Hello, although the clocks have changed, and we all welcome the lighter nights someone forgot to send a memo to the weather… it’s been dreich with the odd gale thrown in. Hope you all are getting on with it and am reminded of the old Billy Connelly saying, “no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes”.

I had the enormous pleasure of visiting the BAE Systems yard down in Scotstoun to mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week on March 4 and was impressed by both the company’s commitment to regenerating their workforce, but also to try to move some way to addressing the gender imbalance previously associated with working in “The Yards”.

On my visit I spoke to three young ladies who happened to be there on their “work experience week“ and a few apprentices in the pipe shop.

The company have taken on 200 apprentices this year and intends to do the same over the next few years to replace the people of my age, (ok slightly younger) who are now approaching their retirements and are looking at a variety of initiatives to both find the recruits and to open the workforce up more to people who are slightly older and want to retrain or have other family commitments and cannot work 35 hours. These are well-paid local jobs so fair play to BAE Systems in opening their Shipbuilding College right here in Scotstoun.

I also visited St Paul's Primary to mark their 50th anniversary mass and celebration and must salute the pupils, parents, and staff for all the hard work that went into marking such a historic event.

Like lots of us, I am bemused at the Labour Party's insistence here in Scotland on “staying out of Europe” when a clear majority of us Scots want to get back inside as soon as possible, as the damage to our economy and the cost to us as individuals both for our gas and electricity plus our shopping is rising and staying high far quicker and longer than within the EU.

I look forward to my colleague SNP MP Carol Monaghan taking on Labour's local candidate on this subject as well as benefit caps, prescription fees (it's now £9.90 for a prescription in England and Wales) and their simply barmy proposals to further privatise the NHS as soon as the current Tory leader gets a backbone and gives the country the date of the next UK election. Decisions about Scotland are always better made by those of us living here.

Awe ra best, Bill