On Monday, I held a surgery at the Banchory Business Centre where I met with constituents and listened to local concerns.

On Tuesday evening, I attended event titled “Asking if Scottish Ports are ready for Decommissioning” before heading off to the Holyrood magazine Christmas party.

On Wednesday, I attended my Finance and Constitution Committee meeting. In the afternoon I attended the Ministerial Statement on the Publication of the Scottish Energy Strategy, where I had the opportunity to ask a question to the Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse. In the statement I addressed the issue of lacking substance within the Scottish Energy Strategy and called for more detail. There was insufficient information within the strategy on what was to be achieved and how it was going to be achieved from now till 2050. After, I voted for the bill for Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland), which makes it an offence to use wild animals in travelling circuses.

On Thursday, I attended the Petitions Committee, for the improvement of treatment for patients with Lymes Disease and other tick borne diseases. The Committee agreed to write to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regarding their report due out in April and that they would defer any decisions until this report was published. I had the opportunity to comment on the Petitions Committee decision and noted my disappointment at the delay in a decision being made.

In the afternoon, I attended the First Ministers Questions (FMQs) before Parliament closed for Christmas.