WASPI issue has sting

Deareditor I refer to the four column epistle on the WASPI issue from Dorothy Connor in last week’s Reformer View.

Dorothy could have saved herself a lot of time and typing if she had taken the time to check on what powers are or are not devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

For her information, pensions are fully reserved to Westminster.

Even with the limited social security powers devolved to Scotland, to which Dorothy alludes, the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to create new pension benefits.

This is explicitly set out in the Scotland Act 2016.

Neither can the power to top-up benefits be used because WASPI women are not yet in receipt of a pension.

It is true that the Scottish Government can pay out additional benefits but only in Scotland.

The WASPI women throughout the UK want their pension, to which they are entitled, not a benefit and only in Scotland.

The Westminster Government has stated that it would cost in the region of £30 billion to pay the pensions demanded by the WASPI women.

However, the Scottish Government had this reviewed and the figure is nearer to £8bn.

I would suggest that Dorothy Connor should look at what The WASPI campaign aims are, rather than using this amazing example of women of all political affiliations and none, to try to score cheap political points.

However, the real question to ask is why should the Scottish Government pay these benefits out of their block grant, when all of the national insurance, income tax and VAT is paid directly into Westminster’s coffers. J. Alan McLennan Burnside