Evening Telegraph: News: "Dundee appeal over prescriptions
Dundee’s Anti Poverty Forum is calling for local MSPs to back the Scottish Socialist campaign to abolish NHS prescription charges.
In a bulletin sent to their members and local MSPs today, the forum said they believe the argument for abolition has been convincingly won and applaud MSPs Kate MacLean and Shona Robison for supporting it.

Jim MacLean, from the Dundee Anti Poverty Forum, said, “We are urging the other list MSPs to follow the example of their colleagues and support the abolition of prescription charges.”

In Dundee there are 10,000 people suffering long-term sickness and in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance, and the Anti Poverty Forum believes that thousands of Dundonians would benefit from the abolition.

The SSP claims that 75,000 Scots go without some or all of the medicine they require because of the cost of prescriptions, currently ?6.50 each.

The party believes prescription charges undermine the core principal of the NHS — a service free to all in need.

At Holyrood on Wednesday, the health committee endorsed the general principles of the Bill brought forward by SSP leader Colin Fox.

Edinburgh Evening News: "HUNDREDS of angry pensioners are to march to Holyrood from Edinburgh's City Chambers to demand the council tax is scrapped.

The protesters will march on parliament ahead of a debate on a private member's Bill by the Scottish Socialist Party's Tommy Sheridan to abolish council tax and replace it with an income-based system.

Former SSP leader Mr Sheridan said: 'February 1st is D-Day for the vast army of pensioners and ordinary workers who demand the unfair council tax be scrapped in favour of a fairer income-based alternative. After 16 years of the Tory council tax, only those blind to unfairness and inequality could fail to see the urgent case for abolition.

'Those who talk of reforms or reviews instead of redundancy for the council tax are letting millions of Scots down and propping up an inherently unfair system. I hope hundreds join the march to demand Scotland's overpaid MSPs vote the council tax out of existence.'

The march is set to assemble at noon outside the City Chambers before moving to Holyrood for a rally at 12.30"

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Pensioners protest over closure: "Two elderly friends staging a lengthy sit-in protest against the closure of their care home are adamant they will not be moved.

For the past seven weeks, Robert Toole, 75, and Annie Cardiff, 84, have been demonstrating against plans to close Leven Cottage in West Dunbartonshire.

The council said the 11-bed home, the last council-run home in the area, does not meet the necessary requirements.

Ms Cardiff has lived at the home for 24 years and Mr Toole for 10 years.

The other nine residents have since been moved to other homes. Ms Cardiff initially moved out, but decided to return and join her friend in his protest.

They have been joined in the sit-in by Scottish Socialist councillor Jim Bollan and two other supporters.

Mr Toole said: 'It's ridiculous. I don't know what the council is thinking about. The place shouldn't be shut.

'This is the only care home in the Vale of Leven and there are plenty of old people in the Vale of Leven just waiting to come into a place like this. If they shut this place what happens to them?'

Mr Toole went into the home from hospital, having given up his own house and furniture.

'I gave up everything to come in here,' he said. 'This is my home and I'm not moving out of it.

Ms Cardiff said she did not like the new home she moved to.

'I wanted to come back here,' she said. 'I just love it that much. I made it my home.'

SSP councillor Jim Bollan has joined the pensioners' protest and is sleeping on the home's conservatory floor.

'This dispute is about giving senior citizens the choice of where they receive their care,' he said.

'They have decided, quite rightly, that this is their home and they want to see it stay here.'

He pointed out that Leven Cottage was the only council-owned care home for the whole of Leven.

'It is critical that it's kept, not just for Annie and Robert but for future generations,' he said. 'This home will not close'

The Herald

A prescription for change
Editorial Comment January 12 2006

To join up with Wales, or stay with England? That is the question confronting Scotland's political class on the thorny issue of prescription charges. Colin Fox, the Scottish Socialist Party leader, has promoted a bill to abolish these charges. These will be phased out by the Welsh Assembly in 2007. The Scottish Executive is against abolition on grounds of cost, £45.4m a year and rising, and that those who can afford the £6.50 fee for each subscription should continue to pay (pre-payment is cheaper). One route out of this political impasse would be for the Scottish Parliament to debate and vote on Mr Fox's bill.


Evening Times

LABOUR MSPs in Glasgow were today challenged to throw their weight behind abolishing prescription charges after the move was backed by Holyrood's health committee.
In a new report, the Parliament's influential health committee recommended the £6.50 charge should be ditched and replaced with free medicines.

SSP leader Colin Fox said scrapping prescription charges would be of particular benefit to people in Glasgow.
He issued this challenge: "Will Labour MSPs in Glasgow, the city with the highest levels of disability allowance and incapacity benefits in Britain, vote to deny their constituents free prescriptions?"
He urged them to follow their party colleagues in the Welsh Assembly who abolished prescription charges three years ago.
Mr Fox said: "The level of need in Glasgow and the west of Scotland means thousands of people are going without their prescription because they can't afford it."
He claimed 75,000 Scots were going without some or all of their medicines because they could not afford the £6.50 charges and an "overwhelming" proportion of them were in Glasgow.

Scottish Parliament News Report

The Health Committee today published its report on the Abolition of NHS Prescription Charges Bill, and has come down narrowly in favour of the Bill.

The Member's Bill which is being promoted by Colin Fox MSP seeks to remove the need to pay a prescription charge from those who currently do.

Committee Convener, Roseanna Cunningham MSP said:

”Our Committee was unanimous in agreeing that the status quo on prescription charges is not an option.

“We believe that the current prescription charging regime is inequitable. It exempts individuals suffering from some chronic illnesses, but not others, and it exempts some people on low incomes, but not others. There are too many inconsistencies and anomalies in the current system.

“The Deputy Minister's suggestion that the Executive may extend the remit of the review of the prescription charging scheme is welcomed, but there are concerns that the Executive appeared to be making very slow progress with this important work.”

Full Health Committee Report at the Scottish Parliament Website.

Scrap Prescription Charges Website

BBC News

Prescription campaign gets boost

A campaign by the Scottish Socialists to abolish NHS prescription charges has received a significant boost.

Holyrood's health committee has given its backing to MSP Colin Fox's bill.

Ministers remain totally opposed to the idea but have accepted that they will have to address flaws in the present set-up.

The SSP claims 75,000 Scots go without some or all of the medicine they require because of the cost of prescriptions, currently £6.50 each.

The party believes prescription charges undermine the core principal of the NHS - a service free to all in need.

However, it is known that 92% of Scottish prescriptions are already free.

On Wednesday, the health committee voted narrowly in favour of the abolition of charges.

Scottish National Party MSP Roseanna Cunningham said all members agreed that the status quo on prescription charges was not an option.

They believed there were too many inconsistencies and anomalies, with some people suffering from chronic illnesses and on low incomes eligible for free prescriptions, while others were not.

However, in its report, the committee criticised some of the financial evidence offered by SSP leader Mr Fox, claiming he had overestimated savings and underestimated costs.

As ministers have rejected the idea of abolishing charges it is thought to be unlikely that the bill will reach the statute book.