THE First Minister has written a letter to the family of a severely disabled man targeted by Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare cuts.
Nicola Sturgeon sent the letter to Stuart Chester’s mother Deborah saying she was saddened to read of her son’s treatment by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in The National.
Mother-of-two Deborah, 51, told how her son, who has Down’s syndrome and autism had been ordered to prove he is unfit for work.
Stuart cannot speak, read, wash or clothe himself.
The 25-year-old, from Glasgow, who is cared for round-the-clock by his mother, was sent a 20-page work capability assessment form investigate his fitness for work and whether he is entitled to his Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefits.
In her letter to Deborah, Sturgeon wrote: “I was saddened to read of Stuart’s treatment by the DWP. Saddened, but I am sorry to say not surprised.
"The Scottish Government is concerned about many aspects of the UK Government’s welfare reforms, including the treatment of disabled people.
“We continue to press the UK Government to make improvements and to ensure safeguards are in place for those who need them.
"You may be aware that, as a result of the Smith Commission process, disability benefits will eventually be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
“We will give careful consideration as to how best to ensure that our new powers are tailored to the needs of the people of Scotland and will ensure that individuals, communities and organisations have their say on this .
“We are very clear that principles of dignity and respect must be central to the development of disability benefit policies in Scotland.”
Deborah and her daughter Amanda said they have been overwhelmed by the support from the First Minister and secretary for social justice Alex Neil.
They also wanted to thank Natalie McGarry MP, SNP spokesperson on disabilities, for offering to help.
Deborah said: “It was really nice of Nicola to send us that letter and it meant a lot.
“The support we have had since we spoke to The National about Stuart’s case has been phenomenal from people all over the world.
“Having these high-profile politicians on our side has helped a lot and hopefully together we can prevent other vulnerable people being targeted.”
Around 2,380 people have died between December 2011 and February 2014 after being found fit for work and losing benefits, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show.
A DWP spokeswoman said: “It’s impossible to make any link in these statistics between someone dying and their being found fit for work.”
On Stuart’s case, the DWP added: “We regularly review people’s conditions to ensure that they are not simply written off and condemned to a life on benefits. “
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