We quiz MP Cairns on big issues

Published 8 May 2010 14:00

JUST hours after David Cairns clinched victory and secured his return to Westminster to represent Inverclyde, we quizzed him on the big issues YOU wanted answers on. In a wide-ranging interview with the Tele's Russell Steele, Mr Cairns was tackled on jobs, Inverclyde's problems and its future, and what he will deliver for his constituents.

What action will you take to help protect Inverclyde from the effects of cuts in public spending?

Much of the funding for our regeneration is locked in for the next couple of years, such as the immediate funding for Riverside Inverclyde. So you won't see a halt to the new schools or the regeneration.

There will be cuts in public spending because we had to spend to prevent recession becoming a depression, and that's got to be paid for.

My party has pledged to protect frontline services and in Scotland the Scottish Government has the budget to do that. It has doubled, so Alex Salmond has twice the amount of money Donald Dewar had.

I don't see why he cannot match our commitment to protect frontline services like schools and hospitals. Beyond that, we are in the hands of what happens with forming a government.

Under new rules, MPs will only be allowed to claim up to £1,450 a month to rent a second home. Will you be using the allowance in full?

I'm not decided yet. At the moment I have a mortgage which is less than £300 a month but I'm not allowed to claim that.

If you're going to live in London you have to rent and it is an incredibly expensive rental market. I've not made any decisions in terms of what I'm going to do on that.

I'm not a superstitious person but I did not want to start planning beyond the election and take the voters for granted, so I'm going to have to give it some thought now.

How many days a week do you intend to spend in Inverclyde?

My main home for the purposes of my life and for expenses is in Inverclyde and that won't change. I am the first MP for Inverclyde who actually lives in Inverclyde and I'm proud of that. I'm also the first one who comes from Inverclyde.

I'm here every week and I do a minimum of six surgeries a month and will carry on doing that. The Westminster and legislative part means you have to be in London Monday to Thursday and that's fine but the voters are not demanding something of me that I am not already doing - to be working hard and available to them.

I visit lots of businesses, schools, community groups, voluntary groups and pensioners' associations. That is what I think my job is.

What do you intend to do to bring new jobs to Inverclyde?

This is a massive issue for people. Thankfully the impact of this recession has not been as devastating as previous ones.

But you can't just wave a magic wand. You have to lay foundations and have the facilities employers want to come into.

That means new modern office space, which we have, and a range of industrial units. I'm strongly supporting the council's current review of the industrial estates too.

Another element is transport links and we know we have good ones. We need to make sure the college is turning people out with the right skills and that our superb schools drive standards even higher.

We need to get these building blocks in place and you can then attract people. A few years ago if you needed modern offices here there was nowhere to put you.

I'm also passionate about developing the land at the waterfront for modern manufacturing.

We're well placed to attract new modern manufacturing and we have people with the skills.

Is it right for Labour to try cling to power despite having fewer seats than the Tories?

Everybody had a bad result. The Liberals will be gutted. And David Cameron was picking out curtains for Number 10 a year ago. The SNP wanted 20 seats and ended up with six.

The electorate has given all of us a bad result. Who did get a good one, apart from the Greens?

Nobody got an overall majority and all the parties are thinking about how they move forward.

Thankfully, those decisions are a mile above my pay grade. The next 72 hours will be the most exciting time in our political history, as we are in uncharted territory.

What practical help can you as an MP give towards turning around Inverclyde's depopulation problem?

This takes us back to the jobs issue. Jobs are at the heart of it but things like housing are too. You need decent homes and now we have them. Families have much more options with good quality housing along the waterfront.

You also need good schools and ours are fantastic. The new ones are state-of-the-art and more are being built. Leisure facilities are also needed and the council is right to spend so much on its leisure strategy because people want a good quality of life in their spare time.

But we also need to be more aggressive and pro-active in selling ourselves. Cruise ship passengers consistently say the people are warm, the scenery is beautiful and the facilities good.

A survey recently in the Tele showed people are positive about living here. There are challenges but we should stop beating ourselves up.

There are other places which sell themselves aggressively and which can't compete with Inverclyde's natural beauty, affordability and connections to the city.

We are very well placed to be among the most attractive places to live in Scotland but we have all got to believe it ourselves.

List three things you will put top of your list to achieve for Inverclyde over the term of the parliament?

Regeneration, and the tackling of depopulation and jobs we have discussed. On regeneration there are three priorities within that.

First, local people have to be able to participate by working on the jobs and we need to see more of that. Secondly, the entire community has to benefit from the results of the regeneration, and not just people living by the riverside.

Finally, access to the waterfront. People love the Esplanade, Ashton and Wemyss Bay Station and I want to attract more people down to the waterfront.

Exactly how will you ensure all of Inverclyde's town centres get a fair share, as promised during your campaign?

Gourock now has the station under way and that is an important project. In 2001 I needed a campaign office and had my pick of any premises I wanted in Gourock.

Eight or nine lay empty. That wouldn't be the case now. Look along Kempock Street and you see fantastic small shops of all different kinds and people showing entrepreneurial spirit.

Greenock is also doing well with the Oak Mall, beating the recession by getting big names in to replace ones lost like Woolworths.

Port Glasgow is the biggest challenge. One of my priorities is to talk to Gallagher's, the property developers, about when the next phase of development beside Tesco will start. That project was the biggest victim of the credit crunch in Inverclyde.

Shop fronts in the town are being improved and credit to the Scottish Government for stepping up to the plate, along with the council and Riverside Inverclyde.

What is the first practical thing you will do to achieve your stated aim of 'putting the needs of Inverclyde's hard-working families first'?

I will fight to protect the tax credits system. The Tories are proposing big changes to it and I don't want to see that.

Nor do I want to see child benefit becoming means tested, as it is great for mothers. I also want to see apprenticeships specially protected.

Should Gordon Brown step down and who should replace him?

A lot of people have lost money betting against Gordon Brown. I have had my issues about Gordon and they have not fundamentally changed. But I would say that no other politician has had to go through what he has in a six-month period.

My differences were about presentation and how you communicate but I would still have Gordon Brown every day of the week before David Cameron.

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 08 May 10

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