SCOTTISH Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has called on the UK Government to use this month’s Autumn Statement to announce an end to the benefits freeze she says has brought “misery to families and communities.
In a letter to Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Somerville has highlighted the findings of the annual Welfare Reform Report, which estimates that the UK Government’s welfare cuts will lead to a £3.7 billion fall in social security spending by 2021 in Scotland.
As The National reported yesterday, the report estimates the benefit freeze has the biggest impact.
READ MORE: Thousands of Scottish families forced into poverty by welfare cuts
Somerville said: “This detailed report paints a stark picture of the reality of life for many people in Scotland. It represents damning evidence against the DWP’s current programme of welfare cuts which are only set to get worse. These cruel cuts are forcing more people into poverty at the very time the Scottish Government is focused on getting children and families out of poverty.
“Esther McVey cannot ignore this report, so I am sending her a copy and urging her to end the freeze. I will also send a copy to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in advance of his visit to the UK later this year.”
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