Forum Home → Discussion → Disability benefits → Thread
Government launches aids and appliances consultation
From the Guardian:
... group of [Conservative] backbenchers plans to press for widely-condemned budget changes to personal independence payments to be softened ...
... [and] in a further sign of Tory disquiet, one thinktank on the liberal side of the Conservative party called on Osborne to rethink the changes ...
Not sure what disturbs me most about that.
All bets off on detailed analysis I think at present. The figures are speculative and I suspect actual numbers impacted, as has been suggested on the other thread on here, may well be considerably lower given the likelihood that many of those alleged 35% who get PIP DL on aids and appliances activities only will probably have fallen victim to HCPs and DMs who work from the bottom up and score them on the 1st thing that applies.
That someone in such a position resigns is, on balance, a positive but, as ever, you do have to wonder if they were paying attention to other far more draconian changes that have preceded this.
It smells to me more of a warning shot about Georges proposals for further “disability cuts” than a real meaningful protest at present. We shall see.
From the Independent:
The Government based the justification for its latest disability benefit cuts on untested “anecdotal” evidence – according to the very report cited by George Osborne to justify them.
Mr Osborne said this morning the policy had been recommended by an “independent report” – which a Government spokesperson later confirmed was the Gray Review, published at the end of 2014.
The actual text of the Gray Review however says its findings on adapted appliances are completely untested – and are in fact based on anecdotes repeated by the DWP’s own staff.
“Anecdotally, the Review heard from some case managers who felt they saw a higher than expected number of assessment reports where aids and appliances were used in justifications,” the brief half-page section of the report used to justify the policy says.
“Due to limitations in available published data, the Review has not been able to test this. “
Government is justifying its disability benefit cuts with untested anecdotal evidence
Tory MPs in open rebellion, media all over it and all because Gideon Osborne has extrapolated some back of a fag packet calculation to equal £4bn. The world has gone mad. Have to say I quite like it :-)
Now reports that -
After protests at proposed cuts worth £4.4bn, the Work and Pensions Secretary has written to Conservative MPs stressing that consultation with disability groups will continue ...
In his letter, Mr Duncan Smith told MPs: “Last week, we published our response setting out our thoughts on how we should continue to take into account the use of aids and appliances.
As the Chancellor said this morning, we will now take this response forward, continuing our discussions with disability groups and colleagues.”
http://news.sky.com/story/1661319/bid-to-stop-tory-revolt-over-disability-cuts
It’s okay though, because the Minister for Disabled People has said the change is a “future measure”, which will only affect current claimants when they came up for reassessment.
So, just to recap.
- delay Tax Credits changes because it will impact our own voters.
- go ahead with ESA cuts because there’s no chance any of them would vote for us.
- go ahead with PIP cuts because we’re too stupid to understand that people on PIP could be in work and will include some of our voters. Panic when some of our most patronising MPs say it’s a step too far not because they understand the constituency but because they feel some sort of moral code has been breached.
Ho hum.
It’s okay though, because the Minister for Disabled People has said the change is a “future measure”, which will only affect current claimants when they came up for reassessment.
Another MP took this line on twitter and blocked me when i pointed out factual errors in his statements.
Another MP took this line on twitter and blocked me when i pointed out factual errors in his statements.
That wouldn’t happen to be Guto Bebb perchance would it? He did the same to me when i asked him about ESA cuts to WRAG. I didn’t even swear, was on my best behaviour.
That’s the social media equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and going “La la la la”
Another MP took this line on twitter and blocked me when i pointed out factual errors in his statements.
That wouldn’t happen to be Guto Bebb perchance would it? He did the same to me when i asked him about ESA cuts to WRAG. I didn’t even swear, was on my best behaviour.
it was. it was your fault i got involved. thats where i seen the debate.
I hope you did swear at him.
‘Consultation’ - has any other word in the English language become so utterly corrupted and debased?
Chaos reigns in government it seems…
Suggestions by a cabinet minister that the government may back down over cuts to disability benefit have been played down amid a growing Conservative row.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan described the plan as a “suggestion” and said it was “under consultation”.
But sources close to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said her comments don’t “tally with what we and Downing Street are saying”.
The BBC was told Mrs Morgan didn’t “seem to understand” the proposals.
BBC website for more Government not backing down on disability cuts despite minister’s words
David Burrowes, Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate:
The chancellor has a difficult task: to maintain sound public finances in the face of growing spending pressures such as in the disability budget. The Department for Work and Pensions makes the case that the daily living component of PIP has tripled. However it is hard to maintain the claim of fairness when “aids and appliances” to help disabled people go to the toilet and get up in the morning are to be downgraded while, for example, comparatively wealthy individuals are to receive a cut in capital gains tax.
Recent costs and court cases suggest that PIP is clearly in need of reform and review. If there are to be cuts to it, then they need to be fully justified on the basis of reform, rather than just as a cost-cutting measure. The government should press on with its commitment to reform disability benefits, but in the meantime it should press pause on these cuts to PIP.
Disability benefits need reform, but the cuts to PIP are wrong
New Work & Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb has said:
“We’re clear that the disability cuts, the personal independence payments, we won’t be taking those forward”
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stephen-crabb-disability-benefits_uk_56ed9025e4b0cc1ede8c261b