Douglas Chapman's constituency includes Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Moss-side.

A Week In Westminster

Syria – I was bitterly disappointed when Theresa May took the decision upon herself to authorise military action in Syria last week without a Parliamentary vote. These abhorrent chemical attacks on Syrian people cannot be tolerated but an informed debate should have been had in Parliament to discuss an appropriate course of action and to know what our exit strategy is supposed to be. Thank you to the many constituents who wrote to me express their concerns about the situation escalating and to say they've already experienced a long, expensive conflict which we've gone into on the coat-tails of an American president and they did not want a repeat.

3G sports pitch-Last week I welcomed news that a plan to install a 3G sports pitch in the village has taken its first initial steps following a public meeting at Hill of Beath Community Centre on Tuesday April 17.

Hill of Beath produced two Scottish footballing greats in Jim Baxter and Scott Brown, and it’s only right children from this proud village are given the best opportunity to follow in their footsteps by having their own 3G pitch. I would like to thank the members of the community who have come forward to volunteer their hours in the coming weeks to see if they can get the Community Asset Transfer off the ground. Hopefully they can make this dream of a 3G pitch become a reality.

RBS mobile banking-I have urged RBS to reconsider proposed changes to its mobile banking service in Fife, particularly in the Cowdenbeath area, which is of benefit to my constituents in Hill of Beath and Crossgates. When the Cowdenbeath RBS branch was closed in October last year we were assured other banking services, such as mobile banking, would be put in place to help its customers in the town and surrounding villages. Only a few short months later and that service is already being reduced, not just in Cowdenbeath but across the Kingdom. I’m very concerned about the impact this reduced scheduled will have on my constituents and small businesses in Hill of Beath and Crossgates who depend on this vital mobile service.

Commonwealth Games - For their population size, Scotland and Wales did exceptionally well in the Commonwealth Games which ended two weekends ago. From my days on the Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council I know how many people give their energy to coach, support and commit time to helping people get into sport and then encourage them to improve performance. Some of the fantastic performances we witnessed in the pool, on the track and at other venues starts here in local clubs and we should be grateful for the time people give, often voluntarily, in supporting sports clubs, teams and individual athletes - thank you!