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12 September 2010
Disability Alliance, the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL), and the Royal Association of Disability Rights (Radar) jointly condemn today’s news that the most senior levels of Government suggest disabled people with the highest needs should lose essential support.
The revelation that the Chancellor, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister believe that society’s worst off citizens, with least opportunities to work should face £2.5 billion cuts to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefits fails to acknowledge the likely result: that disabled people could be without the resources to eat three meals a day or heat their homes.
Access to ESA is through a strict and controversial medical assessment which leaves only disabled people with the highest needs in receipt of the benefit. Under a fifth of the people seeking ESA receive the benefit – with 70% receiving Jobseekers Allowance instead. Vanessa Stanislas, Disability Alliance Chief Executive says:
“To target cuts at the small group of people with the highest needs represents a fundamental shift in the welfare state and is a massive blow to disabled people who already fear the outcome of the Government’s public service and benefit cuts.”
Disabled people’s organisations believe the Government should focus greater energy on ensuring out of work benefits and support result in people accessing work. Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of Radar, says:
“Many disabled people want to work and need personalised support to help find and keep jobs. A fairer and more effective approach could be to reduce out of work benefits only as disabled people find sustainable work. We support plans to make it easier to move from benefits to work. But arbitrary benefit cuts risk more disabled people living in poverty with no prospect of work.”
Half of working age disabled people are not in work and rely on benefits to meet essential needs. Disabled people also require other public services for support, including the NHS and councils. All services are experiencing or expect drastic cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review – and cuts will inevitably impact disproportionately on disabled people.
The Conservative Party pledged to ‘protect Disability Living Allowance’ (DLA) and the Liberal Democrats insisted they would ‘hardwire fairness’ into the tax and benefits system in the 2010 election. Four months into Government the coalition plans to axe 20% of the ‘caseload and expenditure’ from DLA and – as the Chancellor’s letter reveals – senior Cabinet members believe disabled people could also lose some out of work benefits.
The Chancellor previously suggested the Government would protect disability benefits and shelter disabled people from the worst excesses of the spending cuts. His public reassurance, given on Thursday, is contradicted by his private letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith – exposing worrying mixed messages at the core of Government.
The revelation further demonstrates that the coalition is failing to pay due regard to obligations to underpin decision-making with an assessment of the impact on disadvantaged groups, such as disabled people. Sue Bott, NCIL Chief Executive, says:
“The Budget is already facing a challenge under equality law. The Chancellor’s letter leaves the Government exposed to further accusations of unfairness and an uncaring attitude, failing to ensure proposals do not entrench or worsen inequality and disadvantage.”
Notes: Disability Alliance, NCIL and Radar are UK disabled people’s charities.
