Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Tavish Scott MSP has today called on the Education Secretary to confirm whether data on local schools' performance will be obtainable under freedom of information laws after John Swinney insisted that the government will only collect sufficient data to analyse national trends in education.

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Mike Rumbles MSP has welcomed confirmation today, in a parliamentary answer from the Scottish Government, that refurbished High Speed Trains due in Scotland next year will have twice as many cycle spaces for intermediate stations as previously planned.

9,832 EU nationals left the NHS between 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2017, figures published by NHS Digital today have revealed. This is an increase of 22% on the previous year, and up 42% on two years earlier.

In total 3,885 nurses, 1,794 doctors and 1,518 support staff from the EU left the NHS between June 2016 and June 2017.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today called on the Scottish Government to ensure that the forthcoming Planning Bill gives local communities a "genuine voice" in planning decisions.

The party's announcement comes as former First Minister Henry McLeish launches a new alliance of organisations working across the planning and placemaking sectors pressing for a more inclusive, collaborative and innovative planning system when the Planning Bill is introduced to Holyrood later this year. The alliance includes organisations such as the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and COSLA.

Commenting after this afternoon's debate on taxation Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said:

"By abstaining in the parliamentary vote the SNP have accepted that taxes should rise. The job now is to decide exactly what that tax package should be.

"We believe that we need a modest tax rise to invest in education to make it the best in the world again. We don't want to tax for the sake of it. We want to see a transformational investment in education to give our children the best start in life and provide them with the tools to succeed.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP today called on ministers to make an urgent parliamentary statement following the revelations that combustible cladding has been found on some private high-rise properties in Glasgow.

At the Local Government committee this morning a planning official from Glasgow Council told MSPs that the cladding had been found on some buildings in Glasgow. He added that "it's not public information yet" although ministers had been informed. The official also revealed that despite combustible cladding having been found, neither the fire service nor local residents had been told.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone has today called on the Scottish Government to tackle their "tragic failure of care" after a new investigation highlighted the plight of pregnant women in the Highlands forced to travel hundreds of miles for medical care.

Responding to John Swinney's comments at the Scottish Learning Festival, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Tavish Scott MSP said:

"John Swinney has failed to convince Parliament that his endless pursuit of structural changes to education is working.

"His own self-appointed education advisors have told him to stop obsessing about structure.