Own Goal for Labour on Bedroom Tax

MP LEFT RED-FACED DURING WESTMINSTER DEBATE
The Scottish National Party has called on Scottish Labour to confirm their position on the Bedroom Tax following an evident split in the party during a Westminster debate. The Scottish Affairs Committee was debating recommendations of a report which said Bedroom Tax arrears should be written off and payments should be refunded.

During the debate SNP MP Pete Wishart challenged Ian Davidson MP on whether Labour would commit to the recommendations of the report. Davidson was left red-faced when he said he agreed with the recommendations but was slapped down by his colleague Stephen Timms, Shadow Minister of State for Employment, who said that while he thought it sounded like an nice slogan, a UK Labour government would not make the commitment.

Scottish Labour have a poor track record on the Bedroom Tax after 10 of its MPs failed to vote on their own debate which demanded the Bedroom Tax be scrapped immediately.

SNP spokesperson for Work and Pensions Dr Eilidh Whiteford said:

“This was a major own goal for Labour as it reveals they were not committed to compensating those affected by the Bedroom Tax and writing off the debts.

“The comments also highlight how Labour will say one thing in Westminster and something completely different in Holyrood.

“The Bedroom Tax is a deeply unfair policy which will be scrapped in an independent Scotland. It is a shame that Labour MPs did not feel so strongly on November 12 last year at their own debate in the House of Commons when there was a real opportunity to abolish this punitive tax. 47 Labour members didn't even bother to turn up including - shamefully - 10 Scottish Labour MPs .

"In contrast the SNP government is doing all it can to help mitigate the impact of this divisive tax and have pledged that funding for Discretionary Housing Payments will continue next year with another £20 million to help victims of Westminster’s Bedroom Tax.

"One of the most significant gains of independence is that Scotland will have full control over its welfare system. That means only with a Yes vote will we finally be able to get rid of the unjust Bedroom Tax and have a welfare state that reflects the views and votes of the people of Scotland."

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UK Government Failing People with Mental Health Problems

WELFARE REFORM IMPACTING ON MENTAL HEALTH
The Scottish National Party has criticised the UK government for failing benefits claimants with mental health problems.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate later today on Improving the Employment and Support Allowance application process for people with mental health problems, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP will condemn the UK government’s Work Capability Assessment (WCA) for its shortcomings with regard to people with mental health conditions.

Concerns have been raised by mental healthcare professionals and representative organisations that WCA doesn't capture the impact of more serious mental illnesses on a person’s capacity to function in a working environment, and leads to poor decision making.

According to a Freedom of Information request, in 2013, 58% (6 out of 10) ESA claimants hit by sanctions were vulnerable people with a mental health condition or learning difficulty - an increase from 35% of sanctioned claimants in 2009 – indicating that people with mental health problems are being inappropriately sanctioned.

Commenting, Dr Whiteford said:

“The UK government must do more to help some of society’s most vulnerable people.

“I have seen an increasing stream of people with quite serious mental illnesses over the last couple of years who are falling through our now very frayed social safety net because of Welfare Reforms. I’m sure it goes without saying that many people with a mental illness won’t ever need to depend on the benefits system. But some of those with more severe mental illnesses do require support, and some of them are extremely vulnerable.

“A key problem is that too often assessors and decision makers have little or no relevant background information about claimants' complex medical histories, and too rarely seek input or opinions from claimants’ clinicians.

“A report recently published by the Scottish Association for Mental Health, SAMH, details findings on how the experiences of living in poverty affect peoples’ mental health, and how SAMH service users with mental health problems have been affected by UK government welfare reforms. A truly shocking finding was that 98% of respondents said that welfare reforms were impacting on their mental health, including increased stress and anxiety, while 79% were facing financial impacts such as reduced income.

“In six cases reported to the 2013 survey, SAMH staff had to carry out suicide interventions directly related to the welfare reforms.

“The information is there in black and white, and the UK government cannot continue to ignore it.”

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MP Commends Turriff May Day Event

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has hailed Turriff’s annual May Day event as another great success for the town.

The SNP MP visited the event yesterday afternoon and spent time chatting with stallholders and local people. Commenting, Eilidh said:

“This was another highly successful May Day event and congratulations must go to the organisers. There was a real buzz about the town and I think it succeeded in attracting a huge number of visitors to Turriff and into local businesses.

“This event has been going for many years now and is a firm fixture on the North-east calendar. It is a tremendous example of what can be achieved when a community works together to promote their town.”

Dr Whiteford went on to visit Alvah Parish Hall at Linhead later that evening, where she was a guest of Alvah WRI and gave a talk on life as a Member of Parliament.

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MP Congratulates Macduff on Community Engagement Event

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has congratulated the organisers of the ‘Macduff and its Community’ Coffee Afternoon held at the Buchan Street Hall on Saturday.

Eilidh Whiteford MP with
Cllr Hamish Partridge (l) and Ricky Taylor (r)

The event was organised to allow local people to come together and also view old photographs of Macduff which had been featuring on a community Facebook page.

Commenting, Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“This was a truly fantastic event and it was good to catch up with some Macduff people I hadn’t seen for quite some time.

“The hall was fairly packed when I was there which is a testament to the organisers and the interest people have in local heritage. Of course, the fine pieces probably also helped draw the crowds!

“The organisers deserve a huge vote of thanks for arranging the event and making it such a success.”

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