October Summary Report of Parliamentary Proceedings

Summary Provided by the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Officer

It's been a quiet month at Westminster as the MPs focus on their party conferences, and wrangling goes on between departments seeking cuts ahead of the Spending Review, due on the 20th October. A number of significant announcements were made at the conferences, with George Osborne announcing that households with at least one higher rate taxpayer will lose child benefit, which Prime Minister David Cameron followed this up with an apology that this was not in Conservative manifesto. The Chancellor also announced a cap on the level of benefit payments that one family can receive, a move that the Government estimate will effect an estimated 50,000 families. On top of changes to Housing Benefit, which will effect 50,000 Scots, with an average loss of £10 a week, the measures really are living up to the promise to be tough… but not looking like they are living up to the other commitment… that proposals would also be fair.


On a more promising note, some Churches have welcomed proposals for the radical simplification of the benefits system, with Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith announcing the Government's intention's to go ahead with the implementation of a universal credit and a phasing out of the current complex benefits and tax credits system. A surprise announcement has also been that the Government will introduce a new Enterprise Allowance which will offer people who are out of work and entering self-employment a weekly payment linked to the value of their benefit for a period of up to six months; a move which advocates of microfinance and the Grameen Bank may welcome.

Throughout all of this, the Churches have consistently been calling for protection for the vulnerable and those living in poverty, and this month saw the Poverty Truth Commission lodge a motion in the Scottish Parliament seeking progress on support for Kinship carers. Representative of the Churches also attended the Parliament to give evidence on the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, with John Deighan of the Catholic Parliamentary Office saying "We must safeguard every single person's intrinsic right to life because any other approach is simply too dangerous."

There have been a number of motions in Holyrood and at Westminster that have been of particular interest to Christians, including an Early Day Motion supported by the Quakers calling for an end to recruitment to the armed forces for children aged 16 and 17. The Social Care work of the Church of Scotland through CrossReach has been recognised in a motion highlighting the unconditional support offered to 3,000 vulnerable people on a daily basis.

The coming weeks will be dominated by spending announcements, and in this time our prayers will be with our decision makers, praying for wisdom, justice and compassion to be at the forefront of their choices.



From Parliamentary Prayer group

Update on the end of life bill

Now is the time to bring your own personal concerns about this Bill to the eight MSPs who represent you. This Bill is far reaching. As young as an18 year old and indeed anyone else, who is suffering from depression could request to die. The grave concern is disabled people could be encouraged to die rather than helped to live a full life. Elderly and frail people could feel it was their duty to die and not be a burden and the high level of palliative care will become less rather than more.. Voting will be completed by 24th November
They are also concerned about the  Criminal Procedure (Detention, Legal Assistance and Appeals) (Scotland) Bill.


"This bill will restrict, rather than reinforce, human rights" Members of Scotland’s legal establishment accused the Government of introducing “legislation by stealth” as they raised concerns about the impact of rushing through the biggest changes to the country’s criminal justice system for 30 years in one afternoon last week.