Central Scotland SNP MSP Christina McKelvie has warmly welcomed a range of key Scottish Government measures which kick in today, Wednesday 1st of April, and which will provide crucial assistance during current economic difficulties.

Scottish Government policies that come into action today include:
• A further drop in prescription charges from £5 to £4 for a single prescription and £48 to £38 for a 12 month pre-payment certificate
• Full implementation of the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will see hundreds of Lanarkshire businesses have their rates either slashed or abolished altogether
• Scotland’s national training programme for unemployed adults ‘Training for Work’ is being made available to people at 13 weeks unemployed instead of the previous 26 weeks unemployed
• Section 11 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 comes into force, placing a new duty on landlords and creditors to notify the relevant council when they take action to recover possession of a property or when they call in the mortgage.

Ms McKelvie commented:
“In Lanarkshire, as elsewhere in the country, many people are facing the prospect of hardship over the coming months. These measures from the SNP Government will provide help when people need it most.

“Prescription charges are slashed for the second year in a row, and will be abolished altogether by 2011, while the latest reduction in small business rates will help to preserve jobs, livelihoods and local amenities.

“I am particularly pleased by the Training for Work programme being made available from 13 weeks of unemployment. The early weeks after someone loses their job are crucial, and the earlier they can access the help and support they need to negotiate the job market, the more likely they are to be able to find new work sooner rather than later.

“For people who do fall on hard times and face the potential loss of their home, there is now an early warning system in place to ensure that they can access the advice and support they need to prevent homelessness.

“These crucial measures, combined with a second year of council tax freeze in South Lanarkshire, come at just the right time and will make a real difference to families and communities in Lanarkshire.”