We are reproducing in full the letters published by the Guardian in response to the letter by Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People, published in the same newspaper: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/11/impact-of-changes-to-disability-benefits
ILF
Justin Tomlinson’s letter in response to Aditya Chakrabortty’s article (Disabled people have become human collateral in an ideological war, 9 June) is a travesty of the truth. One glaring inaccuracy is his claim that under current government proposals closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) and transfer to Local Authorities (LAs) will not take support away.
In the high court last year the DWP argued that the then Minister for Disabled People Mike Penning was made fully aware of “the inevitable and considerable adverse effect” that closure of the ILF and transfer to LAs would have on disabled people. In the judgment passed down on 8 December 2014 Justice Andrews concluded that the assumption on which Mr Penning based his decision was that “independent living might well be put seriously in peril for … most (or a substantial number of) ILF users”.
The straight contradiction between the DWP’s arguments in court and Justin Tomlinson’s assertions to the Guardian mean that either the DWP were lying then or that the Minister is lying now.
The amount of funding being transferred to LAs is less than what is currently paid out disabled people through the ILF. Local Authorities also operate different eligibility criteria to the ILF which will exclude some disabled people from support. The government response to their consultation on the closure of the ILF stated that; “We expect that some users are likely to see changes in their funding packages as eligibility is aligned using local authorities’ criteria… Whilst some Group 1 users may find that their levels of need will mean they are not eligible for support”.
There is plenty of evidence from the reviews and reassessments of ILF recipients by their LAs that are currently taking place ahead of closure at the end of June that demonstrate the very real cut in support that transfer means. We are more than happy to share this with the Minister but responses to a number of requests to meet him on this issue have informed us his diary is too busy until October.
Ellen Clifford, Disabled People Against Cuts
Linda Burnip, Disabled People Against Cuts
Tracey Lazard, Inclusion London
Mark Harrison, Equal Lives
Alison Playford, Occupy London
Kate Belgrave, journalist
Debbie Jolly, Disabled People Against Cuts
Paula Peters, Disabled People Against Cuts
Anita Bellows, Disabled People Against Cuts
Bob Ellard, Disabled People Against Cuts
Roger Lewis, Disabled People Against Cuts
Access To Work
The gap between the rhetoric of the new Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson (“We’ve got thousands more disabled people into work, but there’s more to do” 3 June 2015) and the true impact of his government’s policy on disability employment support is staggering.
Tomlinson says “I am pleased that recognising disabled people’s abilities and providing support to enable them to realise their aspirations is higher up the agenda than ever before”.
The reality for Deaf and disabled people is one where we are increasingly held back from fulfilling our potential, particularly within the field of employment, as a direct result of changes to government policy.
On 12 March 2015 the DWP published proposals to limit spend on Access to Work, the government’s very successful disability employment support programme. The impact of this will be to set a cap on ambition, restricting the aspirations of Deaf and disabled people with anything but minimal support needs and barring people from certain jobs and careers, not because they don’t have the skills but because they have an impairment.
Besides the equalities argument there is also a strong economic case for investment in Access to Work (ATW), which brings back to the Treasury more than it costs. The Sayce Report found that for every £1 invested in ATW, £1.48 comes back through taxes. This is without taking into account wider net savings from health and social care.
The government has nevertheless failed to carry out the financial review recommended by the Work and Pensions Select Committee or to explore an AME/DEL switch for ATW where funding saved from future benefit expenditure is invested into the scheme as people move into work.
Instead they are pushing ahead with plans which will curtail Deaf and disabled people’s ability to get into and stay in work. Meanwhile, employment rates for disabled people are still below the 2007 figure.
We would urge the new Minister to think again.
Geraldine O’Halloran, co-founder, StopChanges2ATW
Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director, Graeae theatre Company
Nicky Evans, Secretary, National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters
Tracey Lazard, Inclusion London
Linda Burnip, co-founder, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC)
Debbie Jolly, co-founder, DPAC
Ellen Clifford, National Steering Committee, DPAC
Paula Peters, National Steering Committee, DPAC
Bob Ellard, National Steering Committee, DPAC
Anita Bellows, DPAC
Andy Greene, National Steering Committee, DPAC
Ann Whitehurst, DPAC
Your article is so true to life. On both sides of the ocean ,from ours here in the UK to Canada and America
let the truth come out. Even foodbanks here are limiting those hungry for food to 3 foodbank collections in
around 3 months. So one foodbank handout is meant to last 3 to 4 weeks.There are thousands depending on the foodbanks in the United Kingdom. I have an incureable disease and can’t believe how far these draconian
cuts have got.I’m sure many of the decisions with people on benefits breaches the human rights law
DPAC are doing all they can to protest about how persecution is affecting the poor ,sick and disabled in society
Quite a few benefit claimants have committed suicide when there benefit was frozen or taken away
Never ever have I seen such a disregard for the weakest and most vulnerable in the United Kingdom
Thank you for your support and solidarity over in Toronto because we are going to need it I believe.
Wow- reading the Guardian from over here in Toronto, Canada – as bad as the so-called ‘austerity’ cuts are here the draconian level of cuts i’m reading about in the UK make me feel sick to my stomach. And the language is just incredible – they need to have it pointed out to them that 1984 was supposed to be a cautionary novel, not a ‘how to’ instructional book for good governance!
On either side of the ocean, we need to fight these cuts! My sympathy, my rage and my solidarity!