Inquiry call over NHS hours

Scottish Socialist Party health spokeswoman Carolyn Leckie said she agreed with the principle of midwife-led care.

"However, the introduction of midwife-only units as a replacement for maternity hospitals with all the back-up that they have is inadequate.

"That masks the real agenda, which is to reduce services.

"Instead of taking advantage of a falling birth rate to increase the midwife/client ratio they are going to continue with inadequate staffing levels which are driving midwives to distraction and impacting on the quality of care for women." BBC News

Findlay tops legal aid table with £267,000

The top earners' table, SLAB's annual report revealed yesterday, again includes Gordon Jackson QC, the defence counsel who, despite his workload as MSP for Glasgow Govan, has retained his sixth position with a figure of £163,000.

Last night, the Scottish Socialist Party described the payments to lawyers and advocates as "obscene", singling out Mr Jackson for criticism.

Colin Fox, list MSP for the Lothians, said: "Perhaps he should think of giving his salary as an MSP to a charity for the people of Govan. He certainly doesn't need it to live and I think he should no longer claim it." The Herald


MacDonald seeks 'new ideas' after devolution

However, Ms MacDonald claimed the arrival of the devolved parliament and the fact that there were now other parties who supported independence, had changed that.

She said: "It is not just the goalposts which have been moved, the size and shape of the ball has changed, the number of players in the team and even the game itself." The Herald

Festivals reject elitism charge The Scotsman