Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has today warned that proposals for a third runway at Heathrow would undermine the city's own airport and have an immensely damaging effect on Scotland's environment.

The Liberal Democrat MP said she was dismayed that the plans had won the support of both the SNP and Tories and called on those party's representatives in Edinburgh to think again.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today called for an end to national standardised testing as Nicola Sturgeon opened up the door to a u-turn over the controversial testing policy at First Minister's Questions.

Speaking after First Minister's Questions, Mr Rennie said:

"The Scottish Government got rid of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy because it showed years of decline and replaced it with tests on pupils as young as five.

Responding to the publication of the Scottish Government's Tobacco-control action plan, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

"Scottish Liberal Democrats introduced the smoking ban in Scotland, providing a major boost to public health and recognising that helping people to stop smoking is a win-win situation.

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Tavish Scott MSP has today highlighted the growing attainment gap in Scotland's colleges and the impending £360m repair bill as he called for new investment to repair Scotland's colleges.

The Auditor General's annual report on Scotland's colleges reveals:

On the day that a Westminster Hall debate on intergovernmental cooperation takes place, Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson Jamie Stone MP has written to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament suggesting that a backbench cross-party liaison committee consisting of MPs and MSPs be established.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today said the Scottish Government must extend freedom of information laws to private bodies providing public services, after it agreed to consult on proposals put forward by the Scottish Liberal Democrats to expand its scope.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have been calling for the measures as part of a package of reforms designed to boost transparency and accountability in the wake of the Scottish Information Commissioner's stern rebuke of the Scottish Government secretive approach to governance.

Responding to the news that Ineos has lost its legal challenge against the Scottish Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Liam McArthur MSP said:

"There will be relief that this legal challenge proved unsuccessful but communities at risk of being fracked will have been unimpressed to see Scottish Government spin laid bare.

Commenting on the annual homelessness statistics released today, showing the first increase in applications in nine years and a 9% increase in children in temporary accommodation, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"The SNP Government can't ignore the fact that the number of children in temporary accommodation has increased 59% since 2014. On any given day, there are now around 2,500 more children lacking the stability of a home to call their own. That is heartbreaking and the upset and disruption it causes can have a real impact on a child's development.