Westminster Finally Agrees to SNP Demands
Tuesday, 6th May 2014
Linlithgow MSP, Fiona Hyslop has welcomed the news that Westminster will finally heed the SNP’s calls to allow the Scottish Government to provide much needed support to those hit by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition’s hated Bedroom Tax.
“After months of ignoring our requests to lift the cap on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP), Westminster has finally listened. This is a victory for those in West Lothian affected by the Bedroom Tax.
“The Scottish Government was able to top up the Discretionary Housing Payments by £378,129 for West Lothian residents last October and with this announcement from Westminster we will be able to do so much more.
“The Bedroom Tax is a hugely unfair policy and will hit the poorest and most vulnerable people the hardest. With a Yes vote in September, we can scrap the Bedroom Tax once and for all and get to work creating a welfare system that supports and empowers the most vulnerable people in our society.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
In a letter to Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland Office Minister David Mundell stated that the UK Government would finally listen to the Scottish Government’s call to transfer the reserved powers needed to lift the cap on Discretionary Housing Payments.
Westminster’s confirmation that they will stop standing in the Scottish Government’s way will allow support to be provided to 72,000 households affected by Bedroom Tax. But Westminster must now ensure that the powers needed to lift the cap are transferred to the Scottish Parliament as a matter of urgency.