MSP Stuart McMillan visits Cue and Review!

West of Scotland MSP Stuart McMillan has visited the Bishopbriggs headquarters of Cue and Review Recording Service-and was thrilled to see the progress the charity is making.

 

Mr McMillan, who is Vice Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Visual Impairment, dropped by the recently rebranded Bishopbriggs Media Centre to check up on Cue and Review, who specialise in talking newspapers for the blind. Cue and Review have a potential audience of 44,000 people in the West of Scotland.

 

The charity, which was established in 1982, is on the crest of a wave having received an £89, 000 Scottish Government Grant, which they plan to use on two new state of the art studios, and enjoyed a influx of staff thanks to the Future Jobs Fund (FJF).

 

Mr McMillan inspected the plans for the new studios and the Sonata-a new device which will soon host Cue and Review content. Described as a ‘freeview box for the blind’, the Sonata is the latest and most innovative product from the British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF). An internet audio player with a dazzling array of functions, the device is sophisticated yet user friendly-its simple display contains just five buttons and there is a remote control. Radio stations, podcasts news programmes and more are available on the Sonata. Listeners can also decide their own content, picking and choosing from a massive variety of radio stations around the world.

 

During his visit Mr McMillan questioned the coalition government’s decision to abolish the FJF, a scheme devised to find work for 18-24 year olds who have been claiming Jobseekers Allowance for six months.

 

Cue and Review have recently employed two new members of staff thanks to the scheme, which the coalition government cut after less than three weeks in power.

 

“If the scheme (FJF) was proving to be successful then I think it’s very unfortunate for it to be abolished,” said Mr McMillan. “If there are problems with the scheme in terms of waste, then fine, improve upon the management and the bureaucracy. Trident has been ring- fenced, no cuts will come from it, but other budgets will be affected i.e. the Future Jobs Fund, and I just find that wrong. There will always be people who don’t want to work, who just want to use the system, but I’m a firm believer that 99% of the population actually want to work, and I find it quite that sad that those people’s opportunities are going to be cut now.”

 

Morag McKay, Operations Director of Cue and Review, said: “It’s a pity. Of all the schemes we’ve worked with over the years FJF is easily the best.”