Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Responding to official statistics showing 1,339 people died of drug-related deaths in 2020, an increase of 5% from 2019, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented:

"This will be a terribly hard day for all those who lost a loved one last year. Each and every life lost is a tragedy.

Orkney and Shetland MP and Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, has today put his full support behind the RNLI in its remit to help those in danger at sea after it was criticised by some media figures and politicians for rescuing migrants in boats in the English Channel. The RNLI has been forced to defend itself and its role to protect all in danger, regardless of nationality, after Nigel Farage labelled the charity a "taxi service" for asylum seekers and reports emerged that lifeboat crews were being heckled by members of the public.

Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart had today voiced her despair at Scottish Ministers for allowing the long-anticipated Prospect strike to go ahead at Sumburgh, Benbecula, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall and Stornoway today.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) staff took industrial action over plans to move air traffic control (ATC) to Inverness. Plans would see ATC centralised and jobs moved away from local economies. An independent report carried out for the Prospect Union estimated £18million would be taken away from island communities if implemented.

Speaking ahead of the publication of new drugs deaths statistics which are expected to show that Scotland is once again the drugs death capital of Europe, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the Scottish Government to kickstart a new era of drugs policy radicalism.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that the rights of people with mental ill health are at risk after a new report revealed that just 4 in 10 mental health detentions were carried out with the consent of specialist staff.

Figures published by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland reveal that just 43.8% of emergency detentions in Scotland between March 2020 and February this year were carried out with the consent of a specialist mental health social worker. The report also notes that there were 9.1% more detentions compared with the previous year, with 10,059 records of people with mental ill health deemed to need urgent treatment in crisis situations.

Responding to the Scottish Government's announcement of funding for the Young Person's Guarantee, interim leader Alistair Carmichael MP said:

"For too many young Scots the pandemic has set back their plans for learning, earning and getting ahead in life.

"A government guarantee of education, training or a job for all young Scots is something that all parties are united behind.

Responding to comments from Deputy First Minister John Swinney on Good Morning Scotland in which he said that barring people who refuse a coronavirus vaccination from certain large events is the wrong approach, Alistair Carmichael MP said:

"For months SNP ministers have flitted back and forward over the introduction of vaccine passports. You would be forgiven for suspecting that they would like to impose "Covid ID" but are just embarrassed that the Tories got there first.

Responding to the publication of new Test and Protect statistics, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented:

"The Scottish Government were totally unprepared for the recent rise in case numbers. The tracing system should never have collapsed in the way it did.

"Some tracing activities were switched off altogether, critical interviews were scaled back dramatically and today the goalposts are moving in how delays are reported.