Newsletter | Brendan O'Hara MP

3 days ago

The SNP has challenged the Prime Minister to end the uncertainty and commit to making the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent and extending it to legacy benefits in the upcoming Budget.At PMQs, the SNP’s Stuart McDonald urged Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to heed the warnings in a new report published by the Trussell Trust this month - “Dignity or Destitution? The case for keeping the Universal Credit lifeline” – which drew on the findings from a YouGov poll of 1,000 people currently receiving Universal Credit and analysis by the Trussell Trust.The report found that – - Seven in ten (72%) people on UC since early 2020 said it has made buying essentials easier.- One in five (20%) people claiming UC think it is very likely that they will need support from a food bank if the uplift is removed. - Two in five (41%) said they are very likely to cut back on food for themselves.- And one in eight (13%) parents say they are very likely to need to cut back on food for their children – impacting more than 220,000 families.Commenting, SNP MP Stuart McDonald said:“At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has hit people’s incomes and jobs, the £20 uplift to Universal Credit has provided a desperately needed lifeline for families and households across the UK.“Research from the Trussell Trust has revealed the impact pulling the lifeline will have, with warnings that people will be left with no choice but to turn to food banks, cut back on buying essential items, and even forced to cut back on food for their children."The UK government's own statistics this week revealed that a staggering six million people are now claiming Universal Credit - a 98% increase since the pandemic began.“The reality is that if the Prime Minister and Chancellor refuse to make the uplift permanent then millions of people face being pushed further into hardship through no fault of their own.“The Tory government has had no problem in handing out multi-billion pound Covid contracts to friends, acquaintances and party donors. So instead of cutting basic unemployment benefits to their lowest real terms level in 30 years, it must afford some basic dignity to six million people on Universal Credit and make the uplift permanent and extend it to legacy benefits." ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

5 days ago

The SNP has renewed calls on the UK government to immediately end its military support and arms sales to Saudi Arabia, after Oxfam warned that UK support was prolonging the devastating war in Yemen. Oxfam’s head of policy and advocacy, Sam Nadel, said that: “As the US has called for an end to the conflict in Yemen, the UK is heading in the opposite direction, ramping up its support for the brutal Saudi-led war by increasing arms sales and refuelling equipment that facilitate airstrikes.”Nadel added that: “The UK claims to support peace in Yemen. It can start by immediately ending the sale of all arms that risk being used against civilians and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.”Earlier this month, the Biden Administration announced that it would end American support for offensive operations in Yemen. However, the UK rejected calls from the SNP and other opposition parties to follow its lead.Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alyn Smith MP said:“The UK government cannot claim to be a player for peace when it is fuelling the conflict with arms sales and military support.“The export of air-to-air refuelling equipment – alongside the UK’s staggering £1.4bn of arms sales between last July and September alone – is playing a central role in the Saudi regime’s ability to expand its operations in Yemen with devastating consequences.“With the US announcing plans to end support for offensive operations in Yemen and other countries having long since halted their arms sales, the UK is isolated on the world stage and the notion that it is playing any positive role in bringing about the end of this terrible conflict is losing all credibility. “UN representatives have warned that around five million civilians were ‘just one step away from famine' - with the impact of the war and the coronavirus pandemic creating a concoction for catastrophe. "After indulging Saudi Arabia's campaign for years and turning a blind eye to devastating and credible reports of wilful attacks on civilians, the UK government must finally heed the warnings and end its arms sales to Saudi Arabia and instead focus its efforts on diplomacy and aid.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

The Scottish Government has announced a further £60 million in vital business support is now available to support people whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic.The new Mobile and Home-Based Close Contact Services Fund will be available for people including make-up artists and hairdressers as well as registered driving instructors.The Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund, which paid out more than £11 million in vital support last year, will also re-open for a second round.Both funds will provide £4,000 grants to successful applicants. If you think you may benefit please read the information below and apply as soon as you can.www.gov.scot/news/more-business-support-now-live/ ... See MoreSee Less

More business support now live - gov.scot

www.gov.scot

£60 million for newly self-employed, close contact businesses and driving instructors.

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

The new Scottish Child Payment, introduced by the Scottish Government earlier today, has been hailed by the Joseph Roundtree Foundation as being ‘more needed than ever’. The charity said families on low income will welcome the payment on top of other Scottish benefits such as the Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. The Scottish Child Payment has previously been described as ‘game-changing’. It will provide eligible families and carers with £40 every four weeks for each child under six. More than 77,000 applications have been received since the application process opened in November. Commenting, SNP MSP Shona Robison said: “It is incredibly encouraging to see the Scottish Child Payment roundly welcomed by charities and that thousands of families will benefit as a result. “I would urge any family who has not applied yet to do so and benefit from this payment which is unique to Scotland and will provide parents and carers with much needed support at a time when they need it most. “As Social Security Scotland continue to support families it is in stark contrast to the Tories at Westminster who are planning to cut the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, plunging 20,000 children in Scotland into poverty. “In Scotland we are building a benefits system built on dignity, fairness and respect. We will continue to do so with the powers the Scottish Government has. Scotland must be able to escape the callous benefits system imposed by the UK government and the only way to do that is with independence.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

The SNP has said the UK government risks “actively undermining Scotland’s COVID suppression strategy” if UK Ministers continue to refuse to enforce strict mandatory quarantine rules for those travelling back to Scotland from airports in other UK nations.New Scottish Government rules will see travellers from all international flights required to quarantine in supervised hotels from tomorrow (Monday), but in England hotel quarantine only applies to 33 ‘red list’ countries.SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford said any refusal to implement the policy undermines vital public health advice - and shows a blatant disregard for the ability of UK nations to impose different rules to tackle the spread of COVID-19.Ian Blackford MP said:“The UK government risks actively undermining Scotland’s COVID suppression strategy unless it urgently rethinks plans to ensure those travelling to Scotland comply with the rules set out by the Scottish Government.“The decision to introduce managed quarantine in Scotland has been led by the best scientific advice and on lessons learned from our experience with the virus. “These new measures are a crucial part of tough action that Scotland has taken throughout the COVID pandemic - which effectively eliminated the virus last year. The current position of the UK government stands in the way of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and shows a blatant disregard for devolved governments making policy in the best interests of their residents.“I’m urging the UK government to think again. If Westminster chooses not to adopt the tougher measures that will be in place in Scotland, it must at least work with the Scottish Government to ensure that the rules of each UK nation are respected and, crucially, implemented. ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

Scottish fishing chiefs have slammed the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson, describing it as an “extremely disappointing” deal which “falls far short of what the UK government had committed” to the industry.Giving evidence to Holyrood’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said Boris Johnson’s claims on a visit to Scotland in January that there would be a 25% increase in overall quota was “misleading” and “for some of these species, we will have less fishing opportunity than we had previously” and will “leave us worse off.”Asked whether the fishing industry feels “betrayed” by the UK government, she said “we feel very badly let down. We feel that the government made repeated commitments and promises to the industry, and these were not met."Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Seafood Association, Jimmy Buchan warned that "we've ended up with the worst of the worst of the worst" and said the UK government's compensation scheme doesn't go far enough.Stewart Stevenson MSP, a member of the committee, said:“This was a significant intervention from fishing chiefs, who have every right to be livid about the broken promises, utter incompetence and outright lies coming from the very heart of Boris Johnson's government."Since the EU referendum, the Tories have made exaggerated promises that they knew they couldn’t keep, and shown complete contempt towards our vital fishing industry.“It's clear that the Tory Brexiteers never had any intention of keeping their word to fishermen - they've betrayed a vital part of our economy, and an industry which is crucial to the livelihoods of communities and families across the country.“For over 40 years, Westminster has treated Scotland’s fishing industry as an irrelevance and a pawn to be traded away, and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.“The Tories simply can’t be trusted when it comes to standing up for our interests. The only way to escape the Tory Brexit disaster, protect Scotland's interests and our place in Europe is to become an independent country." ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

An ‘extreme’ risk of wildfire is in place across coastal and island areas of western Scotland including Argyll & Bute until tomorrow (Friday), the country’s fire and rescue service has warned.Despite freezing temperatures and snow in large parts of eastern and central parts of the country this week, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Area Commander Bruce Farquharson has stressed that parts of Scotland’s countryside still remain “vulnerable” to fire.People who live within or who may enter any rural environments have been warned to exercise caution.The ‘extreme’ warning – released in conjunction with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF) – remains in place until Friday. This covers the majority of the west coast and island areas, from the Highlands to Dumfries and Galloway, via Argyll and Bute and Ayrshire and the Western Isles.Area Commander Farquharson, who is also chair of the SWF, said: “There may have been a lot of snow in the eastern and central areas of Scotland, but that is not the case in the western coastal areas and fuel conditions are very different.“At this time of year, we typically have a large volume of dead, bone-dry vegetation left over – which essentially acts as a fuel for fire.“As a result, there are currently vast areas of countryside all over the country that are tinder dry and vulnerable, this provides all of the ingredients for fire to take hold and spread.“We are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.”Area Commander Farquharson highlighted parallels to a period in late February 2018, when SFRS crews tackled a series of wildfires on Skye and Barra just days after the ‘Beast From The East’ struck central Scotland.“This weather pattern is very similar to what we witnessed two years ago during the ‘Beast from the East’, which saw a number of challenging wildfire incidents on Barra and Skye,” he said.“These incidents came just days after the ‘Beast From The East’ snow storms, which left hundreds of motorists stranded overnight in freezing conditions on the M80 motorway.”Wildfires have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas of land and wildlife; and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.A spate of wildfires could also place unnecessary pressure on the emergency services as they already work to support partners and protect the public amid the coronavirus pandemic.Area Commander Farquharson continued: “We would always stress the importance of being vigilant in areas of countryside, but right now we are in a unique and testing period for all emergency services.“We will always do our utmost to protect our communities, and to save life and property from harm at all times – but we also need the public to help us.“Human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting, so it is crucial that people act safely and responsibly in rural environments, and always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Brendan O’Hara MP

2 weeks ago

Following a new report, the SNP has said the Tory government’s plans to cut Universal Credit in April will take money out of people's pockets when it is needed the most and increase in-work poverty.New research, published today (Wednesday) by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), shows that if the Tories plough ahead with planned Universal Credit cuts – after historically failing to ensure the policy is increased in line with the cost of living - the proposed 2021 rates for the benefit will be over a tenth less (11.5%) in real terms than its value eight years ago in 2013. If the £20 boost is scrapped in April, the value of Universal Credit will drop by as much as a quarter (25%) at a time when millions are facing reduced incomes and job losses and turn to Universal Credit. This will see single claimants under 25 receive a quarter less (£342.72 to £257.33), single claimants over 25 receive a fifth less (£409.89 to £324.84), joint claimants under 25 receive 17% less (£488.59 to £403.93) and joint claimants over 25 receive 14% less (£594.04 to £509.91).The SNP’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, David Linden MP, has warned that the cuts risks increasing in-work poverty as almost 2 in 5 (38%) people on Universal Credit are in work (2.2m people). ... See MoreSee Less

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