by BILL HEANEY
Scottish Liberal Democrats have urged the SNP government to respect the will of Parliament and make a ministerial statement setting out its plans for introducing a learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence bill after MSPs voted for the legislation to be revived.
The Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill was scrapped by the Scottish Government in September. It had been an SNP manifesto promise and was included in their Programme for Government for 2021-22.
Scottish Liberal Democrats, however, successfully persuaded parliament to vote for their motion to revive the legislation.
Under questioning from Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton on Thursday, the First Minister failed to say whether he would respect the will of parliament and bring back the bill.
LIbDem Adam Harley, First Minister John Swinney and LibDem leader Alex Cole Hamilton.
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP said: “It was extremely powerful to see Green, Reform, Labour and Conservative MSPs all uniting behind this one issue.
“They did so because there are hundreds of individuals and organisations who feel completely let down by the Scottish Government.
“Those people were invited to share their stories over five years, only for the government to tell them that, in the end, it wasn’t going to pass new law after all.
“The Scottish Government must now provide a statement to Parliament that recognises this vote for the important moment of consensus that it was.
“During the election, Liberal Democrats promised to work constructively to get stuff done and make a difference in people’s lives. That’s what we are doing. The SNP government must now listen to parliament and not waste this opportunity for change.”