Social Security Reform (Hansard, 18 March 1986)

§ Sir Russell Johnston (Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber)

I beg to ask leave to present a petition on behalf of the members of the Inverness district of the Transport and General Workers Union Retired Members Association. One thousand of those members have appended their names to a humble petition to the House which expresses a view that legislation based on the "Social Security Reform: Programme for Action" White Paper would be extremely detrimental to the residents of the United Kingdom who are in receipt of social security benefits.

The petition says: Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House do not pass legislation arising out of the Reform of Social Security White Paper. The members feel that the reform involves a redistribution of benefit support within a cash-limited social security system away from women towards men within the family, away from childless poor and the elderly, and fails to achieve an integrated tax and social security system which would be fairer to all

The petition concludes: And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.