27 August 2009
Members of the Scottish Parliament have joined the fight to save attendance allowance and disability living allowance by putting down a motion calling for AA to be protected. Benefits and Work urges readers in Scotland to contact their MSP and ask them to support the motion.
The care green paper proposes to abolish some disability benefits, including AA and possibly DLA, and hand the cash over to local authorities. Although the green paper is a Westminster matter, it explains that:
“Any changes to the care and support system in England that integrate some disability benefits funding would affect the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland may also choose to adopt the new care and support system. We will work closely with all three devolved administrations to reach a shared view on how to ensure the best possible outcomes for all people in the UK.”
A motion has been put before the Scottish parliament by Scottish National Party MP Bill Kidd calling for attendance allowance to be protected and supporting ‘the retention of attendance allowance and disability living allowance as benefits which allow disabled persons to retain financial independence.’
So far the motion has been signed by six MSP.
If you live in Scotland, ask your MSP to support ‘Motion S3M-4716 Bill Kidd: The Need to Protect Attendance Allowance’.
If you are not sure who your MSP is, you can find out from
The full motion before the Scottish Parliament reads:
S3M-4716 Bill Kidd: The Need to Protect Attendance Allowance—That the Parliament notes with concern proposals contained in the UK Government’s Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, to abolish attendance allowance by integrating it into the care and support system in order to fund future support and care for the elderly in England, and that any changes to the care and support system in England that integrate some disability benefits funding would affect the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and supports the retention of attendance allowance and disability living allowance as benefits which allow disabled persons to retain financial independence.
Supported by: Kenneth Gibson, Charlie Gordon, Bob Doris, Michael Matheson, Rob Gibson, Brian Adam.
