Farm income in Scotland has fallen from £729 million in 2017 to £672 million last year, according to National Statistics published today. A decline in productivity and rising costs in labour and feed have been cited as contributing factors.

Commenting on a report published by Which?, showing that Scotrail performance is ranked 23^rd of 30 UK operators, Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Mike Rumbles said:  “The Scottish Government had an opportunity to put this right in the autumn but ministers were more concerned about bad publicity than addressing passenger needs. Instead of warning Abellio Scotrail of fines and a withdrawal of the contract unless rail performance improved, it decided the company would have a free pass to ignore penalties for missing targets until June 2019.  

Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson MSP Mike Rumbles has today called for the Scottish Government to come clean on the potential cost overrun for the AWPR and tell the public what the final bill would be, as the Transport Secretary again refused to divulge the information citing reasons of "commercial sensitivity".

Speaking in the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee this morning, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Connectivity rolled back on the SNP’s election pledge to deliver 100% superfast broadband coverage by 2021, claiming that ‘engineering factors’ could delay the R100 project in rural areas. Despite glacial progress so far.   

Figures revealed by North East Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles show that the 18-week waiting time target was breached by 168,210 days by health boards in Tayside and Grampian, in 2017/18.

17 unfilled teaching posts in Aberdeenshire have been advertised 79 times, according to a Freedom of Information request revealed by North East Liberal Democrats Mike Rumbles MSP and Cllr Rosemary Bruce.

Figures revealed by North East Liberal Democrat MSP show that 3045 patients of NHS Grampian have waited more than 6 months for treatment, missing the Scottish Government’s own 12 week Treatment Time Guarantee.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Rural Economy and Connectivity Spokesperson, Mike Rumbles MSP, has called for better rural coverage of broadband and mobile connectivity. According to figures published by Ofcom today, superfast broadband now covers 92% of homes and businesses and 4G coverage from at least one operator now reaches 78% of Scotland.

North East Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles, has reported that NHS Grampian fell short of the 95% national cancer waiting time target in July-September 2018, after only 76.6% of patients referred for urgent treatment were seen within 62 days – according to ISD Scotland figures released today.  

In a response to a Parliamentary Question raised by North East MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson, Mike Rumbles, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport has claimed that ministers ‘had no role in awarding the contract’, for the tendering of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project.