Scottish Human Rights Commission calls on UK government to act following inquiry finding it systematically violated rights of the disabled

It noted with concern the committee’s conclusion that the UK government’s welfare change programme has resulted in grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s human rights.

The SHRC considered the committee’s Inquiry process to have been robust, comprehensive and based on a systematic review of the evidence available. It welcomed the fact that disabled people’s organisations were invited and supported to take part in the inquiry.

It has now called on the UK government to act urgently on each of the committee’s recommendations, so that disabled people are able to access all of their rights, including the right to live independently, to work and to an adequate standard of living. These rights are protected in international law by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In a response it added: “We will monitor the Convention’s implementation in Scotland. States that ratify the Convention have to use an independent process to ensure it is properly implemented (referred to as an ‘independent mechanism’).

“The committee’s findings underscore the importance of taking a rights-based approach to policy-making. As the Scottish government and Parliament considers how to utilise new devolved powers in relation to social security, the commission draws attention to the need to embed human rights into any new laws, policies and practices. We recently provided detailed recommendations on these issues to the Scottish government’s Consultation on A New Future for Social Security.”