Secretary of State wishes Scotland a happy and safe festive holiday

23 Dec 1999

Know Your Utility Contact Numbers

The Secretary of State for Scotland, John Reid, spoke today of his wish for everyone in Scotland to enjoy the festive period and have a great start to the new millennium.

John Reid said:

"Christmas is a magical time and I hope that everyone has a wonderful time both at Christmas and over the New Year. Of course, it is a particularly special year as it sees the start of the new millennium.

"It has been a momentous year for Scotland with the creation of the new Parliament. I am convinced that if the UK Government, Scottish Parliament, development agencies, and the private and public sectors continue to work together we can begin the new millennium with a renewed sense of purpose and hope in what we can achieve in Scotland.

"A lot has been achieved in a short time but much more remains to be done. By working in partnership I am certain that Scotland can play an increasingly important role both within the UK and within Europe.

"I also want to say a big "thank you" to all those who will be working over the festive period to ensure that the rest of us have a great time. To nurses and doctors, police, fire and ambulance crew, to those in the armed forces and the many people in organisations across Scotland we owe sincere thanks for all that they will do over the coming days. They are often the unseen heroes that we can too easily take for granted but, on whom we rely on when things go wrong.

"I am conscious too that people may have concerns at this time about what to do if things do go wrong. Last year many people were unsure about how to contact the utility companies for assistance so I have approached the main utilities to ensure that we give the maximum publicity to the emergency numbers that exist. I know that the utility companies have been working hard to minimise the potential for disruption and will do all they can to overcome any difficulties that do take place."

NOTE FOR NEWS EDITORS

It would be useful if editors could give prominence to all the emergency numbers below. It may be useful to reproduce them in a "cut out and keep on the fridge" format.