BANFFSHIRE and BUCHAN COAST Liberal Democrats

Commenting on today's statement from the Education Secretary confirming that he will not be proceeding with his Education Bill, previously described as ministers' legislative "centrepiece", Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Tavish Scott MSP said:

"The Education Secretary has moved his Bill from the shelf to the shredder. The reality is that this legislation was so unpopular he couldn't pass it even if he wanted to. He was wrong to produce it in the first place.

"Liberal Democrats have been pressing for civil partnerships to be made available to all couples for years.

"This legislation offers a chance to bring to an end a separate and unequal two-tier solution, once and for all.

"It seems only sensible to allow all couples to choose the form of partnership best suited to them."

Scottish Liberal Democrat energy spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called for the Scottish Government to "lead by example" on tackling transport emissions, after he successfully passed amendments to the Climate Change Bill which will require ministers to explicitly set how they will support public procurement of ultra low emission vehicles.

Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called on the Scottish Government to take urgent steps to support struggling substance misuse services, after new figures showed NHS Lothian breaching the waiting time target for alcohol and drug treatment

The Scottish Government's Local Delivery Plan standard for drug and alcohol treatment states that 90% of people needing help with drug or alcohol problems will wait no longer than three weeks for treatment.

Responding to Humza Yousaf's interview in the Sun where he says SPFL bosses shouldn't have sought secrecy clauses when it reached the agreement to share sectarianism reports with the SNP Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

"The Scottish Government colluded in keeping the report on sectarianism at football matches secret. Now that they've been caught out they're back peddling as fast as they possibly can.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has branded current waits for cancer treatment a "scandal", as new statistics show quarterly performance against the 62 day target is at its worst since the standard was introduced in 2012.

The statistics published by ISD Scotland today show that only 81.4% of patients were seen within the 62-day waiting time target for the quarter 1 January to 31 March 2019. That's down from 82.7% in the previous quarter and 85% for the quarter ending March 2018.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Sheila Ritchie has today backed a cross party letter from EU parliamentarians to the Venice Commission, calling for the international legal advisory body to undertake an investigation into democratic failings in the UK such as the disenfranchisement of non-UK EU citizens residing in the UK during the European Parliamentary elections and breaches of spending rules during the EU referendum in 2016.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP today stressed the importance of ending "short-sighted" short-term prison sentences, after new statistics released by the Scottish Government showed that over half of those given the shortest stints in prison reoffend within a year of their release.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today voiced concern about the concentration of power in a small number of policing posts, after a new review by Dame Elish Angiolini on police complaints handling, investigations and misconduct issues highlighted tensions and poor communication at the top of Scottish policing.

Marking the third anniversary of the 2016 EU referendum, Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Sheila Ritchie has said that the Brexit process has done "great damage" to Britain's reputation and needs brought to a "swift conclusion" with a people's vote.

Sheila Ritchie is calling for people to unite behind a new agenda, aimed at establishing Britain as a leader in Europe rather than a leaver.