The Scottish Government must do all that they can to ensure those who have to self-isolate get the support that they need, Scottish Labour has said.
Statistics published today revealed that fewer than a third of all those who have applied for the Self-Isolation Support Grant have received the funds despite the criteria being expanded.
The statistics show that, between October and December 2020, only 27.9 per cent of applications were successful – barely over a quarter of applications.
As such, thousands of applicants are potentially missing out on vital support.
Scottish Labour has said that supporting those who need to self-isolate to do so is a vital component in the fight against the virus and that the Scottish Government must act to prevent thousands missing out on support.
Scottish Labour communities and equalities spokesperson Pauline McNeill said:
“It is simply unacceptable that so many applications are being rejected.
If we are to tackle the spread of this virus it is vital that those who need to self-isolate are supported to do so. We cannot have the fight against coronavirus undermined by the failings of the Scottish Government.
It’s time for the Scottish Government to get to grips with this issue and take action to ensure that all who need support, are supported.”
“As such, thousands of applicants are “POTENTIALLY” missing out on vital support (my emphasis).
The word “potentially” implies the author is not fully confident in the validity of their argument. Not everyone who applies will be eligible and, not knowing the criteria myself (and the author doesn’t enlighten us on them), I can’t make an informed judgement on whether the number of those granted is low or not. It certainly “sounds” low, however, maybe it’s fine.
By the way, good to see your site up and running again