John Thurso MP

All welcome, no appointments necessary.

Following assurances from the Postal Minister last week, John Thurso has confirmed to worried constituents that Royal Mail's Universal Service Obligation, which is enshrined in law, requires them to charge the same price throughout the UK for first and second class post.

There is no plan to change this and neither the Government, the Royal Mail nor Ofcom have ever considered changing it. Ofcom have now also confirmed this in a letter to the Federation of Small Businesses.

It is a fundamental measure of a just society that it makes provision for those who cannot cope for themselves. The UK's welfare system, conceived by that great Liberal, Beveridge, and enacted by the reforming 1945 Labour government, was not only the first comprehensive state welfare system in the world but remains today, after many changes and improvements, one of the best. As an hotelier I lived and worked overseas in Europe and the US as well as in the UK and I saw for myself just how good our system is. That does not mean that it cannot be changed or improved: quite the reverse. We owe it to that legacy to seek constant improvement, and there is one core principle that has been missing.

Responding to a question from Far North MP John Thurso today, Energy Minister Greg Barker confirmed that the Pentland Firth was well on its way to becoming Scotland's first marine energy park.

He went on to ask John Thurso to host a meeting of the Marine Energy Programme Board in Caithness in the summer with a view to making the park a reality and only the second in the UK.

Local MP John Thurso took the opportunity of a meeting of the Treasury Select Committee this week to grill the Governor of the Bank of England over his proposals to introduce checks on the sweeping new powers to be granted the Bank.

The Governor, Mervyn King, was appearing before a meeting of the influential Treasury Select Committee which is investigating proposals to make the UK Financial system more stable.

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso today cautiously welcomed the designation of Scrabster Harbour and Nigg Yard as Scottish enterprise zones focused on renewable energy.

On Tuesday the Scottish Government in Edinburgh announced the creation of four enterprise areas over fourteen sites across Scotland. The Renewable Energy Enterprise East Area will include both Nigg and Scrabster in the Highlands although not Wick Harbour. No details on how the enterprise areas will operate is yet known although they may include reduced business rates and it is hoped they will be operating from April.

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso has given his support to a campaign from Citizens Advice Scotland which is aiming to help people cut their fuel bills.

The 'Big Energy Week' campaign offers people practical advice on reducing their fuel bills and is seeking to make sure that they receive all the financial support which they are entitled to. There is also a new website - www.bigenergyweek.org.uk - which is full of tips on how to cut energy bills.

Local MP John Thurso welcomed the announcement that the UK Government is taking steps to offer the Scottish Parliament the legal powers to hold a decisive referendum on Scotland's future.

During a statement on the floor of the House on Tuesday the Secretary of State for Scotland and Scottish Liberal Democrat, Michael Moore MP, warned that the Scottish Government does not have the power to legislate for a referendum at present. However, he said that the UK is willing to take steps to make sure that any referendum is legal and was prepared to transfer any necessary powers to Holyrood to make that possible. He also launched a consultation to seek the views of people in Scotland on the best way to hold a legal, fair and decisive referendum.

The North Highland Regerneration Fund is playing an increasingly important role in keeping a number of viable locally companies in business as as the credit crunch is hitting bank lending says local MP John Thurso who is also the fund's chairman.

The fund was originally set up to support small business start ups and expansions but John Thurso said that it is increasingly getting requests from local businesses which have been refused by their banks.

Two vetoes have been applied recently both of which could have long lasting and possibly unintended consequences. The obvious one which has filled the news is the Prime Minister's use of the veto to exit the Brussels negotiations on the future of the euro. Hailed by euro sceptics as a masterful display of bulldog spirit, it is in fact a largely cosmetic time waster aimed at the back benches of the Conservative Party. Cosmetic because it achieved very little at home and even less in Europe, and time wasting because it masked the real crisis with the euro which is the inability of the central institutions to act as lender of last resort. Until the major economies of the euro take action on this core problem then discussions on agreements that may or may not happen next summer are largely irrelevant. This country depends on Europe to take over half of our industrial export production so their crisis is our recession and our interests are in a resolution which is best achieved at the table not away from it. It is to be devoutly hoped that a dose of common sense and seasonal goodwill can help restore good faith.