Scott congratulates students on exam results
Speaking in response to the publication of Higher and National 5 exam results Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Tavish Scott MSP said:
Read moreRennie urges named person review
The Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has urged the Cabinet Secretary John Swinney to take the opportunity to commission a wide reaching and independent review of the named person policy after repeated and growing concerns.
Read moreCole-Hamilton: GP bursaries no silver bullet
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said a long-term solution to GP shortages is still required after the Scottish Government announced plans for GP trainee bursaries.
Read moreMcArthur: SNP need to plug black hole in police budget
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP today warned that police budgets are being squeezed until the pips squeak as new figures revealed Police Scotland expects to overspend its day-to-day policing budget by more than £21m this year.
Read moreCole-Hamilton: SNP cannot stonewall questions on health reforms
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said that the Health Secretary seems wholly incapable of giving straightforward answers to basic questions over plans for NHS health board reforms.
Read moreMinister cannot watch as oil contracts leave Scotland
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP today said Ministers cannot sit back and watch as oil and gas decommissioning contracts leave Scotland.
Read morePolice officers must get basic kit
Commenting following reports that Police Scotland officers have been forced to buy their own hand sanitiser and bin bags due to budget cuts, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP said:
Read moreTime to think again on Named Person
Liberal Democrats originally supported Named Person but, in the light of recent events and a collapse in public confidence we believe a fresh look is needed.
We did support the Children and Young Person’s Act which includes the Named Person requirement when it was before Parliament in 2014.
Our initial view was that this seemed like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Surely, we thought, when resources are tight, we should focus on the most vulnerable. Yet this proposal had been developed by professionals on the ground rather than as a knee jerk measure from a nationalist administration that has tended to seek control as an answer to most questions.
That is why it deserved further consideration. My colleague Liam McArthur examined the proposals in detail on the Education Committee. We were persuaded that as it was primarily about making it easier for families to access services and support and that it did not shift the balance between the responsibilities of the state and families it should receive our cautious support.
Read moreMcArthur calls on Scottish Government to examine tendering process following Brexit
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has called on the Scottish Government to examine the implications of the recent Brexit vote on arrangements for tendering the Northern Isles ferry contract.
Read moreFirst Minister is risking the pro-EU consensus
At the Turriff show today I met plenty of farmers who are worried about what the Brexit vote means for them. So far we have seen little in the way of reassurance or detail from the UK or Scottish governments. That needs to change. We need to see a focus on finding solutions.
The First Minister reached out to other parties to build a consensus and a joint effort following the result of the EU referendum. She put party divisions on other issues to one side so that the parliament could speak loudly and clearly.
Yet now she risks wrecking that consensus.
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