Dè tha dol | Monthly round up - October 2026
Welcome to my monthly round up of my work both in parliament and in the constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
IN THE CONSTITUENCY:
Uist & Benbecula Health Meetings
Health services in Uist and Barra are at crisis point. Be it the loss of local provision, the terrible toll of patient travel or growing fears over winter resilience, health continues to be the number one issue raised with me, through correspondence, on the doorstep and in almost every conversation I have on the ground.
Over the last two years raising individual constituent issues direct with NHS Western Isles, I have brought broader concerns to the health board and its chief executive, and have flagged issues to the Cabinet Secretary and called for change.
This is a crisis not just in provision but of confidence.
In late October I co-chaired a series of meetings in Uist and Benbecula with Donald MacKinnnon MSP and Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson.
The stories we heard covered a range of topics, from the loss of scope and scan services at the local hospital, to the onslaught of travelling twice weekly for chemo and dialysis.
And each person’s account brought to life the very real impacts this failure has on people’s lives.
Travelling to an appointment means a day by road, sea or air, it means the stress of delayed and cancelled transport, the indignity of travelling in poor health and under invasive treatment regimes, it means the loss of work and income and it comes at a steep cost – financially, emotionally and physically.
People have told me that they are choosing to step back from treatment altogether rather than face these burdens.
Storm Boelo put a stop to our Barra visit. Those meetings are now being reconvened for early November.
Speaking publicly on such private matters takes real courage and I want to personally thank all those who got in touch. Their stories will help us drive change.
Once the Barra meetings are complete, we will compile our findings and share our plan for action.
If you have health issues you want to raise, please get in touch.
Stornoway Surgeries
The month started off with surgeries in Stornoway. We had several people attend with a mixture of office and phonecall appointments.
If you or anyone you know has an issue they would like to raise with me, please get in touch.
Phone: 01851 827472
Write/visit: 36 Kenneth St, Stornoway, HS1 2DR
Attended the Royal National Mòd
I was delighted to attend the closing days of the Mòd celebrating its great success with record number of entrants in many of the competitions.
It was a great celebration of the Gaelic language and culture and it was fantastic to hear Gaelic spoken across am Baile Mòr nan Gaidheil.
I look forward to continuing the celebrations at the 2027 Mòd in Stornoway!
South Harris Constituency Surgery & Communication Outage Update
On the 30th October I was in Harris for a constituency surgery in Leverburgh. We discussed a range of issues, however almost everyone we spoke to expressed their deep concern about the recent communication outages during Storm Boelo.
It is clear that an explanation is owed to the community from the telecommunication companies about what happened that led to the complete failure of comms over the weekend.
Liaising with community organisations and representatives, we hope to hold a meeting soon with the telecommunication companies to discuss a cohesive community level resilience plan and wider digital resilience in the infrastructure.
Outcomes from this meeting will be shared in due course.
Leverhulme Memorial School Visit
It was an absolute pleasure of visiting the pupils and staff of Leverhulme Memorial School in Leverburgh, Harris.
The pupils have been in touch before when they raised the issue of microplastics. As a result of their excellent letters, I raised the issue in the House of Commons.
Recently they wrote in again on the important issue of the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. Their letters were very moving and I was delighted to share with them during the visit that their letters had been handed over to Kirsty McNeill MP (Minister of State for International Development) in the Foreign Office.
The pupils shared with me the work they had done on looking at the UN rights of the child and they also showed me their creative presentations they made after reading Malala Yousafzai's story.
It is always an education visiting schools and I left Leverburgh feeling very inspired.
Bha mi cho toilichte sibh a choinneachadh a-rithist. Cùmaibh oirbh a' chleachdadh ur ghuth!
Blythswood Shoebox Appeal
At the end of the month I dropped off my shoebox for this year's Blythswood shoebox appeal and was delighted to hear that this year in Lewis and Harris 1,154 shoeboxes were sent away.
For over thirty years, the Blythswood charity has been running the Shoebox Appeal and in that time has delivered nearly three million shoeboxes across Europe to those most in need.
This is a great charity to support that makes a real difference so consider saving an old shoebox and participating in the appeal next year.
IN PARLIAMENT:
Connectivity and Digital Resilience Issues
As mentioned previously, many constituents wrote in regarding the communication issues during and after Storm Boelo. The Monday after the storm, I raised the case of my constituents in the Commons with Ministers and questioned the lack of resilience in the phone lines, particularly as the old analogue lines are switched to digital by January 2027.
Digital resilience and the switchover are not issues only affecting us in the islands, but is a national infrastructure that requires a national solution.
This issue was also discussed in a Scottish Affair Committee Meeting on 28th October.
EU Deal for Fishermen and Young People
Brexit is costing the Scottish fish farming industry £100m in lost exports, more than half the value of the fish grown in Hebridean waters.
Earlier this month I asked the Prime Minister to get a new deal with the EU at October's summit, and while we are at it we should seal a deal for work and study in Europe for young people, the generation betrayed by Brexit promise.
Adjournment debate - Glasgow School of Art
I held an adjournment debate in the House of Commons this month on the future of the Glasgow School of Art and called on the Government to pledge their support to the re-building of this critically important and valued icon of the UK's arts and culture scene.
It was an important debate and I was happy to hear the Minister's agreement in the value that this institution has had on the country as a whole. I will continue to call for a multi-pronged approach to the re-building of the 'Mack' including Government support.
Budget Statement
On Wednesday 28th October, Chancellor John Healey MP laid out the latest Budget for the UK. This was a Budget that offers breathing space now for families and businesses and fresh hope for the future.
Included in this Budget was the continuation of the freeze on fuel duty which is welcome for businesses and car drivers and fixing the tax-free mileage rate for those driving for business at 55p per mile will help health workers nurses and those who deliver services across the islands.
The Chancellor also announced that he will abolish gas standing charges, saving Stornoway households on mains gas an average of £45 a year. He hopes to also extend this measure to wider electricity bills in the future.
At the heart of this budget is support for households, action to ease the pressure of the cost of living, and a commitment to making sure that working people and pensioners feel the benefit of decisions taken by this government.
CASEWORK WINS:
Happy constituent following help accessing medical treatment:
"Just wanted to express heartfelt thanks to Torcuil & the wonderful team of staff who support him in helping achieve positive wins for Western Isles constituents.
So happy that my long awaited new medical treatment has started. Feeling super grateful to the team for your support & feeling hopeful for better health to come."
Success for elderly constituent in receiving heating oil fund
A constituent contacted my office asking for advice on applying for the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme delivered by Advice Direct Scotland. We were able to support the constituent throughout the application process and was delighted to learn that her application had been successful.
If you or someone you know would like advice and support with applying for the heating oil fund, please get in touch and myself and my team will be happy to help.
| SEPTEMBER CASEWORK UPDATE |
CUIRIBH FIOS THUGAM | GET IN TOUCH:
Should you or a family member have an issue you would like to discuss with me, please get in touch. I am here to help.
Phone: 01851 827 472
Write: 36 Kenneth Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2DR
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