Marion Wallace Dunlop – Inverness born Suffragette recognised

Motion Number: S5M-14757
Lodged By: Rhoda Grant
Date Lodged: 14/11/2018

Title: Marion Wallace Dunlop

Motion Text:

That the Parliament acknowledges the role played by Inverness-born, Marion Wallace Dunlop, a key member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), and the first suffragette hunger striker; notes that Marion was arrested in 1909 after using a rubber stamp to print the words “Votes for Women” on a wall of St Stephen’s Hall in the House of Commons; understands that she was jailed at Holloway Prison for her actions and went on hunger strike for the suffragette cause; acknowledges her strenuous work in securing women the vote, and is pleased to note that she is being remembered this week as part of Parliament Week at Westminster.

Mary Ramsay launches petition – please sign

You may remember Inverness constituent Mary Ramsay who has Essential Tremor and is campaigning to get ground breaking technology brought to Scotland – ideally to Ninewells Hospital.
The Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) technology uses MRI imaging to guide high powered, focused ultrasound to a very small point to alleviate conditions with tremor.
Molecules are vibrated extremely quickly, which creates intense local heat. The equipment allows clinicians to target a very specific focal point – with very little heating produced in front of and behind that point, so only the targeted tissue is affected.
A surgery team at Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, London, already uses the equipment and has performed this procedure on 16 patients successfully reducing their tremors in every case.
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has assessed this technology. It has been approved for the treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease in the USA and in Europe.
Mary has now launched a petition (see link below) and is currently lodging another petition with the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee.
Please sign this to help bring this to Scotland.

Photo shows Rhoda with Mary

https://tinyurl.com/yaugwzhx

Statement about DeeAnn Fitzpatrick from Rhoda Grant MSP

“I am absolutely appalled by the treatment of DeeAnn Fitzpatrick over the review into her case,” said Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant.
“There are no two ways about it, it is an absolute cover up and no member of staff should be treated in this way.
“At the very least the First Minister should have invited DeeAnn to a private meeting to discuss the review and the conclusions, but what happened was that a public statement was issued before consulting with DeeAnn.
“I’ve written to the First Minister on a number of occasions asking for a meeting with her and with DeeAnn and I have requested that once again.
“The behaviour that DeeAnn experienced should be called out and not buried and the chapter closed without her seeing the full report.
“DeeAnn’s treatment by the Scottish Government is just abysmal.”