BANFFSHIRE and BUCHAN COAST Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today written to the Permanent Secretary and the senior investigating officer of Operation Rubicon, to enquire whether any Scottish Government phones have been subject to phone hacking.

Commenting, Willie Rennie MSP said:

"Regardless of the First Minster's phone being hacked or not, we need to know if any official Scottish Government phones have been hacked by, for example, the News of the World or the Sun.

"If official phones have been hacked the Scottish Government may have been exposed to considerable risk. There are issues of commercial confidentiality, national security and international diplomacy at stake. Is it the case that sensitive commercial information may have been in the hands of journalists? Was national security at risk? Did journalists from Rupert Murdoch's newspapers access private messages from ministers from other countries? These are serious matters, Parliament needs to be informed.

"I have written to the Permanent Secretary and Strathclyde police to determine if any national or corporate confidential information has been compromised.

"Alex Salmond seems to be more interested in grandstanding at the Leveson Inquiry than addressing serious concerns about the potential impact on government business of his phone being hacked. Using the revelation at Leveson that his phone has been hacked would be a feeble attempt to deflect attention away from his cosy relationship with Rupert Murdoch. He needs to tell Parliament now what has happened so Parliament can address any serious issues."

The question for the independence referendum needs to be agreed by all the political parties, according to the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie.

Speaking in advance of the launch of the SNP's independence campaign he said:

"It's in the interest of whoever wins the referendum to have the acceptance of those who lose. A critical part of that is a fair question accepted by everyone. Yet, the SNP seem to think only they should determine the question that is asked.

"I am urging Alex Salmond to be reasonable and work with all political parties to set the independence referendum question.

"If he has confidence that he can win he should be look to build the broadest possible consensus around the process used to reach his goal.

"As it currently stands it difficult to see how there will be a consensus. People will simply conclude that he is so desperate he will do anything to win, including rigging the referendum.

"If he wants to win fairly he should agree to a cross party committee to set the question."

Speaking in response to reports that photography could be banned under a by-law on the Glasgow underground, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie MSP said:

"Whichever bright spark came up with this needs to be told to drop it.

"This kind of nonsense distracts from the real fight against crime and terrorism.

"We have seen what happened in the past under the old Labour government. People were arrested under terrorism laws for wearing t-shirts lampooning Tony Blair or for shouting 'nonsense' at a conference.

"Strathclyde needs some strong liberal voices to shout 'nonsense' at this plan."

Edinburgh's Liberal Democrat MP, Mike Crockart, has today written to a joint letter to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and Lord McNally, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, to demand that the legislation around cold-calling via people's home and mobile phones be strengthened and more rigorously applied.

The joint letter highlights the fact that consumers are currently let down because where responsibility lies in unclear. OFCOM is responsible for the Telephone Preference Service, but the Information Commissioner regulates the protection and sharing of data.

At present, once you have registered your phone number with the telephone preference service, a ban comes into effect that forbids cold-calling you over the phone. Recorded messages, however, are covered by other legislation (Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003) and unsolicited SMS messages don't appear to be covered at all.

Mr Crockart has called for the Information Commissioner's powers to be strengthened to take in all forms of unsolicited contact and for there to be a single simple point of contact for any individual wishing to protect their privacy whether from unwanted faxes, mail, phone calls or texts. He has also asked that OFCOM's responsibility to maintain a register of people who do not wish to receive sales calls is more rigorously applied.

Commenting, Mr Crockart said:

"People should be able to guarantee their privacy in a simple and effective way. The present situation where responsibility lies with OFCOM, the Information Commissioner and various 'preferencing services' is merely a charter for unscrupulous companies to ride roughshod over the regulations with very little chance of any charges being pursued.

"I've lodged ten separate complaints with the Information Commissioner relating to unwanted text and phone marketing calls I've received just in the last few weeks. I urge all my constituents to do the same and to let me know so I can add them to the list I'm now compiling. People shouldn't have to put up with this menace which puts many vulnerable and elderly people at risk of fraud just as much as if the crook or pushy salesman was turning up at their door.

"Many of the big energy companies have recently stopped cold-calling in person thanks to a strong and vocal local campaign. I urge people to get involved again so we can stamp out these nuisance calls once and for all."

Figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alison McInnes MSP have revealed that there were almost 2,000 reported cases of people being admitted to hospital due to self-harm over the age of 60 in the past three years.

Commenting on these figures, Ms McInnes said:

"These are worrying figures, particularly as the number of cases has increased in some health boards.

"A recent study by the British Medical Journal showed that older people who self-harm are three times as likely to take their own life than are younger people who self-harm, and recommended that all patients visiting A&E under these circumstances were fully assessed before being discharged.

"As the government seeks to integrate health and social care in the community, there must be a focus on the mental health and wellbeing of older people. I urge the government to consider these cases when developing their new model of care.

"We need to work together to ensure that older people aren't left feeling isolated in their communities."

Scottish Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson Jim Hume MSP has one again called on the SNP government to use the extra money available from Westminster to help reduce the impact of cuts made to the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG).

Mr Hume used General Questions in the Scottish Parliament to ask the Transport Minister to use the £16million of additional resources available to Scotland over the next two years that stem from the UK budget to help reduce the impact of the 17.5% cut made to the BSOG and change of formula.

Commenting, Mr Hume said:

"The SNP cut to the Bus Service Operators Grant has slashed services, cut jobs and increased fares.

"The extra money coming from Westminster gives the SNP Government the opportunity to take action to help passengers. The solution is right under the Minister's nose yet he refuses to even consider it.

"I simply can't understand why the Minister is being so stubborn, and neither will be passengers who are bearing the brunt of the SNP cuts.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats want to use the extra money from Westminster to reverse the Government's damaging cuts and plug the hole in the Bus Service Operators Grant.

"The SNP should listen to passengers across Scotland who are unhappy with the cuts to bus services and use this unallocated money to reduce the impact of the cuts."

You can join the campaign to stop the cuts to our bus services here http://scotlibdems.org.uk/saveourbuses

At First Ministers Questions today, Scottish Liberal Democrat Young People's spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP pressed the First Minister on what action the Scottish Government is taking to provide support for families fostering children with multiple disabilities and complex needs.

Commenting afterwards, Liam McArthur said:

"Foster care services in Scotland desperately need foster carers who can specialise in caring for children with disabilities. The recent Yougov/Quarriers survey showed that just 26% of foster carers, or those considering fostering, would consider taking on a child with multiple disabilities and complex needs, with almost half saying that exhaustion and the fear of not getting enough support being the main reasons.

"These statistics highlight the need for the Scottish Government to work with local authorities and charities to ensure the needs of children with multiple disabilities are properly met. Every six hours, a child comes into care and needs a foster family. These are dramatic figures and require dramatic action.

"I asked the First Minister to commit to giving targeted support, across the country, to give foster carers the confidence to take on these more challenging roles. It is clear from the Quarriers' report that without specific training and respite care being made available to foster parents across Scotland, the situation facing some of the most vulnerable children in our society will not improve.

"It is generally accepted that we are still failing too many of our looked after children in Scotland. Quarriers have shone a light, once more, on the extent to which we are shamefully letting down those with the most complex needs. Scottish Liberal Democrats are committed to addressing this injustice by better supporting those who provide invaluable foster care."

Councillor Tim Brett, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Fife Council, has voiced concern at the proposal of the new administration to abolish the existing all-party strategic committees in favour of a closed Executive.

While previously all decisions were made by committees which reflected the political make-up of the Council, in the new administration proposal responsibility lies with one portfolio holder for each policy area.

Councillor Brett commented:

"We have some serious concerns with this proposal for an Executive structure. We feel very strongly that the consensual, democratic decision making of all-party committees was far more in the interest of the people, and led to better policies.

"Instead, the big decisions will be taken by a very small group of councillors, overwhelmingly representing a party who less than one in six Fifers voted for.

"Indeed those who did vote for Labour will not have seen this cabinet structure anywhere in their manifesto, and this will lead to backbenchers, even from within the Labour party, being alienated from decision making.

"We are encouraged by proposals to strengthen the area committees established under the last administration, as proposed in our own manifesto, however we caution the new administration against removing the planning function of these area committees, as the area committees are by far best placed to understand the local issues around planning applications and make the best decisions for local people."

Councillor Tim Brett has been elected to succeed Councillor Elizabeth Riches as leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Fife Council.

Councillor Brett, who had been chair of the Social Work and Health committee in the previous administration, was elected to the post after Councillor Riches stepped down to concentrate on ward matters.

Councillor Brett has been praised for his work as Social Work chair in the last administration, particularly as the budget for that department came under increasing strain. He represents the Tay Bridgehead Ward, and has been a councillor for over 15 years.

Commenting, Cllr Brett said:

"It is a real privilege to succeed Elizabeth as group leader, she has been a credit to Fife and the party over the years, and worked exceptionally hard as deputy council leader in the previous administration.

"I look forward to the challenge this role provides - though our numbers may be reduced I feel that our Lib Dem councillors have a lot of experience and talent to offer Fife Council in whatever roles we find ourselves."

Councillor Susan Leslie, representing Kirkcaldy West, Burntisland and Kinghorn, was also elected to succeed Councillor Tony Martin as Deputy Leader.