Defending Scottish cancer patients’ benefits

 In an open letter to all Scottish MP’s , also sent to the Herald, the charities argue that proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill will push some cancer patients into poverty.

The letter has 35 signatories, including Breakthrough Breast Cancer Director for Scotland Audrey Birt.

 

Here follows a full transcript:

 Dear MPs of Scotland,

 We are writing to you to raise our concerns about the impact the Welfare Reform Bill proposals could have on Scottish cancer patients.  Today the Government will try to press ahead with changes that would mean some cancer patients will lose vital benefits after just one year.  As representatives of the cancer community we are asking you not to vote for any changes that would could push cancer patients and their families into poverty.  

Cancer patients want to work. They haven’t chosen to give up the safety of employment. The assertion that providing hard earned benefits at a time of greatest need encourages a dependency by seriously ill cancer patients on benefits is simply not based on fact.

 The Government’s plan to cut Employment Support Allowance after one year will leave around 7000 cancer patients up to £94 worse off each week, simply because they have not recovered quickly enough. These are people who have paid into the system all their working lives and it is wrong to put them under further financial and emotional distress on top of recovering from a life-threatening illness.

 In our experience of treating and supporting cancer patients, one year is simply not long enough for many people to recover from cancer treatment. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be highly debilitating. The ongoing and severe side-effects can leave patients struggling for years. Although there is clear evidence that one year is not long enough for patients to recover, the Government seems determined to press ahead with the changes.

 We accept the benefits system is in need of reform, however cutting help for cancer patients will only succeed in causing stress and worry to people going through an already difficult time.

 That is why we are urging all Scottish MP’s to show their support for cancer patients and vote against time-limiting financial support to cancer patients to just one year, at the time they need it most.