Fishcross, 7 April: SNP Candidate George Reid tonight challenged Martin O’Neill to make a "clear and unequivocal statement on precisely how New Labour will help Clackmannanshire’s dinner ladies"

Last week the Labour candidate arranged a photocall for the press with them outside Alloa Job Centre, and contacted both the national and local media. Since the 130 women are only temporarily out of work during the school holidays, they do not qualify for unemployment benefits.

"Of course, this is a scandal," said Mr Reid. "But unless Mr O’Neill can say clearly how he will change their conditions, that will be a scandal too – because he will have used them for personal publicity, knowing that they will suffer exactly the same fate under New Labour.

"I have seen nothing to say that Labour will abolish compulsory competitive tendering (CCT). Nothing to say that they will abolish the Jobseekers Allowance. And since New Labour is committed to Conservative income tax and spending levels, how can the situation change?

"Mr O’Neill bashed the Tories. But he said absolutely nothing about what his own party would do to help."

When the catering contract went out to tender, the new competitive package of Labour-controlled Clackmannanshire Council abolished holiday payments for the dinner ladies. Previously they were paid a retainer during school breaks.

Mr Reid commented that the SNP would end the compulsory element of CTT, and with the additional resources available to local authorities through independence they would no longer be required to choose the "cheapest" option.

Under SNP proposals, councils could afford either to take back these services under their own provision or to insist that private companies providing school dinners covered holiday payments in their employees’ contracts.

Mr Reid was addressing a public meeting in Fishcross Miners Welfare.

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SNiPPETS

Just to annoy the opposition, the SNP have put up an enormous sign: SNP ON TOP AGAIN.

• NO TAX BATTLEBUS: Police cautioned the New Labour party which visited Alloa on Saturday that the tax disc on George Robertson’s battlebus was out of date.

"I know New Labour is obsessive about paying more tax", said George Reid, "but this is ridiculous."

REID THE NEWS

Pierre Gravel, Chief Correspondent of Le Devoir, said: "George Reid is one of the most interesting candidates in Scotland. He has always been an advocate of social justice – both at home and in wars and disasters overseas".

• STV COVERAGE: As part of its series on key constituencies, Scottish Television will be filming George Reid on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The sequences will cover canvassing and public meetings.

• INTERNET DIARY: Mr Reid has been invited to write a daily campaign diary for GE-97, the main Internet site on the General Election, run by the Economist magazine. The diary will be provided weekly to local media.

• HALF HOUR TV INTERVIEW: An in-depth, 30-min interview with George Reid made by Bewick Films for transmission on Border Television has been postponed till after the Election "in the interests of political balance".

Interviewer Eric Robson introduces Mr Reid as "one of the founders of the modern SNP". The local party are showing the tape to supporters in small villages which do not have a public meeting.

• MEETINGS: George Reid has 23 public meetings arranged between now and the end of the campaign. "Ochil is essentially a collection of small communities", he says, "and every one of them deserves to have the opportunity to question parliamentary candidates".

• PARISH COUNCILLORS VISIT OCHIL: Note that you received the text of this principle press release for the week on the morning of Monday 7 April.

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