In a statement to the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route ‘will be fully open by the end of the year’, despite claims by ministers in March that the new road would be completed by ‘late autumn 2018’.

Mike Rumbles North East Liberal Democrat MSP has condemned the latest figures on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The Information Services Division (ISD) figures published today show that 67.8% of people have been seen within the 18-week target between April-June across Scotland. For NHS Grampian the figure is 48.1% and for NHS Tayside it is 34.4%.

Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson and North East MSP Mike Rumbles has today welcomed the Laurencekirk Junction upgrade option.

Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson and North East MSP Mike Rumbles has welcomed the launch of a public exhibition for the Laurencekirk Junction Improvement Scheme, today, and has called on the Scottish Government to start work as soon as possible.

In a session of First Minister’s Questions today, North East MSP Mike Rumbles called on the Scottish Government to correct 9 years of underfunding, after figures this week show that NHS Grampian has the worst cancer waiting times in Scotland.

Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Mike Rumbles MSP has today secured commitments from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove that the share of British agricultural payments that will be paid to Scottish farmers after the UK leaves the EU will be retained.

Commenting on figures reveled today, by Scottish Labour, that show ScotRail failed to meet punctuality targets for the whole of 2017/18, Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Mike Rumbles said:

“These figures are evidence that the Scottish Government’s spin on Scotrail performance is not worth the paper it is printed on.

In a letter replying to concerns raised by North East MSP Mike Rumbles, the Chief Executive of NHS Tayside has confirmed that the board has no plans to close the hospital and that the site is key to the future delivery of health services in the region.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Mike Rumbles MSP has called into question a National Rail Passenger Survey, carried out by the independent watchdog Transport Focus, which claims that more than four out of five customers are satisfied with ScotRail.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, under questioning from North East MSP Mike Rumbles, today confirmed that he wants farm support payments to continue at current levels after Brexit but refused to outline plans about how that money would be spent.