Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP

S3M-06761 Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (Scottish National Party): More Tourists for Edinburgh— That the Parliament welcomes the Office of National Statistics estimate that an extra 133,000 overseas visitors were attracted to Edinburgh last year; recognises that Edinburgh is the United Kingdom’s most popular tourist destination after London; considers that this is excellent news for the local economy, which has benefited from a 28.6% rise in tourist spending in the last year, and believes that, with its amazing history, culture and iconic views, Edinburgh is a must-see destination for international tourists.

S3M-06534 Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (Scottish National Party): Funding Cuts by Department for International Development— That the Parliament expresses grave concern at the decision by the Department for International Development to withdraw funding from a number of awareness-raising projects, including Scotdec’s First Steps to Lasting Change project; notes that the decision to withdraw Scotdec’s funding was taken just two days after the new Secretary of State for International Development was appointed and just one year into a three-year project; condemns the making of important funding decisions without an evaluation of affected projects and in such a short time frame, and calls on the Secretary of State to reconsider his decision.

S3M-06487 Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (Scottish National Party): National Lottery Awards 2010— That the Parliament wishes all Scottish projects in the semi-final for the National Lottery Awards 2010 the best of luck; notes that nine projects from across the country are up for awards in categories such as Best Arts Project, Best Education Project and Best Environment Project; further notes that the National Lottery Awards is an annual search to find the United Kingdom’s favourite lottery-funded projects and recognise the incredible work of these projects and the difference that they make to people’s lives; recognises that, in the Lothians region, the Hearts and Minds programme has been nominated for Best Voluntary/Charity Project, in association with Woman magazine, and that the Nelson Monument and Time Ball project has been nominated in the category for Best Heritage Project, and highlights that you can find a list of all nominations and vote at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.

S3M-06308 Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (Scottish National Party): St Columba's Hospice Charity Bookshop— That the Parliament welcomes the forthcoming opening of the St Columba’s Hospice charity bookshop in Goldenacre on Thursday 20 May 2010; notes that this will be the largest charity bookshop in Edinburgh, with shelf space for over 4,000 titles and reasonably priced at £1 for all fiction paperbacks; highlights that an employee seconded from Standard Life for the past three months assisted in project planning and managing the opening of the shop; congratulates the incredible work carried out by all involved to raise funds for the hospice, which is about to embark on a rebuild project, and further notes that information on the hospice, bookshop and rebuild project can be found on its website at www.stcolumbashospicefundraising.org.uk..