SNP manifesto calls for more money for carers and halt to welfare cuts

By Davinia Overton

The Scottish National Party has pledged that the party will vote for more support for carers and a reversal of the coalition’s welfare cuts in the next Parliament.

The SNP’s manifesto says the party wants Carers’ Allowance to match Jobseekers’ Allowance, a change that would give increase payments to carers by almost £600 a year.

The party’s MPs will also press for carer’s leave to be piloted in Scotland.

The SNP will vote against plans to cut Disability Living Allowance by £3bn by 2017/18 and seek to reverse the replacement of Disability Living Allowance with Personal Independence Payments.

The manifesto also says the party wants to halt the roll out of Universal Credit and wants the decisions about benefits in Scotland devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

“The full devolution of the welfare state would give us the ability to halt the cruelest and most damaging welfare changes and instead develop a system that supports people and families in their time of need,” the manifesto says.

The SNP will also support:

• An overhaul of Work Capability Assessments, which it says are “still delivering too many poor decisions”
• Back a minimum wage of £8.70 by 2020
• Support efforts to “end unfair and exploitative zero-hour contracts”