Scottish Government Debate: A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People

Jeane Freeman S5M-05594 That the Parliament recognises the valuable contribution that disabled people make to Scottish society and Scotland as a whole; acknowledges that transformational change is needed in order for disabled people to realise their full potential; agrees that this can be achieved by working with disabled people and their organisations and therefore supports the co-production approach and actions set out in A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Our Delivery Plan to 2021 for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; recognises the Scottish Government’s commitment to implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities so that disabled people in Scotland can exercise all of their human rights; notes the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’report in 2016, which found evidence of grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s rights by the UK Government’s welfare reforms, and condemns the changes and cuts to disability benefits imposed by the UK Government, which are continuing to cause harm to the rights of disabled people. Adam Tomkins S5M-05594.2 As an amendment to motion S5M-05594 in the name of Jeane Freeman (A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People), leave out from “A Fairer Scotland” to end and insert "the UK Government’s document, Improving Lives, The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, and in the Scottish Government’s paper, A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Our Delivery Plan to 2021 for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; notes the UK Government’s response to the report of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; recalls that the Parliament debated the Scottish Government's paper on 8 December 2016 and calls on the Scottish Ministers to provide a full update of the actions that they outlined during that debate; notes with concern that cuts in Scotland to the number of teachers to support children with additional needs risks jeopardising the life chances of disabled children in Scotland, and urges the Scottish Government to tackle this problem as a matter of urgency." Alex Rowley S5M-05594.1 As an amendment to motion S5M-05594 in the name of Jeane Freeman (A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People), leave out from ", and condemns" to end and insert “; is particularly concerned at the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's findings that these welfare reforms imposed by the Conservative administration have resulted in a 'particularly disproportionate, cumulative impact on the rights to independent living and an adequate standard of living for disabled people', and condemns these cuts, which have caused major harm to the rights of disabled people."