Praise for Scots’ policy on free medications

An Airdrie election candidate says the Scottish Government’s decision to continue giving people medications free of charge avoid the “shocking amount” English residents have to pay “just to stay healthy”.

Neil Gray has highlighted the move by the Westminster Government to increase the cost per prescription item down south from £9.15 to £9.35 earlier this month as “very worrying”.

But the Airdrie & Shotts candidate revealed that, by comparison, people in Scotland are saving more than £177 a year on their prescriptions using the average number of prescription per head in the country as a calculation.

Mr Gray said: “Here is yet another way in which the SNP Scottish Government is working and caring for those who live here.

“Imagine if you need four items every month; that would be a cost of £448.80 every year, going by the English charges.

“That is a shocking amount just to stay healthy.

“Thankfully, the SNP are in touch with the lives of the electorate, which is far more than can be said for the Tory Government in Westminster.”

Meanwhile, Mr Gray has also welcomed the release of areport showing that crime figures in Scotland have halved – with violent crime down nearly two-fifths.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Report showed that, since 2008-09, the number of adults experiencing crime has fallen from 20.4 per cent to 11.9 per cent.

The survey also revealed that people in Scotland are less likely to be a victim of crime in Scotland than in England and Wales, with 11 per cenr and 13 per cent respectively of those interviewed experiencing crime.

Mr Gray said: “It is heartening to see these figures. Although there has been sone great work done by the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service, along with community volunteers, we cannot rest there.

“While people feel scared to walk the streets in safety, there is still much to do.”

Cutting costs Mr Gray says people in Scotland are saving more than £177 a year on their prescriptions