Aberdeenshire West Liberal Democrats

Local MP Sir Robert Smith signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who died during the Holocaust.

Friday January 27th marked the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history - and in the weeks running up to the day, the Holocaust Educational Trust placed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, giving MPs the chance to honour those who were persecuted and killed during their Holocaust and encouraging constituents to actively speak out against prejudice and bigotry today.

Sir Robert Smith used Prime Minister's Questions to highlight the threat to safety in the North Sea by the plans to bring in direct regulation from Brussels. He called on the Prime Minister to do all he can to ensure that the UK's world leading health and safety regime is not compromised by the proposed changes.

Sir Robert told Parliament:
"Following the death of 167 workers in the piper alpha disaster in the North Sea this country developed a world leading safety case regime for offshore oil and gas which is now threatened by regulations in the European Union."

Later, Sir Robert commented on the Prime Minister's response :
"I welcome the Prime Ministers Commitment to protect the safety regime in the North Sea and his promise to work with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to do all that he can in Europe to get the right regulations for the North Sea. It is important that we now build alliances with other countries in the EU who are sympathetic to our concerns."

The European Union published its draft proposals on the safety regime for offshore oil and gas activity at the end of 2011. The proposals were created in response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 which resulted in the loss of 11 lives and extensive damage to the environment as well as to the Gulf's tourism and fishing industries.

The European Union had initially stated that it would use the UK Industry as a world exemplar and would use EU regulations to ensure that the rest of the EU was brought up to the same safety standards as the UK. Upon the publication of the proposals, however, the UK Industry and the UK Government has expressed a high level of concern that not only will the proposals lead to an enormous amount of extra regulation and legislation in the UK, but that they may actually undermine safety in the North Sea.

The proposals are yet to be examined by the European Parliament and Sir Robert emphasised the importance of the UK working with other EU countries to change the regulations so that they enhance safety across the European Union without threatening the excellent safety regime in the UK.

Sir Robert Smith MP for West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine has welcomed a new ten-year deal announced by the Liberal Democrat Business Minister Ed Davey between the Post Office and Royal Mail.

"This announcement is to be greatly welcomed. The ten year deal will provide certainty for Post Office Limited and will help post offices to remain open and to continue to serve their communities. This is excellent news."


The new deal gives additional certainty to local post offices across the UK and covers the full range of Royal Mail products available at post offices such as first and second class post, parcels, air mail, recorded and special deliveries. The Coalition Government has acted to maintain the Post Office network following the closure of more than 7,100 Post Offices under the last Government.

Commenting on the announcement, the Business Minister Ed Davey said:

"A year ago I set out a radical plan to transform Post Office's future, with £1.34bn of Government support and investment but without any closure programmes.

"Since then the Post Office has made good progress to become more competitive, building on its strengths.

Sir Robert Smith, Liberal Democrat MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, yesterday sought confirmation from the Treasury that constructive talks were continuing between the Government and the Oil and Gas Industry about taxation of the industry and that lessons had been learnt after last year's damaging rise in taxation.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir Robert, asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Chloe Smith MP, what lessons the Government had learnt from speaking to Industry. He was assured by the Minister that talks were continuing with the Industry and the Government wants to understand the challenges facing the industry.

Sir Robert said: -
"I am encouraged that the Government is now engaging with the Industry. Following on from last year's ill conceived increase in taxation on the Oil and Gas Industry, it is important that the Government now acts to restore faith. With the recent publication of a report that Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is one of the areas contributing most to the UK economy, it is essential that the Government now acts to ensure that companies are able to continue to invest in the region."

Sir Robert has repeatedly spoken out on the need for Government to re-engage with the Oil and Gas Industry and has met with Government ministers to explain the importance of establishing a tax regime that will allow the Industry to flourish, in the process creating even more jobs and attracting even more investment in Aberdeen, in Scotland and across the UK.

Speaking after the debate in Parliament on Carbon Capture and Storage in Scotland, Sir Robert Smith, Liberal Democrat MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine said:

"Peterhead stands out because it is unique - it is the only gas-fired proposal in the UK and it has the potential to place the UK as a world leader in the industry. Given the role gas can play in meeting our electricity needs it is important that the Government does all it can to encourage the project."

Following the decision in October that the weather station in Aboyne is to be used for calculating Cold Weather payments the Government has announced that the first period of 7 days below zero has just been recorded.

West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine MP Sir Robert Smith, who had pushed for the Aboyne station to be used to give better more accurate local information, commented

"This is good news for households living within the area covered by the Aboyne Weather station and will help to encourage those who need to keep warm to use their heating during cold spells. This was possible because the Government reacted positively to the concerns of worried constituents and saw the sense of moving the measuring point from Aberdeen Airport to an inland measuring point."


Previous to the new weather station being agreed Sir Robert had been contacted by a number of constituents in recent years who had noted the temperature outside their homes was on occasions zero or below for seven consecutive days but they hadn't received the government's cold weather payments. Robert raised this with the Department of Work and Pensions and following a review the Minister agreed to add an additional monitoring station to the scheme at Aboyne which now covers those living in the following post code areas AB30-32, AB51-54, DD8-9 previously measured in Dyce. People living in AB33 and 34 will also be monitored from Aboyne; they were previously monitored at Braemar.

Cold weather payments are separate from, and in addition to, winter fuel payments. For this winter 2011-12 the cold weather payment rate are £25 for seven-day period of very cold weather.

Sir Robert Smith, Liberal Democrat MP for Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine, today highlighted Citizen Advice's campaign to help people cut their fuel bills.

Speaking at the launch in Westminster Sir Robert said -
"Rising fuel bills are stretching household finances and people are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills. I commend Citizen's Advice for providing the support and advice that people need to help cut their fuel bills."

During Big Energy Week anyone can get practical advice on cutting their fuel bills and get help to see if they are getting all of the financial support they are entitled to. Leaflets with tips and advice on reducing bills are available at local Citizens Advice Bureaux (locations and opening hours below).

There is also a new website - www.bigenergyweek.org.uk - which is full of tips on how to cut energy bills. Citizen's Advice in Westhill have confirmed that they will be running a series of community workshops across Aberdeenshire in the next couple of months.

Citizens Advice, Chief Executive, Gillian Guy said: "We know hikes in prices have put extra pressure on people's budgets at a time when money is already tight. Day in day out our Bureaux are helping people who can't afford their fuel bills.

"We're worried that some people are struggling unnecessarily because they're not on the best deal; live in homes that haemorrhage heat or are not getting all of the financial help available to them."

Big Energy Week is helping people save money on their bills by encouraging them to:

Contact their supplier to check they are you are on the best tariff and payment method. Monthly direct debit is on average £100 cheaper per year than paying by cash or cheque.

Visit an accredited switching website to see if they could get their energy cheaper elsewhere. They may be able to save up to £200 off their annual bill by shopping around for a different supplier, particularly if they have never changed energy firm.

Insulate the walls and the loft of their home and save on average around £120 per year. All major gas and electricity suppliers are giving away free or discounted insulation to any household, not just their own customers. That goes for heating oil customers too.

Check they are not missing out on any benefits or tax credits that could save them money; local Citizens Advice Bureaux can help with this.

Using less energy could save money, just by doing simple things like turning off lights and switching appliances off at the wall. Turning the thermostat down 1°C alone could cut heating bills by £60 on average.

In the event that they are unable to pay their bills they should contact their energy supplier immediately. Suppliers are obliged to help customers manage their bills in a way that they can afford.

Customers who are using heating oil or liquid petroleum gas to heat their home should shop around and compare prices from different oil suppliers. They could also save money by buying in bulk with their neighbours.

Ms Guy added: "More and more people are coming to us for advice on how they can save money on their energy bills. Through Big Energy Week we hope to help lots of people cut their fuel bills and ease their money worries."

Sir Robert Smith, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, today called for more to be done to help those reliant on heating oil.

As a senior member of the influential Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, Sir Robert today took part in the Committee's inquiry into fuel poverty for those households who are not connected to the gas grid.

Sir Robert said -
"Everyone who relies on heating oil has been impacted by high prices, but for those on low incomes, particularly householders who are elderly, it has been particularly tough."

"Mains gas suppliers are obliged by the regulator, Ofgem, to provide certain services such as advising householders on how to reduce their bills and how to insulate their homes. It is clear from the evidence received by the Committee today that changes need to be made to ensure that householders who rely on heating oil receive some of the same support."

The Committee heard from a number of witnesses including the Office of Fair Trading, representatives of heating oil companies and organisations that work to relieve fuel poverty.

Sir Robert went on to say -
"I have been concerned for some time that those who rely on 'top-up' schemes are being overcharged for their fuel. I was pleased to hear today that the Office of Fair Trading is discussing this issue with the industry and I look forward to seeing the results of these discussions. Most of those who are on top-up schemes are amongst the most vulnerable customers and it is important that they are not penalised by having to pay higher prices than the rest of us."

Sir Robert said that he will continue to focus on this issue and is keen to hear from constituents about their experiences, good and bad, with heating oil suppliers. He can be contacted at his constituency office:
Sir Robert Smith MP, Banchory Business Centre, Burn O' Bennie Rd, Banchory, Kincardineshire AB31 5ZU
Tel: 01330 820 330 email: Robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk

Sir Robert Smith, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine maintained pressure on online and mail order companies who charge consumers in remote and rural areas excessive delivery charges. He recently tabled a motion in the House of Commons supporting Citizen Advice Scotland's campaign to end the unfair practice.

Sir Robert Smith MP for West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine made a Christmas visit to the new Clan House in Aberdeen

The new CLAN House is on Westburn Road in Aberdeen. CLAN supports anyone affected by any type of cancer at any time from diagnosis onwards. Whether affected personally, as a carer, family member or close friend.