At a time when Labour has removed money from the pockets of older people in my region ahead of winter, I am delighted that Orkney – along with Shetland, the Highlands, and Argyll and Bute – is among the pilot areas for the Scottish Government’s Pension Age Disability Payment, which launched last week.
The payment, which is not means-tested, will be worth between £290 and £434 a month, depending on the needs of the recipient.
I am aware that many of my constituents who are of pension age are facing particular challenges with the cost of living. This payment is designed to help those who have extra costs due to their health needs.
Importantly, the application process was co-designed with disabled people and organisations which represent them. By developing it this way, the Scottish Government has put those in receipt of the benefit at the heart of how it is run, with the principle of treating everyone with dignity, fairness, and respect running through.
I hope that as many eligible people as possible apply; nobody should feel they have to struggle because they have costs outwith their control. My team and I are in regular contact with Social Security Scotland, and we stand ready to help anyone who needs a bit more information or support with going through the process.
You can contact my office by phone on 01463 563036, email at emma.roddick.msp@parliament.scot, or by post to M4.04, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP.
Speaking of getting more money into folks’ pockets, last week’s increase in the Real Living Wage at a UK level – from £12 to £12.60 – is particularly good news for Scotland, where we have proportionately five times more accredited Real Living Wage employers than the rest of the UK. This means that almost 90% of Scottish workers over 18 receive the real living wage or higher.
Since 2023 all organisations receiving grants from Scottish public bodies are legally required to pay the Real Living Wage, after the Scottish Government became a Real Living Wage accredited employer. The UK Government is not yet accredited.
After rocketing increases in the cost of living in recent years, the increase will be a welcome boost for workers in Orkney that benefit from this. The Scottish Government has been championing the real Living Wage since 2015, when we became an accredited employer. Making grant funding conditional on paying the real Living Wage has made a real difference in Orkney and the rest of Scotland.
Finally, but by no means least, I want to recognise the fact that Orkney Friends of Palestine and Orkney Amnesty International have been holding ceasefire vigils at St Magnus Cathedral and the Kirk Green in support of the people of Gaza for a full year now.
Keeping this issue visible is key. I have watched their inspirational actions via the Orkney News, and back their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza along with the need for more humanitarian aid.
A ceasefire is at the heart of reaching wider peace in the region, and we must also see the unconditional release of all hostages. Lasting peace also requires international recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine, as part of a two-state solution.
The killing must stop.
This is a regular column by SNP MSP Emma Roddick. All Highlands and Islands MSPs have been offered the same space in The Orkney News to share their personal views.