• More than 17,000 children waiting longer than a year in temporary accommodation
• David Chadwick calls for Government action to protect Rural Community Transport Schemes
• Greene: Aspiring politicians must campaign with decency
• Greene: Offord and Reform should reject secretive crypto donations
• Collien Fernandes: Renew Europe calls for EU action to close loopholes on AI deepfake abuse

More than 17,000 children waiting longer than a year in temporary accommodation

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson and Central Scotland candidate Paul McGarry has today accused the SNP of “catastrophic neglect” as he published figures showing that over the past five years, there have been more than 17,000 children trapped in temporary accommodation for more than a year.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information to every Scottish council asked for the number of children stuck in temporary accommodation for over twelve months in every year since 2020.

Of the 30 councils which provided the data, the responses show that:

• Between 2020 and 2025, a total of 17,811 children were trapped in temporary accommodation for longer than a year.
• This included a total of 10,147 children in Edinburgh and 3,742 children in Glasgow.
• In 2024, 3,504 children waited over a year in temporary accommodation- the highest level of the five-year period.
• Between January and October 2025, 3,126 children waited over a year in temporary accommodation.

It comes amid separate figures showing that the number of children currently in temporary accommodation has a reached a new record, rising to 10,480.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Paul McGarry said:

These figures lay bare the SNP’s catastrophic neglect.

As Housing Secretary, Mairi McAllan was supposed to offer a fresh start, but things have gone from bad to worse. Housing is clearly not a priority for the SNP.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out a realistic plan to tackle a lack of availability and poor-quality homes.

We want to see change with fairness at its heart, which starts by confronting the housing crisis head-on: getting more homes built, maximising existing stock and giving everyone a safe place to call home.

If you are disgusted by the SNP’s failure to build enough homes, no matter where you are, you can back Scottish Liberal Democrats on the peach regional ballot paper at May’s election and deliver the change that Scotland needs.

David Chadwick calls for Government action to protect Rural Community Transport Schemes

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick has called on UK Government ministers to urgently update outdated mileage rates for volunteer drivers which haven’t been updated since 2011, warning that community transport services across rural Wales are under growing pressure from rising costs.

Speaking in a debate on support for voluntary groups and community centres, Mr Chadwick highlighted the vital role community transport plays in keeping rural communities connected, particularly for older residents and those without access to a car.

He warned that schemes across Powys and the Swansea Valley are increasingly being stretched, as they face rising fuel costs, growing demand, and funding that has not kept pace.

Mr Chadwick pointed to the work of local organisations including Hay & District Dial-a-Ride, Brecon & Crickhowell Dial-a-Ride, Llanwrtyd Wells Community Transport, Steer Community Transport in the Swansea Valley, Rhayader Community Support and the Ystradgynlais Community Care Scheme.

These groups, many of which rely on volunteer drivers using their own vehicles, provide thousands of journeys each year, helping residents attend medical appointments, access shops and services, and stay connected to their communities.

However, Mr Chadwick warned that current Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates (used to reimburse volunteer drivers) have not been updated since 2011 and no longer reflect the true cost of fuel, insurance and maintenance.

He argued that updating these rates would help community transport providers recruit and retain volunteer drivers, ensuring these essential services remain sustainable.

During the debate, Mr Chadwick also stressed that community transport is increasingly filling gaps left by wider pressures on public services, with providers often offering informal support and acting as a first point of contact for vulnerable residents with social care services under strain.

He warned that without proper support, the loss of community transport would have serious consequences, leaving many people isolated and cut off from vital services.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said:

Community transport is not a luxury in rural areas like ours, it is what keeps communities going. These volunteer-led services are a lifeline, helping people get to medical appointments, stay socially connected and remain independent.

But they are under real pressure. Fuel costs have risen, demand is growing, and yet the support available has not kept pace. Crucially, the mileage rates used to reimburse volunteer drivers have not been updated since 2011 and simply do not reflect the real cost of running a vehicle today.

If we are serious about supporting voluntary groups and community centres, we must also support the transport networks that make them viable. Updating these rates would be a simple, practical step to help protect services that thousands of people rely on every day.

Finally, I also want to pay tribute to the volunteers who keep these schemes running, quietly, selflessly, and often without recognition, because without them, none of this would be possible.

Greene: Aspiring politicians must campaign with decency

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions today, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said:

In what is potentially my last question, can I wish all Members the very best in the future.

Recently we’ve seen a rise in antisemitic abuse and in far right protests.

There are people who aspire to be MSPs spouting Islamophobic bile on social media and cracking jokes at the expense of gay people.

When I joined this place a decade ago, there was genuine desire to find common ground on difficult societal issues; on gypsy travellers, migrants, refugees and transgender people. All of whom are our friends, neighbours and fellow Scots.

Ten years on I am saddened to hear politicians use language which reduces those people to adjectives such as dangerous, unwanted, and unwelcome.

So can I pose a challenge, not just the First Minister, but the leaders of every political party with ambition to return Members here:

That they will commit their parties to a campaign, and next term of parliament which uses their privilege of platform wisely, debates with decency and remembers that the language used in here, affects people out there in the real world. And not always in a good way!

I hope and pray we can do politics better.

And all agree that hatred will never have a place in this parliament. Now or ever.

Greene: Offord and Reform should reject secretive crypto donations

Responding to the Rycroft Review, which recommends the banning of crypto donations to political parties, Scottish Liberal Democrat and candidate for Inverclyde Jamie Greene MSP said:

Nathan Gill was happy to trouser Russian bribes, and it looks like Nigel Farage has shown no remorse whatsoever.

Reform taking untraceable secretive crypto donations to fund their Trump-style politics here in the UK should never have been allowed. This money could be coming from Russia or North Korea or shady US donors. None of these people have Scotland’s best interests at heart.

Malcolm Offord should set out whether he has ever taken these shady donations and whether he intends to in the future.

Reform must either return all the crypto donations they’ve received from anonymous overseas sources or admit they’re happy to let foreign sources of money poison our politics.

Collien Fernandes: Renew Europe calls for EU action to close loopholes on AI deepfake abuse

Renew Europe today called for stronger European action to address legal and enforcement gaps allowing the misuse of artificial intelligence to generate non-consensual intimate content, following the widely reported case involving German television presenter Collien Fernandes.

Valerie Hayer, Renew Europe president said:

This case is deeply disturbing and highlights a growing form of digital violence that our laws are not yet equipped to stop. Across the European Union, victims are not equally protected and perpetrators can still exploit gaps between national systems. This must change. We need a european approach to secure same protection for victims and ensure that those responsible are held accountable everywhere in the EU.

The appalling allegations, involving the creation and distribution of fake online profiles and AI-generated nude images, have reignited concerns about the rapid spread of “nudification” technologies and deepfake abuse across Europe. The case underlines the urgent need for clearer EU-wide rules to prevent digital sexual violence, protect victims and ensure accountability for perpetrators.

In a digital policy paper adopted last year, adopted last year, Renew Europe warned of the urgent need for clear prohibitions on AI systems that nudify individuals or enable the generation of non-consensual sexualised content, stressing that such practices undermine human dignity, privacy and fundamental rights, particularly for women and minors.

The political group also pointed to persistent loopholes at European level, including fragmented criminal frameworks across Member States, insufficient safeguards on generative AI developers, delays in removing illegal content from online platforms and weak cross-border enforcement mechanisms.