Rhoda Grant MSP, Scottish Labour spokesperson for Equalities, has tabled amendments to the Carers Bill to introduce a national threshold for unpaid carers. This will ensure all carers in crisis, regardless of where they live in Scotland, receive support.
This amendment would prevent a postcode lottery for support and service provision, whilst at the same time allowing local flexibility on what form that support takes.
Rhoda Grant has also tabled amendments on including future planning in Carers Plans and Young Carers Statements to make sure that carers will know where additional support would come from when they could no longer continue their caring role.
She also tabled amendments on bereavement support to be included in the bill. These amendments would ensure that carers are provided with suitable support throughout there caring role.
Speaking ahead of the Stage 3 debate on the Carers Bill this afternoon, Rhoda Grant said:
“During the bill process, it is clear that carers need clarity on what support and services they are entitled to because too often they have to fight to receive any support due to financial pressure in Local Authorities.
I have been working closely with both carers’ organisation and COSLA to try to find solutions. I believe my amendments would solve these problems by creating a threshold for carers at which all Local Authorities must provide support. My other amendments ensure that they know what that support will be going forward.
Whilst I welcome the new rights in this bill for carers, it is vital that carers are able to access them and that Councils have the funding to implement them. We cannot allow local eligibility to be a way by which we ration support. Local authorities have expressed concern over the budget for this Bill and I share their concerns. We need this Bill to be fully funded to ensure that carers get the support need and deserve.”
Pardon me but aren’t these measures already included in the SNP draft budget for care allowance?
How are labour going to fund this ….APD or their penny extra tax that they scoffed at earlier?
Since additional funds from the new draft budget for care services was the focus of much of Labour and Cosla ire as it was threatened to be clawed back if it wasn’t spent on care…..a move screamed a “threat to democracy” by COSLAbour…
the reason care is a shambles is due to Labour councils siphoning of Care and education budgets on pet projects
in addition….
isn’t it strange that in the space of a week we have several members bills forwarded by labour and trumpeted by the media……
makes the resounding silence from labour in this area prior to this week look a bit strange….
Either Labour have just woken up and decided to take part in the Parliament….
Or there is an election coming up and they want to look like they are efficient….
We can expect Labour to call for a council tax freeze as well any day now and it would come as no surprise to me in light of their existing campaign strategy.
Why not….
they’ve backtracked on the 1p rise the SNP proposed and now think its great..
Were for the £30bn CBR in January…abstained later on….and are now airbrushing their involvement from history…..coz they really were against cuts and now want to raise it in taxes…..except the tax rise won’t cover it so the cuts will still come….
all over the place is an understatement
You Couldn’t Make This Up!
Income tax rises – Ms Dugdale indicated that there would be no tax rises under a Scottish Labour administration, but she added that she had plans to use new tax and welfare powers coming to Holyrood to make a difference. Ms Dugdale said she would explain more in her conference speech on Saturday afternoon.
Kezia promised no tax rises at the Labour conference 2015, what happened?
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” – Keynes
Associating yourself with Keynes is a stretch…..
Kez changes her mind to be for tax at the same time senior Labour Economist and cabinet committee member warns that tax rises are unsustainable and another name for austerity…
not only are Labour flip flopping around..they are not even internally consistent….
you must be aware of the Laws of thought? the Law of non-contradiction?
(A) cannot equal (NOT A)
Tax rises cannot be an alternative to Austerity and form of Austerity?
never mind