The Tory government hasn’t bothered to check who will be harmed by disability benefit changes
[Image: Black Triangle Campaign].
I have a stake in this. Mrs Mike has long-term illnesses and disabilities that are not immediately visible. She may fall foul of the new assessment system (although I am heartened that it is informed by assessments for the Personal Independence Payment, which she already receives).
The DWP
has been unable to say how many people could be vulnerable to losing out on payments because it does not have the data available.
Labour MP Marsha de Cordova asked in a written parliamentary question how many universal credit claimants cannot work due to a health condition or disability but do not receive PIP. DWP minister Tom Pursglove responded to say the Government would publish these statistics in the future.
iunderstands the DWP does not currently hold this data.
Vicky Foxcroft, Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people, said it “beggars belief that the Government have announced a major policy change without any idea how many people it impacts”.
The DWP has stated:
“We will take time to carefully consider how best to implement the changes – and give security and certainty to claimants, continuing to engage with disabled people and people with health conditions, and our stakeholders, as our proposals develop, before the reforms are rolled out on a staged basis.
“We will put protections in place to ensure that no one experiences financial loss at the point at which the reform is enacted, while improving our offer of tailored support to help people find and stay in sustainable work.”
Of course, getting people into work is the point but whether it is achievable under these policies is highly questionable.
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Who are these “stakeholders” mentioned? Surely it is the government and the claimant, who else could possibly hold a stake in any claim for help from the state, (which has, in my personal case, been paid for over 35 years as per my contract with the government through the tax they call “national insurance”)? We are all entitled to some level of help, through NI, the government being the underwriter should make no difference, we pay the premium, we should expect to be covered in the case of accident or illness. While that contract is in force, we should be consulted over any policy variations or changes. If people are, in future, not going to get what they pay for, surely there should be a reduction in premiums? A simplistic view maybe, but we wouldn’t accept it from a commercial insurer, would we?
Admin Grey Swans seeks founders, please, to bring our new Over 50s & Young Labouring Ages party into existence that would in government, after next general election:
– End Jobcentres.
– Return to Life Awards from original NHS diagnosing doctor, for disability and chronic sick benefits.
– Pay Benefit without requirement to seek work (done for men aged from 60 to 64 for decades, but not granted to women once we lost state pension / pension credit / pensioner benefits from age 60 to 66, now 67).
www dot over50sparty dot org dot uk