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How the Scottish Parliament works - Free personal care

Description

A UK report recommended free personal care but was not picked up by government in Westminster or Holyrood. The Scottish Parliament’s Community Health and Care Committee began an enquiry, which came out very strongly in favour of the recommendations. The strength of the committee system combined with the concensus opinion of MSPs was enough to change the Executive’s position. Now, under the Community Care and Health Act, personal care for the elderly is free in Scotland.

Classroom Ideas

This clip could be used to illustrate the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. This could lead to teacher-led discussion on other devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament. Students could look into the differences between Scotland and rest of UK. Where else are there differences in legislation? The clip could lead to study of what effect free care has had. How does the level of care compare to that of elsewhere in the UK? How sustainable is the policy?

Democracy in Scotland

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