Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 08 December 2016
08 Dec 2016 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Disability Delivery Plan
Mr Tomkins used the word “condemn”. He should speak to disabled people, because then he will see exactly who is being condemned by the UK Government. I will go on to explain my point. [Interruption.] Maybe Adam Tomkins does not get such people at his constituency office, but I certainly do. I see young people and older people who cannot work and have long-term disabilities being moved from DLA to PIP and getting a £30 cut.
Adam Tomkins mentioned Damian Green’s green paper. Let us remind ourselves that paragraph 114 of the consultation paper says that people who are long-term disabled and who are in a certain category can be mandatorily assessed for work. Let us think about that. That is not something that Mr Tomkins tends to talk about, is it? It is about time that disabled people—and everyone else in the country—knew exactly what the Tories are up to in this and the UK Parliaments.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-02948, in the name of Jeane Freeman, entitled “Creating a Fairer Scotland: Our Disability Delivery Plan”....
The Minister for Social Security (Jeane Freeman)
SNP
I am pleased to open the debate on “A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Our Delivery Plan to 2021 for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Perso...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
We are supportive of the introduction of a framework for families who are affected by disability, but the title suggests that it might not include young peop...
Jeane Freeman
SNP
Yes, I can. The strategy will be worked through with disabled people and people who care for children with disabilities. It will include all such children, b...
Adam Tomkins (Glasgow) (Con)
Con
I welcome the fact that this debate is being signed, which is something that I hope we can do much more often in Parliament, and indeed in public life in Sco...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Adam Tomkins
Con
I am happy to give way to Sandra White.
Sandra White
SNP
I thank the member and hope that we can continue with the agreement that he has mentioned. Does he agree with the UN report that mentions that the UK Governm...
Adam Tomkins
Con
No, I do not, and I shall explain why in a few moments. It is not a matter of law making alone, but also of public expenditure. Under the Conservatives, th...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
Will the member take an intervention?
Adam Tomkins
Con
No, I want to develop the point. The figures are even worse in Scotland, where the disability employment rate is a shocking 42 per cent. That is an injustic...
Jeane Freeman
SNP
Will Mr Tomkins acknowledge what I also said yesterday about the Westminster cross-party working group’s assessment of how long it would take the UK Governme...
Adam Tomkins
Con
I agree that it is taking too long to close the disability employment gap, and that is why our amendment welcomes not only the Scottish Government’s fairer S...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the Presiding Officer and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for their good offices in again making the Parliament an exemplar in the provisio...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to open speeches of around six minutes, please. We have some time in hand, so I can give extra time for interventions or for anyone who has something...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is nice to know that I have a wee bit of time today. I welcome this debate and I am glad to take part in it. Many members w...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I apologise to you, Presiding Officer, and to the minister for being late. It was nothing to do with disability—I just cannot read a watch. I have met a num...
Kate Forbes (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, thank the hundreds of people who responded to the fairer Scotland consultation. One of the most important lines in Jeane Freeman’s motion is the dete...
Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
As the minister did, I thank everyone who was involved in the consultation and in the production of the fairer Scotland report, which we absolutely support, ...
Adam Tomkins
Con
Does the member accept the fact that £6 billion a year more is being spent on disability benefits in the United Kingdom than was the case when the Labour Par...
Alex Rowley
Lab
We just heard Kate Forbes talk about the constituent who came to her office. A constituent of mine spoke to me just last week, along with his mother. He has ...
Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, am concerned about care charges, which is why I spoke in the members’ business debate on them earlier this week. Mr Rowley mentioned Fife Council. Is...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
I cannot take another speech. Mr Rowley, you are in your last minute—you need to finish in the next 30 seconds.
Alex Rowley
Lab
I will do so. Having been proud to serve as a Labour councillor over many years, I just say to Joan McAlpine that the fact is that this year local councils a...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the publication of “A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Our Delivery Plan to 2021 for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons wit...
Adam Tomkins
Con
Will Sandra White take an intervention on that point?
Sandra White
SNP
I will—if the member will first let me finish my point, please. How will taking £30 a week from disabled people who are moving from DLA to PIP help them?
Adam Tomkins
Con
Would Sandra White care to reflect on there being 360,000 disabled people in work in the United Kingdom who were not in work two years ago? Is that an achiev...
Sandra White
SNP
Mr Tomkins used the word “condemn”. He should speak to disabled people, because then he will see exactly who is being condemned by the UK Government. I will ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Does Sandra White agree that cutting three of the four jobcentres in the east end of Glasgow is not going to help disabled people?