Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called on public figures to "show that differences and debate can exist without hatred", as new figures from the Crown Office showed that hate crimes have risen in almost every category over the past twelve months.

The Crown Office report published today notes:

Scottish Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur MSP has today told the Scottish Government to "put its money where its mouth is" and ensure student paramedics are not left out of pocket ahead of the introduction of a new bursary.

Mr McArthur, who led efforts on the Pay Student Paramedics campaign in the Scottish Parliament, has called on the Scottish Government to ensure the bursary is in place for the new term start, or commit to backdating payments to cover any absence.

Responding to today's EIS conference at which members accused the Education Secretary of "passing the buck" for the alternative certification model and General Secretary Larry Flanagan's call to "end the scandal of 1 in 10 teachers on temporary contracts or worse, zero hours supply lists", Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Beatrice Wishart MSP said:

Many congratulations to Nick da Costa who has been elected as the new chair of Federal Conference Committee (FCC), following Geoff Payne's decision to stand down earlier this year.

Nick is a councillor in Haringey as well as an experienced FCC member, bringing to the role a great understanding both of how conference works and of what we need to do as a party to win.

People looking after their loved ones too often feel forgotten.

Yesterday, I spent some time meeting with a wonderful group of unpaid carers.

We had been brought together by Carers UK and a number of other carers' organisations as part of Carers Week, so they could share their experiences directly with me and we could discuss what changes might make their lives better.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today pressed the First Minister over the growth in short-term teaching contracts, and how many of the 3,500 teaching and classroom assistant posts that the Scottish Government has committed to creating will be given permanent contracts.

Mr Rennie said:

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has voiced support today for a letter sent by 14 Scottish food and drink businesses calling on the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss to engage more with industry on issues relating to EU trade and potential trade deals with Australia and other countries.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called on the Scottish Government to work with football authorities and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to ensure that every household attending games at Hampden and at the Glasgow fanzone is mailed lateral flow tests.

His call comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed that Glasgow currently has the softest entry rules for football fans of the 11 host cities across Europe.