Devolution: A Decade On - Justice Committee Contents


APPENDIX 1

DID YOU KNOW... WHY ENGLAND NEEDS A BETTER DEAL

    —  English pensioners needing long term nursing home care invariably have to sell their homes to pay for it—in Scotland such care is free.

    —  The better public services enjoyed by the people of Scotland and Wales are paid for by a big subsidy from England's taxpayers.

    —  English NHS patients have paid increased prescription charges since 1 April 2007—whilst in Wales such charges were abolished.

    —  English university students have to pay top-up fees of £3,000 pa. Scottish students do not pay such fees even if they go to an English university.

    —  English pensioners only get "free" local off-peak bus travel—Scottish and Welsh pensioners get "free" national bus travel any time of the day.

    —  An ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph in November 2006 found that support for an English Parliament was 68%.

    —  The United Kingdom Government spends £1,503 more on every man, woman and child in Scotland than it does on the people of England. It spends £904 more on everyone in Wales and £2,322 more on everyone in Northern Ireland. No wonder they get better public services than the people of England.

    —  In March 2007 even Tony Blair pointed out that Scotland was getting an annual subsidy of: £11,000,000,000+. That is more than Labour have spent on new hospitals in 10 years.

    —  England needs its own parliament to fight to ensure its people are treated fairly and equitably. It is the only way to redress the current imbalance within the United Kingdom.

    —  English schools are required to teach "Britishness"—those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are free to teach about their own national identity.

    —  English NHS patients do not get equal treatment with the rest of the UK patients in Scotland and Wales have access to better and more expensive drugs paid for by the taxpayers.

    —  The ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph found that 60% of those polled in England said the higher public spending per head in Scotland was "unjustified".





 
previous page contents next page

House of Commons home page Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries index

© Parliamentary copyright 2009
Prepared 24 May 2009