The government claims disability organisations support its welfare reform agenda and say disabled people are protected from cuts. These 2 myths need debunking.
Neil Coyle is the director of policy and campaigns at Disability Rights UK and a Labour councillor and Deputy Cabinet Member for Welfare in Southwark
The prime minister has claimed disability organisations support his government’s welfare reform agenda – and the DWP Minister for Disabled People has suggested disabled people are protected from cuts.
These two myths need debunking.
Firstly, many disability organisations do support welfare reform which delivers improvements in the way benefits are delivered or which cut the bureaucracy involved. Some aspects of current reforms deserve support – for example the taper in Universal Credit which allows people to keep more of their earned income when starting work.
But there is no disability organisation supporting the total package of government reform because the combined effect is catastrophic.
Just a quick recap on some headline figures:
• 100,000 disabled children to lose under Universal Credit;
• 600,000 disabled people 16-64 years of age to lose Disability Living Allowance (DLA); and
• 300,000 disabled people to be cut off from all out of work support after just 365 days despite 75% receiving regular NHS treatment.
So it’s no surprise the most representative group – the Disability Benefits Consortium (almost 60 national disability, advice and welfare-focused organisations) – doesn’t support the government agenda. Nor is it a surprise the prime minister can’t name any relevant, representative organisation which does. If there was such an organisation ministers would name it.
Secondly, DWP minister Esther McVey suggests disabled people are protected from the cuts. Saying this may make the minister feel better about making drastic reductions in support but it is somewhat undermined by the statistics above.
Usually, ministers suggest disabled people ‘with the highest needs’ are protected but here’s two points showing how even this is inaccurate:
• The government has confirmed that the Independent Living Fund (ILF) will close in 2015 – the ILF supports 19,000 disabled people with the highest care needs to live independently; and
• Under the abolition of DLA and introduction of the restrictive Personal Independence Payment, 430,000 disabled people with the highest mobility support needs lose out.
Ministers must come clean about the lack of support for the cuts it is imposing on disabled people. Sadly, we are about to witness a vast rise in poverty and social exclusion for disabled people, and, with an NHS and councils also facing a significant squeeze, the ability of the state to proffer alternative assistance is reduced. With charities also facing a tough financial climate and unable to fill the gap, the future is far from bright for disabled people in the UK.
But the government is refusing to assess the impact fully – as requested by Disability Rights UK, carers’ organisations, the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Labour and an e-petition. The reason appears to be ministers are in denial.
60 Responses to “The government is in denial over the impact of cuts on disabled people”
LB
I’m not the leech taking other people’s money.
You’ve never denied that you’re a state worker. As such you have to have other people’s money or the game is up.
Keep it up. The more people see what you’re like, the more they will realize that you’ve taken they money, and then treat them as scum for asking what you’ve done with it.
There is no money.
LB
So come on, the state is 7,000 bn in debt when you include those off balance sheet debts.
What’s your plan for spending when you have that debt to pay.
LB
So what debts have they caused?
1. The liquidity fianancing, to retail banks. Last time I looked that had dropped from 1.3 trillion to about 200 bn. It’s a loan, not a gift of cash.
2. The payouts for B&B came from other banks, who had to contribute to the bail out scheme.
3. 35 billion has been booked as a profit. So far no losses at all.
4. Gordon Brown’s share trading. You know the one where he thought he could by banks on the cheap, but paid over the odds. There are losses there.
5. Tax revenues? About 200 bn over the 4 years. Are you going to include that?
Now for the government debts. Lets take pensions. State pension, state second pension, civil service pension. Nothing to do with the banks since they don’t run it, aren’t involved at all.
4,700 bn of debt. So how are you going to pay those when the state spends 730 bn, on taxes of 550 bn. [Other debts not counted such as borrowing, PFI, ….]
I’m sorry but you’re in denial . The state is in dire straights. Cameron is making it worse. Osbourne is making it worse. Labour’s solution will make it even worse.
The consequence is all Greek.
Put up some numbers if you think I’m wrong. Evidence.
TheBlackFingerNail
It’s about the transfer of wealth to the elites and the engineering poverty conditions for the rest of us.The fight back is coming and as the elites are in no way able or willing to compromise it is going to be very unpleasant for all.
Newsbot9
Exactly, that’s a minor cost, to me. Not to you, you need to pay tax. You’re trying for a class war to hide your billions stolen, as usual.