Parliament's out for summer and MSPs are recharging their batteries and dealing with constituency matters which continue to arise no matter what time of year.

The Queen was in Edinburgh to officially open session four of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood and it was a colourful occasion which perfectly showcased Scotland's capital.

It seems odd that the Royal Opening of Parliament takes place just as we are about to begin the summer recess, but tradition dictates the timing of such events.

For me, the most enjoyable part of the day was the Local Hero procession down Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

All 129 MSPs were asked to choose a 'local hero' from his or her constituency in recognition of the important contribution they have made to the lives of other people and they were given the opportunity to take part in the Riding, a traditional Scottish march down the Royal Mile.

More than 1,000 other prominent Scots, schoolchildren, Parliamentarians, religious leaders and guests from public life took part in the celebration and afterwards there was free entertainment in the Parliament building.

My Local Hero nominee was ex-councillor Ian Morrison, a Bankie through and through, who has done much for the town over the decades and continues to do so at 89 years of age.

Ian said he felt immensely proud to be nominated, but he turned out to be a reluctant hero as he modestly played down the part he plays in community groups in the town and the achievements he has made to improve the lives of Clydebank people over the years.

It was good to see Ian's achievements being formally recognised and he thoroughly enjoyed his day in the limelight.

I wish him all the best for the future.

A much less enjoyable duty for me was to attend a meeting to discuss the saving from closure of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Call Centre in Clydebank.

This turned out to be a false dawn as it was impossible to have a meaningful, constructive discussion with the DWP who had already changed the criteria which meant no matter what we said the Centre could not be saved.

On a more optimistic note, however, hundreds of jobs are set to be created in the construction industry throughout the west of Scotland through the WellSpring Partnership, with West Dunbartonshire one of the areas earmarked for development.

As part of the Scottish Futures Trust, funded by the Scottish Government, a massive 20-year joint public and private sector construction programme will provide new services and infrastructure throughout Scotland.

Local businesses and trades people who think they could play a part in this exciting initiative should visit www.wellspring-partnership.co.uk or call 0141 843 6300 for more information.

I'll keep you posted on further developments.

As ever, please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything you think needs my attention.