News
12th November 09
11/12/2009
Ulster Unionist MLA, Tom Elliott, has hit out at a Labour plan to axe the attendance allowance payment in favour of paying more money into adult social care. A government green paper about shaping the future of care outlined the plan, which has since been
Ulster Unionist MLA, Tom Elliott, has hit out at a Labour plan to axe the attendance allowance payment in favour of paying more money into adult social care. A government green paper about shaping the future of care outlined the plan, which has since been criticised by a number of national organisations.
In a statement, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative said: "Many people in my constituency and across the whole of Northern Ireland rely upon the attendance allowance payment to aid them in their older years. The money they receive enables them to afford the care they need and also provides them with a level of independence. While I would be in favour of a review of the benefits system, targeting specific benefits like this with a view to axing them and increasing state dependence among older people is shameful and utterly unacceptable."
The Conservatives have already made it known that they are opposing the plan, with Conservative spokesperson Andrew Lansley stating that it "runs counter to the idea of independent living."
Mr Elliott agreed with Mr Lansleys view, and went on to say: "Older people greatly value the ability to retain their independence and rightly so. The government should not be trying to take this away and replace it with a type of ’personal budget’ administered by the state. This is not what the people in receipt of attendance allowance want, it is not what their families want and it is not what the Ulster Unionist Party or Conservatives want. Labour need to listen to the people on this issue, take into account the reality of individual situations rather than statistics, and make a decision based on improving the lives of people rather than increasing state control."
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