Health Secretary Shona Robison today told Dundee United legend Frank Kopel’s widow that Frank’s Law is “absolutely a priority” for the Scottish Government.
The fight for Frank’s Law was taken to Ms Robison’s Dundee office this morning when protesters from babies to pensioners joined forces to make their views known in no uncertain terms.
Mrs Kopel was in the midst of conducting interviews outside the SNP office in Old Glamis Road when Ms Robison appeared on the street just before the protest started and invited Mrs Kopel inside to discuss the issues.
They both emerged around 25 minutes later and Ms Robison told the waiting press pack that she had given Mrs Kopel assurances that Frank’s Law had not been rejected and discussions were ongoing.
She said Mrs Kopel had done “a great job” in raising the issue and described her as “a great advocate on Frank’s behalf”.
The two women shared an embrace before a visibly emotional Mrs Kopel joined her supporters to campaign for Frank’s Law against a backdrop of bagpipes.
Mrs Kopel’s husband died in April last year having been diagnosed with dementia in 2009, when he was aged just 59.
He and his wife paid about £300 a week so he could have personal care in his Kirriemuir home because he did not reach the qualifying age for free services until weeks before his death.
Mrs Kopel, from Kirriemuir, is urging ministers to close this loophole a bid The Courier is backing.
The campaign has also revealed that local man Patrick Kelly plans to stand against Ms Robison in the Holyrood elections in a bid to force more progress.
The Frank’s Law campaign appeared to suffer a blow earlier this week when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ‘unable to make a hard and fast commitment’.
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