News Release from Disability Rights UK
Welfare Reform Bill: Government must listen to disabled people now
Today, the Welfare Reform Bill enters the Report Stage of the House of Lords. This is the last opportunity for the Government to listen to disabled people and make much-needed improvements to the Bill.
Disability Rights UK, the largest pan-disability charity in the UK, is opposed to proposals that take away much needed support for disabled people and reduce their livelihood.
- Time-limiting contributory ESA to one year only will affect 700,000 disabled people, with 280,000 losing all out-of-work benefits
- The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) plans will see an end to low-rate care DLA payments which 652,000 people currently receive, and which will cost £675m to deliver
- The proposals to axe legal aid will disproportionately affect disabled people who form a third of legal aid users.
We want a better focus in all welfare reform on ensuring that support to get work is available to all disabled people (for example Access to Work) and for the Department for Work and Pensions to work better with employers to advance positive attitudes and raise awareness of the support available.
We also call for an effective in- and out-of-work assessment process which cuts bureaucratic costs and accurately delivers support in a timely fashion.
We support Baroness Campbell’s amendment to change the name ‘personal independence payment’ to ‘personal disability costs payment’ so that the purpose of the benefit remains clear and it goes to the people who need it.
For more information, contact Neil Coyle, Director of Policy and Campaigns, ncoyle@disabilityalliance.org, tel. 07590 929 441.
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Editor’s Notes
1. Disability Rights UK is the name of the organisation that brings together Radar, Disability Alliance and the National Centre for Independent Living. We are the biggest pan-disability, user-led charity in the UK.
