WE have seen a mixed week but I was delighted to hear on Tuesday that UK Chancellor Philip Hammond has finally decided to cut the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) to £2.

I have long campaigned for the stake on FOBTs to be reduced, as these highly addictive machines currently allow people to bet £300 a minute – £100 every 20 seconds; harming problem gamblers and those at risk of becoming problem gamblers – and made worse by the machines’ highly addictive nature.

These measures mean betting shop customers can now only lose a maximum of £2 a spin, which makes it harder for anyone hooked on FOBTs to throw away entire wage packets in a matter of minutes. It will help them, their families and communities by helping to reducing gambling poverty.

In Parliament on Tuesday, MSPs received an update from the Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, Michael Russel MSP, regarding the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

He told the Chamber that the Scottish Government cannot accept the latest offer by the UK Government as this involves removing powers from the Scottish Parliament for seven years after Brexit.

I’m fully supportive of the Scottish Government’s position as this move by the UK clearly shows the much lauded respect agenda by the UK government is a complete sham.

The door for further negotiations is always open but the UK Government need to come up with a better offer.

Scotland voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the EU, and as we’re being dragged out against our will, the Scottish Government is doing everything in its power to protect Scotland’s interests.

That is why we passed our own Continuity Bill.

The Scottish Government will not recommend consent to any arrangement which undermines the current devolution agreement because, in line with how the Scottish public voted, the SNP are opposed to Brexit.

While admittedly there are some areas it could make sense to operate UK-wide policies of frameworks post-Brexit, if these include devolved matters then Holyrood’s consent must be sought – it is fundamentally undemocratic to snatch away powers from the Scottish Parliament without any say in the matter.

Following Decision Time, I hosted my member’s debate for  Show Some Heart – the Jayden Off campaign.

Jayden’s family were in the public gallery. I stated that Inverclyde has been hugely supportive of the family and the paper’s campaign, which is warmly welcomed. Yet again, Inverclyde has shown the caring side of its community.

The debate and the interviews the family did will help promote the campaign now to the wider public, as well as highlighting the importance of registering the public access defibrillators (PADs) with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

If you have a PAD, please ensure it is registered.

It may just help save someone’s life.