• Davey: Govt must launch full investigation into ATC technical fault
• Greene responds to CalMac timetable updates during ‘storm’ of disruption
• SNP are breaking another attainment gap promise

Davey: Govt must launch full investigation into ATC technical fault

Responding to reports that all outbound UK flights were hit by an air traffic control technical issue leading to delays, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. With thousands of families preparing to go on a well earned break, this just isn’t good enough.

The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause. The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.

Greene responds to CalMac timetable updates during ‘storm’ of disruption

Scottish Liberal Democrat Jamie Greene MSP has today said that islanders are facing a ‘never-ending’ mess, as CalMac published updated summer ferry timetables due to several disruptions facing the network.

The ferry operator has announced that Troon port will be closed for planned linkspan maintenance from Monday 8th September to Sunday 14th September. During this period, Arran will have a single-vessel service from Ardrossan, with the MV Isle of Arran operating the route.

The MV Caledonian Isles, which is one of the major vessels serving Arran, continues to be out of action and will be until at least the end of September. It was originally removed from service in January 2024 due to a gearbox issue.

CalMac also say that this disruption will be ‘compounded when major vessel overhauls start’. These will begin from 18th September when MV Isle of Arran is removed from service. The MV Loch Seaforth, which operates between Stornoway and Ullapool, will also be removed from service from 18th October.

Jamie Greene said:

Islanders are facing a never-ending storm of disruption, and this news is just the latest downpour.

The hardworking staff at CalMac are doing their very best, but they have been let down by a chaotic SNP government that broke its promise to build new ferries on time and on budget. Islanders are now stuck with an ageing fleet that’s constantly breaking down and causing havoc.

The Scottish Government are treating my constituents along the west coast like second class citizens. I have spoken to so many islanders who don’t have any faith in the government’s ability to deliver for them.

Someone in this SNP government must finally carry the can for repeatedly failing communities up and down the west coast.

SNP are breaking another attainment gap promise

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has accused the SNP of breaking yet another promise to close the attainment gap between students from the most and least deprived areas, after new figures revealed the government could miss a key target to get more students from deprived backgrounds into university.

The Scottish Government’s target is for students from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland to represent 20% of Scottish entrants to full-time first-degree courses at university by 2030.

Analysis of the new report on Widening Access 2023-24, however, shows that the government are not on course to meet this target.

The report reveals that:

• Students from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland made up 16.7% of undergraduate entrants in 2023/24- this same as it was in 2020/21.
• Based on the rate of progress since 2013-13, it could take up to 12 years to close the remaining gap and meet the target.

Willie Rennie said:

When it comes to the attainment gap, the SNP can only offer broken promises and missed targets.

Universities have done a lot of work in trying to widen access, but they can only do so much. Ultimately, the SNP’s failure to close the attainment gap at a school level undermines that good work because it is leaving lots of young people from deprived backgrounds without the support they need to get into university.

In schools, there are lots of issues that need addressed, from behaviour challenges to teachers stuck on supply lists and fundamental problems with the curriculum. But all of these have gotten worsen on the SNP’s watch.

Only the Liberal Democrats have a plan to get Scottish education back to its best and give everyone a fair start in life. You can vote for those plans at next May’s election by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the peach regional ballot paper.