The Prospect Union strike next Thursday regarding the centralisation of air traffic services in Inverness should come as no surprise to HIAL (Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd) or the Scottish Government. They have been told time and again that the project is flawed and will result in job losses across the Highlands and Islands.

The week started with the long-awaited publication of the report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Given its contents it is no surprise that the SNP Government did not want it released before the election.

This is Carers Week. For many carers, the pandemic has been ​a more intense and challenging time than usual. They have pressed on in extremely difficult circumstances.

As the dust settles on an election campaign like no other, I want to begin with a thank you to the voters in Shetland who put their faith in me to serve as their MSP for the next five years. I am humbled by the support I received from you, my campaign team, volunteers and supporters. Thank you.

The days are getting longer, and we are now in meteorological spring, and it has to be said there’s a sense that better months lie ahead of us.  Last week was another without any new COVID-19 cases in Shetland and the longer this continues the more confidence there is that restrictions can be eased. Children and young people are slowly getting back to school, and the vaccination delivery programme is going well.

A picture paints a thousand words. The sight of seafood lorries circling Westminster was a stark demonstration of the anger and frustration companies face in exporting fish products to the EU. New border controls and the enormous increase in the volume of paperwork required ultimately takes its toll on fresh and perishable produce.

Meanwhile, fishing boats land their catch in Denmark to avoid red tape and ensure their product reaches market in time, and some seafood companies say they are close to being “finished”.  

It didn’t take much working out that something serious was afoot when both the Prime Minister and the First Minister were holding press conferences late on a Saturday afternoon. The new Covid-19 variant with up to a 70% higher transmission rate required immediate action.

It’s a fast-changing situation and messages in my inbox are mainly about the impact on Christmas travel plans.  With reduced options and limited flights people have struggled to return home or to carry out the planned caring responsibilities for family members on the Mainland. People seek a safe travel route, trying to make sure they don’t break the law travelling to Mainland airports or Aberdeen Northlink terminal.

After cancelling the National 5 exam diet for 2021, it really was only a matter of time before the Higher and Advanced Higher exams were cancelled. While no-one doubts that students can be put into rooms in socially-distant exam conditions, it is simply not possible is for there to be a level-playing field for all.

The pandemic has meant that many young people have missed school to self-isolate for days, sometimes multiple times, as have some teachers. And it’s this inequity that means that not all learners would be able to have the same shot at exams as their classmates.

History was made at Holyrood on Tuesday when The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill was passed unanimously by MSPs. It was the culmination of a campaign led by Monica Lennon MSP, who had support across the parties and she is to be congratulated for her tireless campaign for period dignity for all.

It is estimated that period products cost around £8 a month but when girls and young women, or their families, can’t afford this monthly hit they don’t go to school. Missing out on education because sanitary products aren’t affordable is an inequity that will no longer exist, thanks to Monica’s bill. It should also mean that no-one will be left in the upsetting situation of not having the period products they need.