Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Mariam Mahmood has called on the Scottish Government to commit to introducing a nationwide Latte Levy to address the persistent use of disposable coffee cups, following the publication of the Scottish Household Waste survey.

Mariam Mahmood said:

"Scotland is making strides with recycling but when it comes to coffee cups we haven't even begun to tackle the mountain of waste they generate.

Responding to comments from Richard Leonard suggesting that he would not seek to overturn the Brexit decision, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

"Richard Leonard is on a long and slow journey. There is now a clear majority of the public that recognises that Brexit is going badly and want to think again.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today demanded new resources to tackle sexual crimes as new figures showed that the number of these crimes recorded by the police continues to spiral.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today demanded new resources to tackle sexual crimes as new figures showed that the number of these crimes recorded by the police continues to spiral.

Commenting on the confirmation that the Scottish Government has begun the tendering process for the next Northern Isles ferry contract, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur said:

"Orkney and Shetland made the case for tendering as the best way to support local people, the freight industry and island businesses.

"The Government has taken too long to reach this decision, welcome though it is. Ministers must now learn the lessons of the previous tendering process and make sure that they listen to local stakeholders and respond to the needs of our island communities.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today demanded the Scottish Government ensure there are enough NHS beds available in acute specialities to meet demand, after figures published by ISD Scotland reveal the number of beds has continued to decrease.

The average number of available hospital beds in Scotland has been decreasing over the years. In 2017/18, the available beds for acute specialties was 13,426 - a 2% decrease on last year and a 4% reduction when compared to 2012/13.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said the SNP Government needs to step up efforts to improve Scotland's health after new statistics revealed a "worrying diagnosis".

Statistics published today showed:

• Scotland's life expectancy has fallen by 0.1 for both males and females - the first time it has decreased for both sexes in the past 35 years;
• Two thirds of adults are overweight or obese;
• A third of men drink to levels described as hazardous or harmful;
• 10% of adults won't consume any fruit or vegetables over the course of a day;
• 21% of young people (aged 16-24) reported that they had ever self-harmed;
• 20% of people in the most deprived areas had two or more depressive symptoms, compared to 5% in the least deprived areas;

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has branded current waits for cancer treatment "irresponsible and dangerous", 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 84.6% of patients were seen within the 62-day waiting time target for the quarter 1 April to 30 June 2018. That's down from 85% in the previous quarter, and 86.9% at the same point last year.

I'm often asked why I first joined the Liberal Democrats and I have often answered with the word 'Brexit'. But whilst it was true that devastating result of the EU Referendum in 2016 was the catalyst for me joining the party, it really encompasses many wider issues that I wish to make a stand against.