Hansard

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Far be it from me to contribute to this debate at the last minute, but I felt that we could not mark this occasion with such a small number of speakers, even though their speeches were exceptional.

First of all, I congratulate my colleague Siobhan McMahon on securing the debate, which I understand is the first ever in the Parliament on disability history month. Although the event has been going for two years, this is the first time that it has been recognised in Scotland.

Nanette Milne was absolutely right to remind us of the legal aspects, changes to the law and Alf Morris’s considerable role in introducing disability legislation for the first time and creating the post of UK minister for the disabled. However, if this were simply a question of passing legislation, a lot of the issues that continue to trouble us today would have been resolved long ago. It is about mainstreaming approaches to equality and the treatment of equality, not only across the public sector but in the private sector and, indeed, in every part of society. I am very proud that this Parliament was very much founded on the principles of equality and that we have an Equal Opportunities Committee that is engaged in making progress on these issues. That is all to the good, because more progress needs to be made and we on these benches will work with the Government to ensure that that happens.

That said, I cannot fail to reflect on the fact that, tomorrow morning, we will again debate welfare reform proposals that have emanated from the UK Government. I have no problem with reform of the welfare state, which is overly complicated and often cumbersome and difficult to work through. Simplifying it is not a problem, but applying a 20 per cent cut to disability living allowance in advance of anybody being assessed is surely wrong and unfair.

I recall David Cameron saying in Parliament or in his Cabinet—I cannot remember quite where—that we did not need to worry and that the cuts, the changes to welfare and the consequences of the economic downturn would be borne by those with the broadest shoulders. Therefore, the disproportionate impact on disabled people is, frankly, astonishing. They will be hardest hit by the reforms. It is incumbent on members of the Scottish Parliament and our colleagues in the UK Parliament to change the proposals substantially and protect those people, who are perhaps some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. We will discuss that further tomorrow.

The debate has been extremely useful. I would like us to consider—I am sure that the minister will point the way—how we can make a huge difference to the lives and experience of disabled people in Scotland, not just through legislation or mainstreaming approaches, but in practical ways.

17:21