2011 Scottish Conservative Party Conference - Speech on Prescription Charges

Ladies and Gentlemen

Welcome to the Dewar Centre for the 2011 Scottish Conservative Party Conference.

When asked if I’d speak to the hall regarding Health, I needed some inspiration. Who would have thought it would have come from the First Minister Alex Salmond!

Yes – Alex Salmond. Thought that would get your attention. No, I haven’t had leave of my senses or had a heavy night out in Perth last night. I’m talking about the abolition of Prescription Charges in Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives are clear on this issue. Giving away free prescriptions to those who can well afford to pay for them is politically irresponsible and a drain on public resources at this time of huge financial challenges in the NHS.

The abolition of prescription charges is nothing but sheer populism by the SNP and unworkable and unaffordable in the current economic climate.

Unfortunately, it is an absolute necessity to seek a reverse of this universal freebie in order to deal with Labour’s debt legacy.

The young, the elderly and those on benefits are already exempt.
Using millions of Scotland’s health budget to reduce the cost of prescriptions to zero means it simply can’t be spent elsewhere.

Ahead of April’s free for all, some 50% of people who are exempt from prescription charges account for 92% of all prescriptions.

Once again, the Conservatives are the Champion for Common Sense and for the Common Good of the people of Scotland.

Both Labour and the SNP are failing to face up to financial reality.
In these difficult economic times, we have to make tough decisions and prioritise what we need most.

Free prescriptions for those who can afford it are NOT a priority – it is simply absurd that all the other parties cannot see this.

Using a further £70 million of much needed funds to abolish charges - £50m for loss of income and £20m to allow for increased take up – will not help knock Scotland of the top of the Sick Man of Europe League Table.

These much needed funds are therefore simply nothing other than further reward for middle class people who can clearly afford to pay the charge. The money being taken out of the Health Budget to give free prescriptions to people like Alex Salmond could be much better spent elsewhere maintaining and enhancing frontline services.

When will Alex Salmond and his Minority Government wake up from the fantasy politics and blatent election opportunism that is clearly pushing a Socialist agenda?

The Scottish Conservatives will continue to argue for a return of a Prescription Levy. Remember this, only 6% of prescriptions are paid for. It makes no sense to take money out of the NHS as we tackle Labour’s legacy.

By restoring prescription charges to £5 for those 6% who currently pay prior to next month’s changes, the Scottish Conservatives would be in a position to invest £20m per year in providing more Health Visitors in Scotland.

It’s really is time for the Scottish Government to get their priorities in place and deliver for all.

Finally, in the time it took to deliver this speech, some £330k in National Debt Interest repayments courtesy of Labour’s legacy have been racked up - money taken away from essential front line services. This is nothing short of a disgrace.

Fellow Candidates and foot soldiers, whether you are out canvassing on the streets of Scotland or speaking at a local Hustings, never ever let Labour forget about the mess they have left us to clear up in the run in to May 5th.

Welfare Reform Works as Coalition Govt looks to benefit 2.7m UK households

This Government is on the side of people who want to get ahead. We will focus on encouraging people to get into work and reforming the welfare system to ensure that work always pays and no one can say they are better off on benefits.

The benefits system has created a benefits culture. It doesn’t just allow people to act irresponsibly, but often actively encourages them to do so.



Whether it’s the sheer complexity and the perverse incentives of the benefits system, or the failure to penalise those who choose to live off the hard work of others or whether it’s the failure to offer the right support for people who are desperate to go back into work, we’ve created the bizarre situation where time and again the rational thing for people to do is, quite clearly, the wrong thing.

This is why the UK Government have published the Welfare Bill to tackle the benefits culture and make work pay. Under Labour, one and a half million people spent most of the last decade on out-of-work benefits and the benefits system cost every working family £3,000 each year.

This Government is doing more to reform welfare in nine months than Labour did in 13 years.

Labour legacy shapes Council cuts but Scottish Conservatives continue to deliver

Scottish Councils this week have announced their budgets with many being forced into making potentially unpopular but necessary cuts along the way.

Of course, the deficit deniers are out in force, blaming the UK Coalition Government for the tough decisions having to be made to claw back the £2 trillion debt. Lets not forget the reasons why savings across the Nation are having to be implemented within Public Sector budgets.

The Union-led former Labour Government brought us to the brink of bankruptcy. Labour doubled the national debt and left us with the biggest budget deficit in our peacetime history. We are spending £120 million every single day just to pay off the interest on Labour’s debt. This is Labour’s legacy.

The Red Ed double act of Balls and Miliband were Gordon Brown’s chief economic advisers and the architects of this economic mess. The sad thing is that having burdened our children and grandchildren with debt, and undermined our economy, Labour offers nothing but opportunistic attacks.

They’ve opposed the Coalition Government's tough decisions on VAT, tuition fees and deficit reduction but offer no credible deficit reduction plan of their own. You can’t attack a plan if you haven’t got a plan. A blank sheet of paper simply will not do!

Running up Government debt is like someone running up massive credit card bills - the longer you leave it, the worse it gets. If we don’t take steps now to live within our means we’ll end up paying higher taxes and face deeper cuts just to pay off our debt. Labour’s approach would mean less growth, less investment and fewer jobs.

Ed Miliband and his Scottish 'Leader' Iain Gray refuses to accept that Labour overspent before the boom turned to bust. Their message is simple: vote for me, I’d do it all again.

We must learn from these lessons and Vote Scottish Conservatives on May 5th.

The Scottish Conservatives proud record at Holyrood over the last four years has meant that our Nation has delivered:

- 1,000 extra Police
- Thousands of small businesses benefitting from rates savings
- Four year Council Tax Freeze
- £60 million Town Centre Regeneration Plan
- New drugs strategy for Scotland implemented
- A £26 million boost to housing, jobs and exports
- A new drive to cut down absenteeism in the public sector