Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today set out his party’s expectations for the forthcoming Covid public inquiry, including calling for initial findings to be reported within a year. 

Willie Rennie MSP has expressed anger at the prospect of a more than £100 million cut to the core school budget and disbelief that the Cabinet Secretary for Education has dismissed the concerns. 

Speaking after Prime Minister's Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today reiterated his call for extra staff support and an immediate Burnout Prevention Strategy, after new A&E figures showed that only 71.6% of attendances at A&E services were seen within four hours.

New Scottish Liberal Democrat analysis has shown that 275,000 scheduled operations have now been lost to the pandemic and the party has called for an urgent new Burnout Prevention Strategy for NHS staff as the backlog continues to grow.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today challenged Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross to submit a letter of no-confidence in his party leader, after fresh revelations of a Downing Street garden party undermined the Prime Minister’s claim to have no knowledge of parties taking place in his official residence during lockdown.

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie has today called on the SNP Government to follow the UK Government and provide grants for guest houses and B&Bs in the hard-hit tourism and hospital sector.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today revealed the longest waits experienced by patients forced to stay in hospital after doctors have declared them ready to leave including a patient in Tayside who had to wait more than five years to be discharged. 

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie has warned that the Scottish Government has effectively “legalised littering” and called for people who illegally dispose of their waste to “face the full force of the law” as it emerged that 134,974 reports of flytipping were flagged to local authorities in the past two years, but only 34 were referred to the Procurator Fiscal.  

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur has today revealed the longest outstanding waits for fatal accident inquiries in Scotland now run to almost a decade and branded such inquiries “next to useless and an insult to families.”