15 Most Recent Stories From British Liberal Democrat News

Thu 18th Mar 2010:

Untitled.

Wed 17th Mar 2010:

Government’s rural incompetence cost taxpayers £90m says Farron.

Commenting on the UK’s £15.9m fine for failing to comply with Common Agricultural Policy rules, Tim Farron said: “The British taxpayer is now stumping up for the Government’s incompetence but British farmers have already paid a high price. “The Government’s failure to issue payments promptly in 2005 pushed many farmers to the brink. “The chaotic handling of the Rural Payments Agency has now cost the British taxpayer £90m in fines to the EU.   “It’s absolutely staggering that Defra is throwing money down the drain at a time when all Government departments are being asked to tighten their belts.   “It is time for a simpler, more cost-effective system which helps farmers get their payments efficiently, effectively and on time.”

More grassroots sport needed says Foster.

Commenting on today’s Government announcement that 3000 new after school clubs offering Olympic and Paralympics sport will be provided for young people, Don Foster said: “We have been calling for more after school sport provision for a long time. Giving children a greater choice of sports will increase sporting take up and decrease drop outs.   “Currently fewer than a third of children do the five hours of sport each week this Government promised. This one-off sum won’t be enough to produce the huge boost in sports participation needed.   “Grassroots sport has lost out because of lottery money being diverted to pay for the Olympics. By changing the way the national lottery is taxed, we could produce long term dividends for all good causes, including grassroots sport.”

Lib Dems reveal cost of mandatory knife sentences.

A six month mandatory sentence for carrying a knife would cost the taxpayer almost £21 million, while a two year mandatory sentence would cost nearly £84 million, Liberal Democrats can reveal.

Lib Dems: Government need to sort out priorities.

Commenting on the Minister for Public Health’s photo op to launch National Sport week, Ross Finnie said the Minister should sort out the SNP’s P.E targets instead of attending photo ops

Government not preparing properly for years ahead: Purvis.

The number of people employed in public sector bodies in Scotland has increased since the SNP took power in 2007 commenting Finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis said the focus of Government should not be on creating more civil servants

For once the Government has done what Parliament told it to.

Commenting as the Scottish Government drops its plans to publish all public notices online, Liberal Democrat Media spokesman Iain Smith said this was a welcome about-face from the SNP

Brown: New focus needed for SPT.

Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown has called for an independent Enquiry into SPT in the wake of the controversy over the organisation cutting evening and Sunday services.

Lib Dems: Students must be able to finance their studies.

Margaret Smith questions whu student numbers aren't rising as much as South of the border

Brown calls for zero tolerance approach to domestic abuse.

Robert Brown says that Domestic Abuse levels in Scotland are still far to high

Brown: Diageo need to explain their decision.

Robeert Brown says that the head of Diageo needs tell MSPs why he rejected the government backed restructuring programme

Government meddling delayed action on methedrone says Huhne.

Commenting on the legal drug methedrone following the deaths of two teenagers, Chris Huhne said: “The failure to classify methedrone is a direct consequence of the Government’s interference in the independent advice of its scientific advisers. “If the Home Secretary hadn’t meddled in the work of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs we would already have had their advice and the Government would be able to act.”

JobCentre closures proving costly mistake says Webb.

The Government has been forced to make a U-turn on their JobCentre closure programme after a huge rise in unemployment placed unexpected pressure on the network. As part of its closure programme, over 500 JobCentres were closed, even as the recession took hold last year. Unemployment skyrocketed by up to a third in the areas affected in just one year while the JobCentres were closed. The Government spent £336,000 closing the JobCentre in South Northfield, Birmingham and another £758,000 closing one in Broadway, Bexleyheath, answers to Parliamentary Questions show. Between January 2009 and January 2010, the claimant count shows that: Unemployment increased 33% in South Northfield, Birmingham, from 2,472 (7.3% of the working age population) to 3,292 (9.5%) Unemployment increased by 25% in Broadway, Bexleyheath, from 1,386 (3.4%) to 1,732 (4.2%) The Government also closed JobCentres only to re-open them again in Great Moor Street, Bolton and Erdington, Birmingham. While the JobCentres were closed, the number of people out of work rose by 28% and 22% respectively. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said: “It is good to hear that ministers have finally backed down and started reopening Jobcentres in areas where unemployment has wreaked havoc during the recession. “Jobseekers need all the help they can get and shouldn’t have to travel miles to get it.   “The Government was arrogant and short-sighted to close more than 500 jobcentres at a great cost to taxpayers, it is a shame they didn’t realise their mistake sooner.”

Tue 16th Mar 2010:

£81,000 spent on four lawyers to clear Ashcroft says Huhne.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: “It is appalling that the Electoral Commission has had to go to four different lawyers, on top of its own legal team, at a total cost of £81,000 before they got the answer that they wanted, which was to give the all clear to Lord Ashcroft’s dodgy donations.   “The Electoral Commission should now publish all the legal advice so that others can make a judgement about whether to challenge this decision in the courts.   “This smacks of the sort of legal tourism we saw in the Government over the illegal war in Iraq and at Lehman’s before it collapsed, where some lawyers wouldn’t give the opinion they wanted so they moved on until they found one who would.”

Labour hasn’t delivered on 2005 maternity choice pledge says Lamb.

Commenting on Gordon Brown’s announcement that expectant mothers will be given new rights about where they give birth, Norman Lamb said:   “Gordon Brown is living in a fantasy land. Labour promised mothers a choice over where to give birth at the last election but they simply haven’t delivered.   “Mothers aren’t being given a choice because there simply aren’t enough midwives to handle the growing birth rate. Nothing that Labour is proposing will address that problem.   “Rather than reeling off even more undeliverable pledges, Labour should concentrate on delivering on the promises they’ve already made. Recruiting extra midwives so that everyone can have a safe birth should clearly be the number one priority.”

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