SCOTLAND'S leading Catholic cleric has called on the government to be "adopt a compassionate and humane approach" over tax credit cuts.
Chancellor George Osborne has said he will "lessen" the impact of tax credit cuts on families after peers inflicted a serious blow on the government by demanding changes.
Peers voted by 289 votes to 272 to provide full financial redress to the millions of recipients affected.
They earlier inflicted a second defeat by backing a pause until an independent study of the impact was carried out.
Following the House of Lords defeat, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, the Archbishop of Glasgow, spoke out saying: “I hope the Government will be mindful of the concerns raised by members of the House of Lords in the debate on tax credits."
Archbishop Tartaglia, who is President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland added: "I urge them to adopt a compassionate and humane approach when amending the benefits system remembering always the vulnerabilities of so many dependent on it.”
The Chancellor has promised "transitional help" for those affected after his party was defeated twice in the House of Lords.
But he vowed to press on with changes designed to save billions from welfare.
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