SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, has highlighted the latest report from the Trussell Trust which shows how vital the SNP-introduced policy of free prescriptions is to the people of Scotland.
 
The recent Trussell Trust report on people receiving Universal Credit is a damning assessment of the damage cruel DWP policies are having on people across the UK, including those in work. Ahead of the general election, there were widespread calls for the new UK Government to introduce an essentials guarantee for universal credit claimants. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the current universal credit rate for people over 25 leaves a shortfall of £120 a month for people to be able to afford essentials.

The Trussell Trust’s report found that 68% of working households receiving universal credit have gone without essentials such as prescription medication (in comparison to 79% of those receiving universal credit while not in work).
 
Thanks to the SNP, this does not apply in Scotland. Everyone, regardless of income status, has free access to prescriptions – ensuring that no matter who you are you can get the vital medication you need. In Scotland, the average individual receives 19 free prescriptions per year, saving local people here in the Western Isles £183.35 per person on average. 
 
Commenting, Alasdair Allan MSP said:
 
“Free prescriptions are a vital part of the social contract the SNP has with people across the Western Isles and Scotland as a whole – no matter what your income status, is it is essential that you have access to medical treatment.
 
“This Trussell Trust report indicates exactly how vital a policy this is, as over two thirds of working households in the UK receiving universal credit are still having to go without essential items such as toiletries and prescriptions.
 
“The Tories left behind a legacy of cruel social security decisions and it is deeply disappointing that the Labour UK Government seems to be continuing with austerity measures instead of supporting those in need. Everyone deserves to be able to access essential services, no matter their financial situation, and it is deeply worrying that so many people elsewhere in the UK are having to choose to go without the medicine they need due to cost concerns.”
 
See article: Half of universal credit claimants ran out of food in the last month - Big Issue