Responding to the news that BiFab has been placed in administration, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: 

“The SNP Government’s incompetence has left an industrial wasteland. This was a golden opportunity to connect our battle against climate change with jobs in industrial communities across the country, but the government has wasted over £52 million creating a couple of hundred temporary jobs. The Bifab debacle has been little more than a very expensive publicity stunt.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today condemned the Scottish Government for failing to create long term renewable jobs with its £52.4million investment in BiFab. Speaking in an opposition party debate he said that the £262,000 spent per job has let down workers and the taxpayer.

Mr Rennie said: 

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today called on the Scottish Government to stop dithering over whether the Higher exams will be called and holidays extended. He wants the government to confirm to teachers, parents and students that this year’s Highers and Advanced Highers will be cancelled alongside the dates on which the term will end and resume. 

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today called for those with newborn children to be allowed to form a support bubble with an additional household as he warned of the pressures and stresses affecting the parents of young children.

In England, from today, families with very young children or people with continuous care needs will be allowed to form a support bubble with another household. However, these rules are not in place in Scotland.

Responding to new analysis from independent economic thinktank the Fraser of Allander Institute, which noted there was a "healthy dose of politics” to SNP tax demands over a payment for NHS workers, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

"Since the start of the pandemic Scottish Liberal Democrats have argued for an additional payment of £29 per week payment for frontline workers. It is disappointing that workers had to wait months for this payment. 

Responding to the new analysis showing that 135,000 scheduled operations have now been lost to the pandemic, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented:

Responding to the news that just 60.6% of children who started mental health treatment in the quarter ending September 2020 did so within 18 weeks, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented:

Responding to new statistics showing the number of households in extreme fuel poverty increased 11.5% in 2019 to 311,000 and fuel poverty in remote rural areas getting worse, Liam McArthur MSP, whose Orkney constituency is consistently the worst affected, commented:

"For all the warm words, the SNP Government hasn't made a dent in Scotland's shameful levels of fuel poverty. It declared energy efficiency a national priority five years ago but today's statistics show the situation getting worse.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today called for the 2021 exams to be cancelled because pupils around the country "don't have a level playing field" and are demanding that the Education Secretary make the announcement immediately so an effective alternative can be put in place before schools break up for Christmas.

The party has said this is essential to avoid a repeat of John Swinney's 2020 exams algorithm which crushed pupils' ambitions and penalised those from poorer backgrounds the most.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today called on the Scottish Government to review its guidance on what type of masks are issued to healthcare workers after being contacted by staff. They believe the current surgical masks do not afford adequate protection when caring for positive or suspected positive Covid patients.