• Winter Fuel vote: Cut will be deeply worrying to millions
• 589 people die from suspected drug death in first half of 2024
• Alcohol deaths highest in 15 years
• Cole-Hamilton: Supporting 168,000 Long Covid sufferers is vital economic investment
• Rennie responds to Michael Matheson’s return to parliament
• Rennie responds to Children’s Commissioner free school meals comments

Winter Fuel vote: Cut will be deeply worrying to millions

Responding to the vote to cut the Winter Fuel Payment, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

Millions of pensioners will be left deeply worried about how they will get by this winter with this cut to the Winter Fuel Payment. So many pensioners are already facing another winter of a cost of living crisis and this will make things worse.

The damage left by the Conservatives to our economy is unforgivable but cutting payments to vulnerable pensioners is no way to bring about the change the country deserves.

Liberal Democrat MPs proudly opposed the Government today and stood up for the many pensioners across the country who are now at risk of an even bigger winter cost of living crisis.

We’ll keep fighting this cut tooth and nail anyway we can, we’ll continue to be a constructive opposition to the new Government and we’re fighting for the real change people want to see.

589 people die from suspected drug death in first half of 2024

Responding to new figures published by the Scottish Government which show that 589 people died of a suspected drug death in the first six months of 2024, including 269 deaths between April and June, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

This is nothing short of a national tragedy; my thoughts today are with all those who have lost someone from a drug death.

Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is worse than anywhere else in Europe. Despite deaths more than doubling over the last decade, the SNP government have chosen to freeze the funding for drug and alcohol policy, amounting to a real-terms cut to the budget for critical services.

When this issue comes before parliament later this week, I want to see ministers committing to fresh measures to stop people dying. This includes rolling out a full nationwide network of drug testing and safer consumption facilities- centres that are proven to keep people safe, prevent fatal overdoses and open up new pathways for treatment and recovery.

My party also wants to see a much stronger frontline response to synthetic opioids- including nitazenes, which are 50 times more powerful than heroin- through enhanced information, detection and treatment.

Alcohol deaths highest in 15 years

Responding to the news that the number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol is at the highest level in 15 years, with 1,277 people dying from alcohol-specific causes in 2023, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

It is devastating that more than 20 people a week die due to alcohol misuse in Scotland. This will be a hard day for all those who have lost a loved one.

We were the first party to call for the minimum unit price to be updated so that public health isn’t undermined by inflation – a move that will happen at the end of this month. But on the flipside the Scottish Government decided to hand down a real-terms cut to drug and alcohol services in this year’s budget.

We need joined up thinking from the Scottish Government to stop alcohol wrecking lives and communities.

Cole-Hamilton: Supporting 168,000 Long Covid sufferers is vital economic investment

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today attacked the SNP’s limp and lacklustre” response to Long Covid as a new report revealed that 168,000 people in Scotland have reported that they are living with the condition.

The latest estimates of Long Covid Prevalence published by the Scottish Government found that 168,000 people in Scotland had self-reported Long Covid in March 2024.

Of that number, 136,000 people (80.6%) reported that their Long Covid symptoms adversely affected their ability to undertake day-to-day activities. This includes 46,000 people (27.5%) reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot.”

Earlier this year, Cambridge Econometrics published a report, The Economic Impact of Long Covid in the UK, which estimated that Long Covid “may have macroeconomic costs of some £1.5bn of GDP each year.” The report also indicated that, “lower employment of around 138,000 by 2030 follows as a consequence.”

Adjusted for Scotland’s share of the UK population, this suggested a yearly economic impact of £120m and 11,000 jobs by 2030.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

So many lives have been turned upside down by Long Covid, but the SNP have managed only a limp and lacklustre level of care.

Those with Long Covid can suffer from any number of debilitating symptoms; it’s a huge drain on their health and stops them from getting on in life.

If even a fraction of those who are out of work or working reduced hours because of Long Covid could be helped into recovery, it would be an investment in support that would pay for itself several times over.

That’s why my party would deliver comprehensive and accessible care to all those living with the condition. We want to see dedicated Long Covid clinics across the country and Scotland-wide access to physiotherapy and multidisciplinary rehab.

Rennie responds to Michael Matheson’s return to parliament

Responding to former Health Secretary Michael Matheson returning to the Scottish Parliament after serving a record ban for breaching parliament’s expenses policy, Scottish Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie MSP said:

From the very start of this scandal, the SNP government repeatedly tried to twist the narrative and dodge consequences. It smacked of arrogance.

John Swinney had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing. Instead, he undermined the findings of the Standards Committee and chose to back his friend.

Scottish Liberal Democrats want there to be a right for people to recall their MSP in cases of proven misconduct. That’s how we can end the SNP’s culture of secrecy and fix our broken politics.

Rennie responds to Children’s Commissioner free school meals comments

Responding to the Children’s Commissioner’s criticism of the Scottish Government’s decision to scrap plans for universal free school meals for primary pupils, which included her stating “warm words about tackling child poverty do not keep children warm, nor do they put food in their tummies,” Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

Like many others, I share the frustrations of the Children’s Commissioner. If we are to move the dial at all on child poverty, ministers shouldn’t be making promises they can’t keep.

Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and John Swinney all committed to universal free school meals for primary pupils, but they have all failed to deliver.

The SNP’s pyre of empty pledges is growing by the day- no wonder people just don’t trust them anymore.