Dundee Liberal Democrats - www.dundeelibdems.scot

Responding to the news that the breast cancer screening programme is to restart, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

"The resumption of breast cancer screening is extremely good news.

"It is incredibly important that we start up all screening as swiftly and safely as possible.

Welcome to the Weekly Whip. Your one-stop shop for Lib Dem Parliamentary updates, covering the week that was and the week to come.

For up to date information from the Lib Dem Whips Office, follow us on Twitter:  @LibDemWhips

Weekly Whip w/c 6th July

Monday 6^th July

There are some two million victims of domestic abuse a year. More than one in ten of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related. In 2017, the Conservative government committed to introduce a bill to transform the approach of the justice system and wider statutory agencies. It has now been 3 ½ years since this commitment, but the Domestic Abuse Bill finally passed through the House of Commons on Monday night with cross-party support.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today questioned proposals to delay the expansion of childcare to 1140 hours and called on the Scottish Government to stop stonewalling parents by refusing to release local progress reports. The party says a one year delay to the expansion is bad for education and the economy.

On Thursday 16th July, the two candidates for leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey and Layla Moran will be answering questions from a panel of experts in a new hustings format.

So you want to be leader? Is styled like a job interview. Candidates will get to make their pitch to the panel on why they should be leader and that'll be followed up by questions from the panel on the skills they'll need to make being leader a success.

Over the last 2 weeks, members have been nominating candidates to stand as the next leader of the Liberal Democrats.

This is the first time that the system has been run mostly online and also the first time we have published these totals.

We decided to publish the totals as we felt it gave candidates a chance to demonstrate some of the key skills they'll need as leader.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today pressed the Finance Secretary about what measures she will put in place to support freelancers and others excluded from the existing funding schemes.

Speaking after he addressed the Finance Secretary in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Rennie said:

"Too many people have fallen between the gaps in the various support schemes offered by the UK and the Scottish governments. It's harsh and unfair to leave so many excluded.

What are Party Awards?

Party Awards recognise publicly those who have given the party outstanding service and commitment in the past year. They are presented at Autumn Conference (national conditions allowing) and each winner receives a trophy to keep and a special mention.

Candidates must themselves be party members, and be nominated and seconded by two party members.

Countless families are facing serious financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis. More than a million people have lost their jobs and many more are worried about losing theirs in the weeks and months ahead.

We are also facing big challenges in deep-seated inequality and the climate emergency.

We must ensure no one is left behind.