Oral Answers to Questions

Eilidh Whiteford Excerpts
Monday 24th February 2014

(10 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue with me before we came into Question Time. This looks like a case where something should be done. I will wait for the medical professionals to do this; it is a paper-based assessment, not a face-to-face one. I will look into it and come back to my hon. Friend as soon as I can.

Eilidh Whiteford Portrait Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)
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While the UK Government have resisted calls for a cumulative impact assessment of their welfare reforms, the Scottish Government have undertaken such an assessment. It showed that, overwhelmingly, the £4.5 billion-worth of cuts are falling on disabled people and mothers. Does the Minister accept that the reason he will not carry out such an assessment is because he is scared that it will expose his Government’s priorities and their willingness to punish the poor?