Scotland needs an advocate for the disabled at the top of government to protect their rights and safeguard them from cuts, an MSP has said.
Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour said the interests of vulnerable people who are all too often overlooked when ministers set out their priorities.
Mr Balfour has launched a Bill at Holyrood to establish a Disabilities Commissioner for Scotland, saying the SNP have failed to live up to their pledge to create a similar role.
Writing in The Herald, Mr Balfour said: “In the wake of the eye-watering cuts being introduced by the SNP government, it’s clearer than ever that there is an urgent need for a disabilities commissioner to protect the interests of vulnerable people who are all too often overlooked when ministers set out their priorities.”
The Conservative and Unionist MSP for the Lothian Region MSP said that his bill would give “real power” to the role and safeguard the rights of people of all disabilities.
The job would also come with powers to review the law, policy and practice relating to the rights of disabled people, promote best practice by service providers, and undertake research on matters relating to the rights of disabled people.
Jeremy Balfour MSP 03 October (Image: Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament)
He raised the issue of the dropping of the Changing Places toilet fund by the Scottish Government as an example of the need for the role.
The fund, which would have adapted toilets for those who struggle to use existing “accessible” facilities, was dumped amid £500m to the Scottish budget.
READ MORE:
- 'The most vulnerable are suffering due to SNP’s mismanagement'
- Disabled and their carers must be protected from cuts
Mr Balfour said: “SNP ministers have dithered and delayed over their introduction since they promised to take action back in 2021. Now, disgracefully, they have dropped them from their budget altogether.
“It’s shocking that some of the most vulnerable in society are the ones who are now suffering as a result of the SNP’s appalling mismanagement.
“The £10million allocated to this programme may be a fairly small component of the £500m worth of cuts being made by Shona Robison, the finance secretary, to fill the huge black hole in Scotland’s finances, but it will have a devastating impact on the lives of disabled people.”
He added: “It will rob them of opportunities to work, travel and take part in everyday activities that most folk take for granted.”
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