DISCRETIONARY HOUSING PAYMENT FIGURES FOR NORTH AYRSHIRE REVEALED SNP MSP: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT STILL MITIGATING TORY CUTS Ruth Maguire SNP MSP for Cunninghame South has highlighted the millions being spent on mitigating Tory welfare cuts by the Scottish Government, after new figures revealed that a total of £2,375,220 was paid to people in North Ayrshire under... Continue Reading →

RUTH MAGUIRE MSP ENGAGES WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES OVER BREXIT DAMAGE. UK DRAFT AGREEMENT COULD COST SCOTS £1,600 PER PERSON. Following the UK Government’s announcement that agreement has been reached with the EU on the terms of withdrawal, SNP MSP, Ruth Maguire has written to organisations across Irvine, Stevenston and Kilwinning to hold urgent discussions on... Continue Reading →

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT UNITES AGAINST TORY BREXIT SNP MSP RUTH MAGUIRE VOTES AGAINST DAMAGING BREXIT DEAL The Scottish Parliament has overwhelmingly rejected Theresa May’s false choice of a bad Brexit or No Deal. The joint motion agreed by the SNP, Labour, Greens and the Lib Dems stated that a better alternative must be found – leaving... Continue Reading →

Irvine Times column, 4 December 2018 Last week I spoke in the Scottish Parliament on a motion to welcome the annual Saint Andrew’s Day celebrations. Our national day is always a wonderful opportunity to promote Scotland to the world as an inclusive and outward looking nation, but also to reaffirm to ourselves the very things... Continue Reading →

On Monday 26 November, Ruth had the pleasure to address the AGM of Nari Kallyan Shangho (NKS), a South Asian Women's organisation in Edinburgh, in her capacity as Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Equality and Human Rights Committee. On Tuesday 27 November, Ruth asked the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government if she agreed... Continue Reading →

SCOTLAND CAN DO BETTER ON WELFARE UK WELFARE SYSTEM “WORKS FOR MEN BUT NOT FOR WOMEN” An observation that misogyny is embedded in the UK’s welfare system was raised in the Scottish Parliament today as Ruth Maguire, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South picked up on an assessment made by the UN Special Rapporteur on UK... Continue Reading →

Irvine Times column, 27 November 2018 This week I attended the premiere of “Food Bank As It Is” in the Scottish Parliament.  This powerful play, based on the lives of Scots food bank users draws on the testimonies of food bank clients in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is undoubtedly powerful, but the most shocking thing... Continue Reading →

Local MSP Heads Committee Call for Improvements in Parliament’s Approach to Human Rights The Scottish Parliament should be an international leader in human rights, and adopt procedures that ensure best practice becomes standard practice, according to a new report from Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee which is chaired by local SNP MSP Ruth Maguire.... Continue Reading →

At Ruth's Christmas Scam Aware Surgery, several organisations and agencies attended to pass on their advice to help consumers avoid being scammed this Christmas. Here, PC Colin Johnstone of Police Scotland, Emily Liddle of Citizens Advice Scotland, and Andy Wylie from North Ayrshire Trading Standards offer their top tips on how to be scam aware:... Continue Reading →

Irvine Times column, 20 November 2018 Whilst Westminster falls into a maelstrom over Brexit and the Tory infighting that has been the root cause of the mess reaches its crescendo, in Holyrood the business of governing Scotland continues despite the Brexit bourach. On Tuesday I led the stage 1 debate as Convener of the Equalities... Continue Reading →