BANFFSHIRE and BUCHAN COAST Liberal Democrats

Responding to the news that the Scottish Government will now support Monica Lennon's bill on free period products, despite previously withdrawing its support, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

"People inside and outside the SNP told them that their opposition to the bill that would tackle period poverty was unjustifiable and I'm glad they've seen sense and caved. A lack of period products shouldn't be getting in the way of women's lives or education.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Education Committee discussing STEM teaching in early years education, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Beatrice Wishart MSP has criticised Education Scotland for dismissing evidence that teachers and parents are having to stump up for basic classroom resources and arguing children can get by with activities including "tinkering with broken equipment".

Liberal Democrat constitutional affairs spokesperson and North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain has today written to the three Labour leadership candidates calling on them to join a progressive alliance in favour of electoral reform.

Her letter to Rebecca Long-Bailey, Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy is as follows:

As Storm Dennis buffets the country, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Mike Rumbles MSP has called on the Scottish Government to scale up flood protection as he revealed that only a third of flood protection schemes identified for delivery by 2021 have been completed.

According to documents published by the Scottish Environmental Protection agency (SEPA), "There are 42 prioritised flood protection schemes identified for delivery between 2016 and 2021". This was confirmed by the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment in response to a Scottish Liberal Democrat parliamentary question. However freedom of information requests published by the Scottish Government reveal that as of December 2019, only 14 schemes have been completed.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned malicious calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service are putting lives at risk as new figures revealed that in the past five years there have been more than 7,000 malicious emergency calls requiring almost 2,000 hours of staff time.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael has today called on the UK and Scottish Governments to "get a grip" and ensure that the COP26 conference happens in Glasgow, as reports suggest that officials have begun probing alternative venues in London.

Mr Carmichael said:

"It's pathetic that when an opportunity arises to put Scotland at the forefront of the fight against climate change, all our two governments can do is bicker and snipe.

Commenting on the closure of the Queensferry Crossing, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, whose Edinburgh Western constituency contains the southern end of the bridge, said:

"Three years after it was opened the bridge is still not complete. It is still without ice monitoring equipment, so staff are having to make do with binoculars.

Responding to the announcement that the Scottish Government will hold a drugs conference in Glasgow, the day before the UK Government holds its own drugs summit in the city, Scottish Liberal Democrat public health spokesperson Rosemary Bruce said:

"The Scottish and UK Governments ought to be working together to solve this crisis, not engaging in petty point scoring by holding separate conferences on the same issue in the same city only a day apart.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today announced that he will bid to make MSPs and all other elected members in Scotland subject to a PVG check, introducing a new safeguards for children and vulnerable adults and helping protect against people using elected status as a platform for predatory or exploitative behaviour.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has urged the Scottish Parliament's standards committee to reconsider introducing measures to allow constituents to recall MSPs.

The UK Parliament passed legislation applying to the recall of MPs in 2015. In March 2018, Mr Rennie gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament's standards committee urging them to act. However, the committee rejected the measure.