Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today urged the SNP/Green government to set aside its ongoing work on an independence referendum in favour of solving the emergency care crisis, after official statistics showed A&E waits at the worst level on record.

Responding to the Scottish Government’s embargoed announcement on NHS staffing, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton commented:

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP today said disabled people are paying the price of the SNP/Green Government’s failure to use the full powers of devolution after it was revealed how their asking the DWP to run systems is hitting the value of disability benefits.

Scottish Liberal Democrats will use their opposition debate this week to force a vote on measures to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said domestic vaccine passports must not be allowed to return after the Scottish Government today conceded that it was not appropriate to continue to allow their use on a voluntary basis.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has filed a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling on the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer to resign immediately.

Speaking about the motion, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur has today warned that new figures show that the SNP is failing to manage the prison estate and urged them to get a grip on the use of remand after it was revealed that there are currently 1,528 people in prison who were accommodated with another person in a cell intended for one person. 

His comments follow reports in February that Chief Inspector of Prisons Wendy Sinclair Gieben had written to ministers calling for urgent legislation to end the imprisonment of 16 and 17-year-olds in favour of secure care facilities.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the Health Secretary to “step up his game” and help restore the public faith in the ambulance service, as Scottish Liberal Democrat research unveiled that in the last five years emergency service calls cancelled due to patients making their own way to hospital have increased by almost 700%. 

Responding to Nicola Sturgeon's comments to Scotland on Sunday about a timetable for another independence referendum, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

"Nicola Sturgeon has made quite clear that your job, your health and your children's education will never be her priority.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Scottish Liberal Democrat local council manifesto on Wednesday morning, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has said that his party will oppose the centralising power grabs of SNP Ministers in Holyrood and campaign to free councils to deliver for their areas, with the powers and financial levers they need.