Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has said the plight of local Thomas Cook staff is foremost in his mind after news that the travel firm has ceased trading. Mr Matheson said: “The collapse of Thomas Cook has obviously caused a major inconvenience for the thousands of holidaymakers left stranded abroad or who have had their upcoming travel plans thrown into disarray, and I fully understand the...

The SNP has outlined ambitious plans to tackle the climate crisis and build a fairer country in its Programme for Government 2019-20. Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has welcomed the bold proposals set out by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday, which include a £500million investment in public transport, delivered through a Bus Partnership Fund for local authorities, to help fight global...

Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has welcomed news that the number of men being tested for bowel cancer is at its highest ever level in Scotland. NHS statistics show 61.6% of men invited to take part in home screening returned the test between November 2017 and October 2018 – a significant rise from the 52.3% who did so in the previous 12 months. Among women, the participation rate increased...

Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has congratulated local pupils and teachers on this year’s SQA results. The Scotland-wide pass rate for National 5 increased by 0.7 percentage points to 78.2%, with a 4.4% increase in passes for English and a 1.3% rise in maths. Higher pass rates dipped by two percentage points to 74.8%, but there was a 1.4% improvement in results for science subjects. Education...

An estimated 12,300 children from 7,400 families across Falkirk district are expected to benefit from the Scottish Child Payment, it has been revealed. The Scottish Government’s groundbreaking anti-poverty measure will be introduced for children under six by early 2021, before being rolled out to all eligible families with children under 16 by the end of 2022. The new welfare payment will be...