Early Day Motion against ESA regs

Ed Miliband has sponsored an Early Day Motion praying against the Employment and Support Allowance amendment regulations contained in SI 228/2011 (see rightsnet news story Assessment of limited capability for work and limited capability for work-related activity 10 February 2011) which amends a number of descriptors.

Disability Benefits Consortium are requesting that people approach their local MP and ask them to sign up.

As things stand , the 40th day (up to which they can continue to pray against) is 6 April. On the 6 April, the House of Commons is not sitting but the House of Lords is. In terms of process, the Government has to give consideration and try to come to accommodation over the prayer and this effectively means give it time for debate although this is by no means certain. The number of signatories to the EDM is also not strictly relevant apart from the inevitable campaigning pressure that it can build.

Of course, within this context if we can get Liberal Democrats or Conservatives to sign then all to the good but as it has been tabled by the Labour Leader and DWP front bench team, it is expected that it will be exceptionally difficult to get them to do so.

EDM 1651

Just had this emailed to me
Please contact your MPs -

You can also read this newsletter online at:
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1336-one-very-last-chance-for-you-to-stop-the-harsh-new-esa-test-
Dear anu
In spite of the fact that the harsh new work capability assessment (WCA), the medical test for employment and support allowance (ESA), became law today, there is still a chance of getting it cancelled.
But it does depend on you urgently attempting to persuade your MP to get off their . . . seat and do something useful before they go off on their Easter holidays next week.
Labour leader Ed Miliband and 7 Labour MPs tabled an early day motion on 23 March ‘praying’ for the new WCA to be annulled. New regulations like these can be overturned by a vote for up to 40 days after they were laid. Because the DWP messed up the laying of the regulations and had to lay them again, the 40 days does not run out until 6 April.
There is a huge irony in the labour party challenging the harsh new WCA when they actually drew it up themselves, but didn’t have time to implement it before being booted out of power. The line labour is taking to justify their u-turn is that the recommendations in the Harrington report should be implemented before any consideration is given to further changes to ESA.
And, whatever the reason for labour’s change of tactic, there is a chance that there could be a debate, a slim possibility there could be a vote and a tiny chance that the government could be defeated. We know that a similar process in the House of Lords ended in feeble surrender last week, but a tiny chance is better than no hope whatsoever.
So, please consider contacting your MP as a matter of urgency and ask them to support EDM 1651 to try to halt this shameful new test which discriminates against many seriously sick and disabled claimants including, for example, blind people with guide dogs.
You can view the early day motion here.
You can send a standard form email to your MP objecting to the changes by entering your details on the Leonard Cheshire website. You can read and approve the whole email before it is sent, once you have entered your details.
Alternatively, you can email your MP objecting specifically to the provisions relating to visually impaired people using the RNIB site.