SNP COMMENT ON WELFARE REFORMS
Sunday 7 November 2010
CON/DEMS SHOULD PRIORITISE REAL JOBS
Commenting on the preview of welfare reforms in the Sunday press, including forcing long-term benefit claimants to do manual labour, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:
"The Con/Dem coalition have got their priorities all wrong – they should be focusing on supporting recovery and job creation, instead of spending cuts which are too fast and too deep and will actuallydestroy employment.
"Yes, we must look at how best we get people back into the workplace, but such reforms must be undertaken with care and common sense. Apart from anything else, this Tory/Lib Dem idea could well cut across other initiatives, such as prisoners having to do hard work through tough punishment in the community, which both the UK and Scottish Governments are pursuing in order to cut reoffending rates.
"The Tory/Lib Dem assumption does appear to be that everybody on benefits is somehow cheating the system or work-shy – what the Con/Dem coalition should be working on most is creating real jobs."
