Rod Campbell, candidate for NE Fife SNP, has welcomed
the publication by the SNP Government of regulations which will see prescription charges cut from £4 to £3 from
April 1st this year. Next year it is planned to abolish the charge
totally.
The planned legislation
will also see the cost of a four-month
Pre-Payment Certificate reduced from £13 to £10 and a twelve-month
PPC
from £38 to £28
Commenting Mr Campbell said:
"In these tough economic times
reducing prescription charges will
particularly help many people who need medicines but find it difficult
to afford
them.
"The SNP is bringing down the cost of prescription drugs and we will
see this tax on ill health
abolished next year.
"The early evidence of last year's reduction show that it is those with
long term conditions who have to live with the cost of medicines who
have benefited most from these cuts.”
CHALLENGE TO ‘DISGRACEFUL’ LIBDEMS
Responding to comments by the LibDem’s health spokesperson,
Ross
Finnie, who has now aped the Tories opposition to abolishing
prescription charges, Mr Campbell said:
“The LibDems have now made themselves indistinguishable from the Tories
on this touchstone issue. There is no
difference in principle between
treatment free at the point of need in hospitals, and prescription
drugs also
free at the point of need.
“Sir William Beveridge - who wrote the foundation report for the
welfare
state - was a Liberal. Ross Finnie has now betrayed the Liberal
legacy of Beveridge in his rush to ape the Tories.”
The Liberal Democrats along with the Tories oppose the reductions
of
prescription charges; a stance that Rod Campbell said was
“completely disgraceful” adding
“The Liberal Democrat Party has done a u-turn and come out against a
proposal that will reduce a tax on ill-health
and then abolish it. This
proposal will bring benefits to people across Fife by reducing the financial burden caused
by sickness and injury.
“We
call upon LibDems in Fife, including Iain Smith and Sir Ming Campbell to distance themselves from Ross Finnie’s comments
and to back SNP steps towards abolishing prescription charges in Scotland.”
