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| SLG |
Attendance allowanceAs expected, the Executive will be persuing the matter with the Westminster government. Does Westminster have a leg to stand on on this matter?"UK ministers were hostile to the policy because they thought it would put pressure on them to give English pensioners a similar level of free care, and it was widely reported that withdrawing the allowance from Scotland was motivated by revenge." - Paul Hutcheon (Sunday Herald) Is this any way for Westminster to behave? And rather than trying to justify it, all they seem to be able to do is accuse the SNP of wanting to 'cause conflict' between the two Parliaments. "This is exactly what we said would happen. The SNP is looking for issues on which to pick a fight. They are demanding a benefit that is no longer provided. The serious issue is making sure the policy is adequately funded." - Lewis Macdonald (Labour's shadow minister for public health) http://www.sundayherald.com/news/...dnews/display.var.1429130.0.0.php |
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| parkhead_rfb |
you can receive both free personal care and attendance allowance. | ||||
| SLG |
I'm not sure if it's the case across the board, but many people will not be able to claim attendance allowance if they accept money from the Executive as part of the free personal care scheme. Presumable this adds up to the £23 million a year that the Exec is trying to claim back from Westminster. | ||||
| parkhead_rfb |
no it is. free personal care doesnt effect your entitlement to attendance allowance. i work in welfare rights. I would assume the argument is that attendance allowance money should be going to funding free personal care instead as both are effectively paid for the same thing. instead the scottish executive must fund it themselves as westminster are unwilling to budge on any social security policy. I would imagine this is a warm up battle for one relating to council tax benefit should scotland change to a income based system. |
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| SLG |
From http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/81
You're absolutely right about this being a preview of what will happen over the council tax rebate. Whatever happens here will set the precedent. I imagine that what will happen is that Westminster will try to avoid doing anything. |
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| parkhead_rfb |
it would seem the issue has become blurred here. when i stated that free personal care did not effect a persons entitlement to attendance allowance in scotland due to free personal care being introduced it doesnt when the person remains in their own home. the introduction of personal care by the scottish parliament hasnt then effected peoples entitlement to attendance allowance in anyway. the rules you posted are about people who go into care homes who will not then be entitled to attendance allowance. this is misleading though as the rules on attendance allowance and care homes havent actually changed its always been the case that those going into care homes were liable to lose their attendance allowance (though the rules on this are very complex). |
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