Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 March 2022
The instrument will see the Scottish Government raise disability benefits by just 3.1 per cent, in lock step with the Department for Work and Pensions. That is 3 per cent less than the figure for inflation that was announced this morning, and is potentially 5 per cent less than the inflation figure that experts are predicting. That will hit people directly in their pockets.
People with disabilities often have equipment such as electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters that gobble up electricity. With fuel prices soaring, those people face real hardship. The decision will push more people into poverty.
We have called for the United Kingdom Government to raise disability benefits, but it is not good enough for the Scottish National Party and Green Government to say that it has to move with the UK Government on this. People were promised a better system seven years ago. I argued for more powers for the Parliament. All parties supported devolution of social security powers, which are worth £4 billion. However, Scottish ministers continue to ask the DWP to run the system under its agency agreement because the Scottish Government is still not ready. That is a failure, on the Scottish Government’s part, to use the full powers of devolution, and it has left people with the DWP for years and years. The result is that for people who are at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis, support is dropping potentially 5 points behind inflation.
I am glad that the Scottish Government is lifting a number of devolved benefits by 6 per cent. I only wish that the Scottish and UK Governments were doing the same for the disability benefits that thousands of people rely on. For that reason, Scottish Liberal Democrats cannot vote in favour of the motion on the instrument.
17:44