With thanks to Rhydian Fon James and all members at The Broken of Britain
The Coalition Gets A Bloody Nose On DLA
The Social Security Advisory Committee has echoed The Broken of Britain’s concerns about the reform of Disability Living Allowance. The statutory body is questioning the motives for the proposed replacement of DLA with the Personal Independence Payment. This line of attack originated with The Broken of Britain and CarerWatch. The committee is also opposing outright the separate move to withdraw DLA entitlement from people living in care homes.
The reasoning for the reforms has been The Broken of Britain’s main line of attack on DLA reform over the consultation period, and the SSAC say that it is “concerned that the aim of reducing the number of working-age claimants of DLA by 20% appears to be driving the need for reform of the benefit”. The committee wants “some clarity” on the aims of the reform. The SSAC also echo The Broken of Britain by pointing out that research for the Department for Work and Pensions, published last summer, found conclusively that DLA made “a real difference” in assisting disabled people to manage their daily lives and contribute to society.
This is further major embarrassment for the Government, and for Maria Miller in particular, and gives The Broken of Britain some ammunition to fight DLA reform as presented in the Welfare Reform Bill. The Coalition is still reeling from Amelia Gentleman’s expose of ESA, and other humiliations. The Broken of Britain fully intends to keep the pressure up.
