By Nick Mann | 17 January 2012
A coalition of charities has called on the government to hold up the Welfare Reform Bill to ‘carefully consider’ the impact of planned changes to Disability Living Allowance.
Under the plans, 2.2 million people of working age will no longer be eligible for DLA and will be assessed for a new benefit called the Personal Independence Payment.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the PIP will ‘focus support to those individuals who experience the greatest challenges to remaining independent and leading full, active and independent lives’.
But in a statement today, 16 charities – ranging from Action on Hearing Loss to the National Autistic Society – highlighted concerns that the DLA cuts will force more disabled people into poverty. This is likely to increase the burden on the NHS and social care system in the long run, they said.
‘Such a potentially risky change in policy should not be taken forward without a robust and accurate evidence base and the support of disabled people and the experts in this field,’ they said.
The charities highlighted a report published last week by a group of terminally ill and disabled people. Responsible Reform found ‘worrying evidence’ that the government's decision to reduce DLA expenditure by 20% might have been based on incomplete or misleading data about why the bill for the benefit was growing.
According to the charities, the changes will mean 500,000 people will not be eligible for DLA or the PIP. They called on the government to delay the Bill to investigate these ‘strong concerns’, a move which would mirror the ‘bold decision’ to hold up the Health and Social Care Bill for reconsideration last year.
Peers debating the Welfare Reform Bill in the House of Lords today were also urged to support tabled amendments that would hold up the legislative process.
The 16 charities who issued today’s statement are: Papworth Trust, Action on Hearing Loss, Brandon Trust, Campaign for a Fair Society, Disability Rights UK, Disability Wales, Ekklesia, Leonard Cheshire Disability, MS Society, the National Autistic Society, Rethink Mental Illness, RNIB, Sense, Three Cs, United Response and the Westminster Society.
A DWP spokeswoman said the department had identified hundreds of millions of pounds of DLA overpayments, while 71% of people receive the benefit for life without a system of checks to see if their condition has changed.
‘We are introducing the Personal Independence Payment with a new face to face assessment and regular reviews - something missing under the current system. Under PIP, support will be focused on those who need it most, with a greater proportion getting the higher rates compared to DLA,’ she said.
Claudia Wood | 9 January 2012
By jumping on the coalition’s anti-scroungers welfare bandwagon, Labour’s Liam Byrne has squandered a chance to make progressive changes to the welfare system
Just a week into the New Year and a depressing case of rhetorical brinkmanship is unfolding over welfare reform. The coalition has, for several months, been pushing the controversial Welfare Reform Bill through on a wave of ‘scrounger’ phraseology, often backed by cynically spun DWP statistics. These have been eagerly seized upon by the tabloids...
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