Whiteford Welcomes Pensions Age Rise Delay

SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson, Eilidh Whiteford MP, has welcomed confirmation that plans to raise the state pension age to 66 in 2020 will be delayed to address concerns that thousands of women will be unfairly disadvantaged.

Dr Whiteford said the decision was a victory for women who had campaigned against the UK government’s plans.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford:

“This is a welcome retreat by the UK Government and a victory for the thousands of women who campaigned against these unfair changes.

“These changes would have wrecked the retirements of thousands of women, already in their late 50s, and denied them the time to make alternative pension arrangements.

“We must now see the full detail of the UK Government’s transitional proposals to be certain that they go far enough and will help all the women affected.”

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MP Officially Re-Opens Buchan Street Hall

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford officially re-opened the refurbished Buchan Street Hall in Macduff at the weekend.

The Buchan Street hall was one of the contenders on ITV’s ‘People’s Millions’ and won a popular vote to secure lottery funding to upgrade the facility.

Speaking after Saturday’s official opening, Eilidh said:

Eilidh Whiteford MP with
Michael McGillivray & May Thom
of Macduff Old Folk’s Association

“The Buchan Street Hall is a great community facility which I know is well-regarded locally by the various hall user groups. Growing up in Macduff in the 1970s, I used to attend dancing classes there.

“The hall is looking absolutely fantastic after the upgrade, which the Committee project-managed by themselves. There is a wonderful new kitchen and a new meeting room which really adds to the facilities available for hall users.

“Community facilities such as the Buchan Street Hall are extremely important and I know that the hall is well-used at the moment. With these new facilities, the hall will continue to be a focal point for local groups and community events in Macduff.”

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Whiteford Comments On Scottish Affairs Committee 'Sideshow'

SNP MP and Member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Dr Eilidh Whiteford, today (Wednesday) described the announcement of twin inquiries by the Committee into the Scottish Government’s plan to hold a referendum on Scottish independence as a ‘sideshow’.

Dr Whiteford also said she was bemused that the committee’s terms of reference appear to have been lifted from the Secretary of State for Scotland’s party conference speech, and expressed concern at the short timescale for interested parties to answer the Committee’s calls for evidence.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:

“These inquiries are a sideshow from the real issues affecting Scotland. It is obvious from the terms of reference that this will be a partisan and pejorative inquiry and that those driving it have already decided what its conclusions will be.

“There are already questions over the chairman’s judgement after his ridiculous neo-fascist remarks during a debate on the Scotland Bill. This just shows how Labour is obsessing about the SNP when the committee should be investigating the impact of Tory cuts.

“A referendum in Scotland is clearly a matter for the Scottish Parliament and Government – and the referendum that is happening is the one the SNP pledged in the election campaign, which we said will be held in the second half of this parliament. That is the platform the SNP stood on in May, and which the people of Scotland gave us a resounding mandate to deliver.

"The days of Westminster Committees or Tory and Labour Governments telling the people of Scotland what to do are over.

“Considering the many pressing issues in the areas where the Scottish Affairs Committee could make a useful contribution, it is disappointing they are instead proceeding with a partisan inquiry into something which has nothing to do with them.

“David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both conceded this is a matter for the people of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament but it would seem their backbenchers now want to hijack this issue by political grand standing.”

Commenting on the terms of reference for the second inquiry, which include six questions listed by Scotland Secretary Michael Moore in his conference speech, Dr. Whiteford said:

“It’s absolutely extraordinary that the agenda for the Scottish Affairs Select Committee seems to have been lifted from a LibDem conference speech by Michael Moore! It seems Ian Davidson has been rummaging through Michael Moore’s waste paper basket looking for inspiration?”

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IFS Report 'A Wake Up Call to Westminster'

SUCCESSIVE UK GOVERNMENT’S ‘SHAMEFUL RECORD’

SNP Work and Pensions Spokesperson Eilidh Whiteford today (Tuesday) described the UK Government’s record on tackling child poverty as a tragedy as the IFS and Joseph Rowntree Foundation published figures showing that 17% of children in the UK were living in absolute poverty in 2009 – 10 with that figure set to rise over the next two years.

According to the report’s authors, the UK Government is unlikely to meet its target of reducing child poverty by 2020.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:

“These figures must be a wake-up call for the UK Government over the impact that their savage cuts are having on the most vulnerable.

“Children wherever they are born deserve the best possible start in life. While the Scottish Government is focussed on tackling the root causes of poverty such as education, health, employment, skills and housing, kids across the country are still being let down by Westminster.

“The record of successive UK Government’s on tackling child poverty is shameful. After thirteen years, Labour singularly failed to close the gap between rich and poor created during the Thatcher years.

“The aggressive deficit reduction policies of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are hitting family incomes, making it harder to make ends meet.

“Meanwhile, Labour MPs who failed to tackle the problem whilst in government and sat on their hands through a vital vote in opposition. In February 2011, MPs had the chance to vote down the UK Government’s plans to link benefits to the consumer price index instead of the retail price index.

“This would have given hard pressed families some breathing room but Labour abstained with only one Scottish MP brave enough to break party ranks and join the SNP in voting against.”

More details of the IFS Study can be read here: http://www.ifs.org.uk/pr/poverty_pr_1011.pdf

Katy Clark was the only Scottish MP to vote against the move to link benefits and pensions to CPI instead of RPI: http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2011-02-17&number=212

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