At the time of writing this, EIS are planning another strike this week in West Dunbartonshire. They have genuine and very serious concerns about the cuts being made by the Labour Administration and the effect they will have on educators’ ability to teach pupils. The recent letter from the EIS General Secretary makes the astonishing revelation that the Labour Administration are not even part of the negotiating process and are taking an arm’s length stance putting Council Officers in the firing line.

This was a policy decision made last February by Labour after being fully briefed on the detriment it would cause to pupils’ education. Council Officers have no power to overturn that policy decision. Only the Labour Party can do that. They must stop using Council Officers as human shields and review their damaging decision before the teachers’ fears come to pass and our children’s education is irreparably damaged.

Parliament took evidence on Google's controversial £130 million tax settlement from the Chief Executive of HMRC and the President of Google Europe last week, but despite thorough questioning from MPs details of the settlement remain unclear. George Osborne paraded the tax settlement as a huge victory but it appears to be an insult to businesses and individuals who pay the taxes they are due to; my constituents are asking why big corporations are being treated differently. Despite questions during the hearing about delays in reaching settlement and details of the methodologies used, we are still in the dark on these points. The settlement must now be investigated by the EU Commissioner.

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee report “The Future of the Union: English Votes for English Laws” has raised concerns about the complexity and workability of EVEL, mirroring comments I made in my Maiden Speech last July. I have no objection to the principle of English Votes for English Laws but the way the UK Government has implemented it is unworkable. Due to the Barnet Formula, Scotland can now suffer funding cuts with Scottish MPs having no say on the matter; that is fundamentally wrong. I’m pleased that the report echoes my concerns, vindicating my position. It is critical that the UK Government take on board the recommendations from this report and use the twelve month review period we are currently in to establish a set of comprehensive proposals that all parties and the general public can support.