Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Ross Finnie MSP has demanded that the Westminster Government stops withholding the attendance allowance from Scotland. Mr Finnie has described the stalemate between Westminster and Holyrood as matter of principle.

Mr Finnie made the call after a statement to the Scottish Parliament about free personal care.

Commenting, Mr Finnie said:

“When free personal care was introduced, Liberal Democrats said the UK Government was wrong to withhold the Attendance Allowance. Lord Sutherland has confirmed that the UK Government is wrong, but UK Ministers are still refusing to admit this and pay up.

“This is more than just a funding issue; this is now a matter of principle. It cannot be right that pre-devolution Westminster is prepared to fund a service in Scotland, but if the devolved government decides to provide this service in a different way, Westminster responds by withholding the funding.

“This is a fundamentally misconceived position. It is wholly inconsistent with the principles of devolution and must be resolved.”