Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government

Responding to the Scottish Government's Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

"Remote and rural communities will be particularly concerned that when the SNP promise reform, they actually mean taking away local services, removing local decision making and centralising towards Edinburgh and Glasgow.

"Right now, ambulances crews are queuing up outside A&E, patients are being treated in corridors and NHS staff are worked to the point of burnout. Reform is necessary but it needs to have their interests at its heart. Big upheaval lasting years could deliver distraction instead of change. If you are a pregnant woman in Caithness or a cancer patient in the Borders, will this actually improve your care?

"We were strong critics of the centralisation of the police, and in the early years we were shown to be right and sadly people lost their lives.

"We are in favour of communities being in charge and are instinctively nervous about the proposed merger of health boards."