Scotland: Parliament debates No Recourse rule

Amnesty welcomes Scottish Parliament discussion on 'No Recourse' but insists that action is needed rather than words

Amnesty International today (29 May) welcomed the Scottish Parliament debate on the 'No Recourse' rule. However the organisation stressed that with vulnerable women in Scotland being denied access to support services, Government action is needed.

Many people who are legally in the UK, often on work permits or student or spousal visas, are affected by the 'no recourse to public funds' rule which means that they cannot access certain benefits including housing and unemployment benefit. As a consequence of this, women fleeing violence are not able to access refuges which support women by claiming housing and subsistence benefit on their behalf.

Amnesty International's Scottish Programme Director, John Watson, said: 'Our research shows that the no recourse rule is effectively trapping women in violence or destitution.'

John Watson continued 'The Scottish Government has been lauded for its joined up approach to tackling violence against women, and rightly so. Yet here we have a group of vulnerable women who are excluded from any support services. Certainly its good to talk, but action speaks louder than words so we will be looking for a positive response from the Scottish Government'

Amnesty International is joining forces with Scottish Women's Aid to campaign on this issue here in Scotland and urge the Scottish Government to provide emergency funding for the women who find themselves in this particularly vulnerable situation.

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For further information please contact John Watson on 07818 453 070 or john.watson@amnesty.org.uk

The motion to be debated in the Scottish Parliament at 5.10pm today is as follows:

S3M-1626 Angela Constance: No Recourse No Safety—That the Parliament notes the publication of No Recourse No Safety: The Government's Failure to Protect Women from Violence, a report by Amnesty International and the Southall Black Sisters; is disturbed by the evidence that not having recourse to public funds prevents women with insecure immigration status from accessing the benefits they need to claim refuge, effectively trapping women in violence or destitution; welcomes the Scottish Government's ongoing commit