their information is correct and that everyone in the household who is entitled to vote can do so.
More information on voting can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
Stewart Hosie said: “A General Election has to be called before June 2010 so it is vital that everyone’s information is up to date if they want to vote.
“Though you may be over 18, pay your Council Tax and have voted before, you may not necessarily be eligible to vote next time, so please don’t just throw the letter away.
“The best way to have your say on the issues which matter to you is by voting. By completing this simple form and then voting on polling day, you can influence decisions at Westminster.
“If the details on the Electoral Registration Form you have been sent are correct you can simply confirm that and your right to vote by using a freephone number which is open 24 hours.”
The MP continued: “For some this will be their first opportunity to vote in a UK General Election or at all, I would encourage them to visit the Electoral Commission website where they can find out more information on voting, applying for a postal vote or a proxy vote, and they can even visit a virtual polling booth.”
BARBER RIGHT ON CUTS WARNING
NOTHING ‘WISE’ ABOUT SPENDING ON TRIDENT AND ID CARDS
SNP calls for the UK Government to focus spending cuts on Trident and ID cards have been echoed by TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber – who warned that plans to spend billions of pounds on such projects was “wrong, wrong, wrong”.
As the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson attempts to spin the Labour Government’s spending strategy as ‘wise spenders, not big spenders’, Mr Barber also cautioned that it was “only when vital public services are safe from cuts that we will be able to talk about a real recovery.”
SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said: “Brendan Barber is right, right, right to expose the incoherence of Labour plans to throw away billions on Trident and ID cards while cutting essential public services in the teeth of recession.
“It is just not credible for Labour to try and spin themselves as ‘wise spenders’ while simultaneously wasting £25 billion on a nuclear missile system we do not need and the vast majority do not want.
“The UK Government must focus its cuts on these unnecessary and unaffordable white elephant projects – and rule-out slashing front-line services like health and education, and capital investment which are essential for recovery.
“The SNP have long argued for the UK Government to abandon its foolhardy plans to replace the Trident nuclear system, saving up to £100 billion over its lifetime. And we are also calling on Labour to completely drop their proposals to spend billions on unwanted and unnecessary ID cards.
“The UK Government’s catastrophic financial failure totally underlines the need for Scotland to have responsibility to run our own affairs – with the ability to take the decisions needed to reflate our economy, contribute to recovery, and overcome the Downing Street downturn.”
CHANCELLOR SHOULD TAKE OWN ADVICE ON CUTS
SPENDING CUTS RISK CHOKING OFF RECOVERY
SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP has called on the Chancellor to act on his own advice after Alistair Darling, delivering the Callaghan lecture in Cardiff today, warned cutting public spending now would risk “choking off” the recovery and prolonging the downturn.
Mr Hosie pointed out that Scotland faces a real terms cut to its Budget of £500m from 20010/11 as a result of Labour cuts.
Mr Hosie said:
“Alistair Darling needs to put his money where his mouth is and rule out Labour’s planned spending cuts to Scotland’s budget. The Chancellor is absolutely right that cutting frontline spending now risks choking off recovery and prolonging the downturn – and he needs to act on his own advice.
“Now that Alistair Darling has admitted that cutting public spending before the recession has ended is the wrong thing to do, he must acknowledge the reality of his party’s damaging cuts agenda.
“Labour are planning to raid Scotland’s health, education and housing budgets by forcing the first real terms cut in Scotland’s public expenditure since the Tories in the 1990s.
“In contrast, the Scottish Government is focussed on investing in recovery from recession – today launching a skills support package to provide real financial support to businesses and individuals through the recession.
“Alistair Darling’s double standards show exactly why Scotland needs to be responsible for all of our own resources, with an independent Scottish Parliament controlling all revenue and spending in Scotland.”
POLL SHOWS DARLING SHOULD CUT TRIDENT NOT FRONTLINE PUBLIC SPENDING
OPINION POLL PUTS TRIDENT’S FINANCIAL FOLLY FIRMLY INTO FOCUS
As Chancellor Alistair Darling confirms Labour public spending cuts in a speech in Cardiff, the SNP seized on an opinion poll published today showing massive opposition to the Labour government wasting cash on a new generation of nuclear weapons, and called on the Chancellor to focus cuts on ‘white elephant’ projects like Trident and ID cards – and rule out real terms cuts by the Labour government in Scottish spending.
The ComRes poll for The Independent showed that the public overwhelmingly wants the government to scrap the Trident nuclear missile system and believes spending on health and education should be protected and rise each year.
Commenting SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:
“The SNP have a simple suggestion for Alistair Darling to cut his spending – abandon plans to spend £25 billion on a nuclear missile system we do not want or need and the vast majority do not want.
“With the debate about Westminster government cuts raging, this ComRes poll lays bare the incoherence of spending plans that include Trident.
“The position of Labour and the Tories in arguing for Trident is untenable in these difficult financial times.
“Labour must focus its cuts on unnecessary and unaffordable white elephant projects like Trident and ID cards – and in the teeth of recession Labour must rule-out slashing front-line services like health and education, and capital investment.
“The Prime Minister and Chancellor attack the Tories for planning cuts in UK spending and yet Labour are doing the exact same in Scotland. The Budget confirmed Labour’s plans for the first real terms cut in Scottish spending since the dark days of the Tory government in the 1990’s. It will mean a real terms cut in Scottish spending, and is the wrong choice in the middle of the recession.
“The SNP want the required savings to be made by the UK Government abandoning its foolhardy £25 billion plan to replace the Trident nuclear missile, saving up to £100 billion over its lifetime. And we are also calling on Labour to completely drop their proposals to spend billions on unwanted and unnecessary ID cards.
“The UK Government’s catastrophic financial failure underlines the need for Scotland to have responsibility to run our own affairs – with the ability to take the decisions needed to reflate our economy, contribute to recovery, and overcome the Downing Street downturn.”
MP Witnesses Carnoustie Flood Damage
Stewart inspects the inundation of drains in Carnoustie (picture, courtesy: Allan Muir)
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie was in Carnoustie today to inspect the extensive flood damage.
Stewart Hosie said: “I have witnessed water pouring out of drains and manhole covers. There has been an absence of sandbags and homes having ground level vents have been at risk of flooding.
“Road barriers erected have been ignored pushing filthy waters into people’s gardens.
“I have been told that a meeting planned last year between residents and Angus Council didn’t happen. It must take now place.
“I have also been told that Barry Burn was not dredged. This should happen. I have written today to Angus Council to obtain action on these points.”
“A large number of houses have been affected at the Ravensby Road end of the burgh and pupils at the new Burnside Priamry School had to be carried across the burn.
“High tide at the Barry burn is this afternoon somewhere between 3pm and 3.30pm so there is a fair amount of apprehension here at the moment. However, at least the rain has stopped. It is far too early to say what the extent of water damage to property has been .
“As ever, events like this bring out the best in people, who work together and help each other out.”
Stewart inspects the inundation of drains in Carnoustie (picture, courtesy: Allan Muir)
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