The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Yes vote a ‘leap in the dark’
INDEPENDENCE WOULD be a “leap in the dark” for Scots who rely on pensions and other benefits, a leading Labour MP has claimed.
Shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran said a Yes vote in September’s referendum would lead to “massive cuts in public spending” north of the border, insisting that the least well-off in society would be hit hardest.
She was speaking as Better Together, the cross-party body campaigning to keep Scotland in the UK, published a new paper on pensions.
But SNP MSP Christine Grahame said independence would allow Scotland to do “even more to provide a fair deal” for pensioners.
The Better Together report said spending on benefits for senior citizens in Scotland is expected to rise by 3.4% of GDP in the next 50 years — “significantly more” than the forecast 2.3% increase for the UK as a whole.
“Benefit spending in Scotland is around 2% higher per head of population than for the rest of the UK,” the paper said.
“The UK social security system pays £17.7 billion in benefits to 2.8 million people in Scotland, equivalent to £3,335 for each of us. Over half our population receive UK social security payments and currently rely on these payments to sustain their household finances.”
The report continued: “The number of Scottish pensioners will grow from one million to 1.3 million over the next 20 years. In Scotland we have a shrinking workingage population. This puts real pressure on the cost of pensions but also reduces the budget available for benefits.”
Ms Curran said: “Leaving the UK would be a leap in the dark for those reliant on benefits or their pension. By saying no thanks to separation, we can make sure that we protect the most vulnerable in our society from the massive cuts that would have to happen in a separate Scotland.”
But Ms Grahame insisted: “The Scottish Parliament has been good for older people in Scotland, allowing us to make greater strides in tackling the scourge of pensioner poverty, and with gains such as free personal care for elderly people making a real difference to people’s lives.
“On these key issues for older people the Scottish Parliament has taken strong and decisive action, and the results speak for themselves.
“But with the full powers of independence we could do even more.”