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400,000 could lose DLA, alliance claims

Summary: Nearly half a million disabled people could lose their Disability Living Allowance according to a leading disability rights charity.

Using direct analysis  of Government figures published as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), Disability Alliance calculates that 400,000 people would be taken off the benefit by the implementation of new assessment procedures.

In addition, the charity believes that thousands more would have to lose their entitlement to out of work benefits if Government savings targets of £2 billion are to be met.

Meanwhile, other charities reacted negatively to announcements contained in the Government’s Welfare Reform white paper published in November.

Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of Scope (the charity which publishes Disability Now) said: “The fact remains that disabled people who are able to work, who want to work – are still unlikely to find work because there are so few jobs available.

“This white paper does not address the state of the employment market today, nor take into consideration the reality of people’s lives.

“And worryingly, it plans to introduce a ‘regime of sanctions for those that don’t play by the rules’.”

Chief Executive of mental health charity Rethink, Paul Jenkins, also expressed concern about the emphasis on getting people back to work and the means by which they’ll be assessed.

“The proposed conditions attached to Job Seeker’s Allowance will add to the worries of those who already fear they will be wrongly assessed as fit to work under the new benefits test.

“It is now even more essential that benefits assessments really reflect people’s ability to work in the long-term. Mental illness affects people differently from day to day, and if someone is wrongly found to be fit for work, and put on Job Seeker’s Allowance, they could now be forced to do inappropriate work or lose their benefits. Jobcentre Plus staff tell us that they don’t have mental illness expertise, yet they will decide who to send on these work programmes.”

David Congdon, Head of Campaigns and Policy at Mencap focused on the likely impact on people with learning difficulties of proposals to time limit unemployment benefits.

“We are very concerned that punitive measures such as benefit withdrawal will adversely impact people with a learning disability. Failure to find employment does not necessarily reflect an ‘unwillingness to cooperate’, but is more likely to be as a result of employer prejudice and a lack of support.

“On average it takes more than a year for someone with a learning disability to be ‘work ready’ and find employment.

“There must be a more flexible and personalised approach to helping people into the job market rather than this one size fits all approach.”

Source: DisabilityNow

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