Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said that the First Minister should be focused on four key areas in his programme for government: delivering first-rate healthcare, help with the cost of living, getting Scotland’s roads and ferries moving and returning Scottish education to its best.

Alex Cole-Hamilton is urging the First Minister to focus on:

• Fixing social care to fix the NHS and recruiting more specialist staff into GP surgeries to ease their workload and get patients seen quicker.
• Helping people with the cost of living by insulating cold homes with an emergency insulation programme, using Scottish renewable energy to drive down bills and increasing support for unpaid carers.
• Driving progress on major projects such as dualling the A9 and tunnels for Shetland and passing a Ferries Bill that will end the ferries fiasco for good.
• Getting Scottish education back to its best by hiring more pupil support assistants and banning phones from schools.

Reports estimate that the SNP have failed to meet around one fifth of the pledges they vowed to complete within 100 days of a new government.

This includes watering down the promised £10 million that island and coastal communities deserve now for the disruption caused by the SNP’s ferries fiasco.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Scotland is a country packed with talent, aspiration and creativity- it deserves a government that will mirror that ambition.

“John Swinney has broken his promise to deliver on many of the glitzy things he said would happen in the first 100 days of an SNP government.  

“If his programme for government is to be any different, it must recognise the importance of social care in fixing our NHS. It must use all the levers at the Scottish Government’s disposal to cut the cost of living and bring down bills. It must be serious about finally dualling the A9, about ending the SNP’s ferries fiasco, about eradicating men's violence against women and girls, taking mobile phones out of schools and returning Scottish education to its best.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats took a massive leap forward at this year’s election. In every corner of the country, people put their faith in us to represent them on the issues that matter.

“From the opposition benches, we are ready to provide strong, intelligent and measured criticism, finding common ground where we can, to get things done for the people of Scotland.”