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Statement: Cabinet re-shuffle

Press release - 5 June 2009

Disability Alliance welcomes the appointments of Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP to Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and Rt. Hon. Andy Burnham as Secretary of State at the Department of Health and congratulates both on their appointments.

These appointments come at a seminal point in this Parliament as several important pieces of legislation that could radically affect the life chances for Disabled People and their families, are currently in passage. The Welfare Reform, Health and Single Equalities Bills contain critical elements which will affect the social and economic outcomes of Disabled people.

Disability Alliance will continue to both support Government as it manages its challenge to reform and make best use of public finances, but also remain constructively critical if we feel that successful outcomes in terms of relieving the poverty and improving the living standards of disabled people are in any way being prejudiced or put at risk.

We have been promised a Social Care Green Paper later in June and we will continue to pressure Government to make sure they honour that timetable and that the Right to Choose agenda continues to be actively promulgated and supported and plays a key role in the continuing efforts to reduce poverty and increase inclusion, independence and dignity for all disabled people, their families, and their carers.

Notes for editors

• Disability Alliance is a national registered charity with the principal aim of relieving the poverty and improving the living standards of disabled people. Our eventual aim is to break the link between poverty and disability.
• Disability Alliance is a membership organisation of 380 disability organisations, aiming to break the link between disability and poverty.
• We provide information on social security benefits and tax credits to disabled people, their families, carers and professional advisers; undertake research into the needs of disabled people, with particular emphasis on income needs and seek to promote a wider understanding of the views and circumstances of all disabled people. We are also a campaigning organisation.
• We are best known as the authors of the Disability Rights Handbook, an annual publication with a print-run of 26,000, but also have a range of other guides and other information on our popular website.
• We play an important role in advising and lobbying MPs and peers on the effects of new and existing disability benefits. In the coming year, we anticipate working on Government plans for welfare reform, including the introduction of employment and support allowance, tax credits, the extra costs of disability, the needs of disabled parents and of families with disabled children, and community care charging.

For further information, please contact: Neil Coyle

Tel: 020 7247 8759 Email: NCoyle@disabilityalliance.org

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