Welfare Reform Bill -Public Bill committee

Written evidence to be reported to the House 

READ IN FULL HERE

 

The Committee consisted of the following Members:

Chairs: † Mr James Gray  , Mr Mike Weir 

† Baldwin, Harriett (West Worcestershire) (Con) 

† Bebb, Guto (Aberconwy) (Con) 

† Buck, Ms Karen (Westminster North) (Lab) 

† Curran, Margaret (Glasgow East) (Lab) 

† Elliott, Julie (Sunderland Central) (Lab) 

† Ellison, Jane (Battersea) (Con) 

Elphicke, Charlie (Dover) (Con) 

† Fovargue, Yvonne (Makerfield) (Lab) 

† Gilmore, Sheila (Edinburgh East) (Lab) 

† Glen, John (Salisbury) (Con) 

† Grayling, Chris (Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions)  

† Green, Kate (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab) 

† Greenwood, Lilian (Nottingham South) (Lab) 

† Hollingbery, George (Meon Valley) (Con) 

† McVey, Esther (Wirral West) (Con) 

† Miller, Maria (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensi o ns)  

† Newton, Sarah (Truro and Falmouth) (Con) 

Paisley, Ian (North Antrim) (DUP) 

† Patel, Priti (Witham) (Con) 

† Pearce, Teresa (Erith and Thamesmead) (Lab) 

Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow Central) (Lab) 

† Smith, Miss Chloe (Norwich North) (Con) 

† Swales, Ian (Redcar) (LD) 

† Timms, Stephen (East Ham) (Lab) 

† Uppal, Paul (Wolverhampton South West) (Con) 

† Willott, Jenny (Cardiff Central) (LD) 

James Rhys, Committee Clerk

† attended the Committee

Parents and staff call on David Cameron to do a U-turn – or quit as the face of the charity

David Cameron is under fire after his government axed grants to a charity that helped his disabled son Ivan.

KIDS – who offer one-to-one care and play facilities – has lost out on almost £250,000, even though the PM is its patron.

And last night parents and staff called on him to do a U-turn – or quit as the face of the charity.

Paul Maggs, whose year-old son Alfie is battling cerebral palsy, said: “Whenever you get a letter from KIDS his name is all over it.

“But how can he continue to be associated when his cuts lead to these services being cancelled?”

Paul, of Hull, added: “It’s a joke. He should intervene to make sure the services get their funding or remove himself from KIDS.”

read in full here

Urgent action needed now – ‘Support families: Don’t cut care’‏

Thank you very much for signing up to our “Support families: Don’t cut care” campaign toolkit.

 

We need you to lobby your council’s budget setting meeting, write to local politicians, join up with other groups and campaign to support funding and services for families that need support with caring.

 

This February and early March, councils across the UK will be meeting to decide their budgets for the coming year. With funding from Government cut, many councils will look to cut care services to make savings.

 

The campaign toolkit includes useful tips:

• How to make the case for care
• Sample questions
• Flyers, templates for letters to councillors, your MP, the media and petitions
• A ’Who’s, Who guide to the council
• How to use social media

Carers UK will continue to campaign and lobby but we need you to be our eyes and ears of what is happening for carers in your area. We need you to tell us about the positive things happening locally as well as your stories about the effects that the cuts or changes to local services are having on your community. Please let us know the impact of your campaigning by using the feedback form, by e-mailing us directly at info@carersuk.org or nargis.khan@carersuk.org , or by calling us on 0207 3784999.

 

Thank you

 

Nargis Khan

Carers UK   .

.

 Support Families Don’t Cut Care campaign toolkit

.

Does she take sugar syndrome ?

Guest post received from Pat Onions -  a blind full time carer

I was in a shop this afternoon buying groceries and a lottery ticket. Trying to decide if it was Thursday or Friday, and pack shopping at the same time, the assistant commented… ” Must be lovely to be retired where it doesn’t matter what day it is”. “Oh I’m not retired…far too young” said I.  “That’s even better when you have enough money that you don’t have to work” came back her reply. I packed the shopping and left David to pay. David, normally the quiet one, said loudly…” My wife is blind”. From somewhere in the now lengthy queue came a retort…” She doesn’t look it.” David, turned his wheelchair and gave our standard reply,” and you don’t look stupid but looks are deceptive.”

Just another normal day in the Onions lives.

I am actually a very young (?) looking 58 year old but the way the Government keeps moving the retirement age I think I have a very long time to wait.

Society is as much to blame. The international symbol for disability is a person in a wheelchair. That is the stereotype of disabilities. I suppose I should have a guide dog, or long white cane and dark glasses. I don’t. We have 2 Border Collies whose walks are physio for David. I have a folding white symbol cane which sighted people have no idea what it is for. If I wear dark glasses I bump into everything instead of just most things.

I think the experts, and how we love them, tell us…

Family carers protest in Gloucestershire

photo from Philip Booths' blog

 Gloucestershire County Council has proposed shutting Dursley Training Unit that supports 21 adults with severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities – all in order to save £73,000. Those using the centre and their relatives are challenging this decision.

read blog in full here    which includes links to media articles and comments from families

see Philips’ video here

If anyone would like to support these families, please contact  chrispockett@yahoo.co.uk     

Carer Watch  contacted Chris and he has supplied details for the online version of their petition. It can be found here

It  can only be signed by people who live, work or study in Gloucestershire, OR

live in neighbouring counties e.g. South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire

.

We will stand up and be counted

received from Liz Stevenson – Ilkeston, Derbyshire                     ( Carer Watch member )

photos sent by Wendy, taken by Martin Argles

We will stand up and be counted and shout from the roof tops about this injustice. We carers save the county £87 billion. Shall we start to charge for what we do out of love?

What will they do if we decide to call THAT debt in!

These attacks on carers, the old and the disabled are horrifying. The people that the Government and local councils said they would protect have now become the primary targets just like in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

By their deeds shall we know them.

Where injustice becomes the law, resistance becomes necessary.

Do we have to be poorer, to struggle, to die so they can set their crazy budgets?

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing

We have a group where we live (in the Erewash Borough area of Derbyshire called Action for Carers in Erewash (ACE) and are also working with

Fawcett launches legal challenge to government budget

The Fawcett Society has filed papers with the High Court seeking a Judicial Review of the government’s recent emergency budget. (1)

Under equality laws, we believe the government should have assessed whether its budget proposals would increase or reduce inequality between women and men. Despite repeated requests, the Treasury have not provided any evidence that any such an assessment took place. (2)

see in full here

Your views needed re Government ‘consultations’

Carer Watch will be responding to the ‘Consultations’ below, please join our message board where debates are already taking place. Registration is needed but automatic so access to forum is immediate, wherein you can both read and post.
This is the chance to put YOUR views forward .

Register here

DWP consultation – 21st century
. This discussion document seeks views to inform our thinking on reforms to the benefits and Tax Credits system. We would like to hear from all who are interested. Subject to the outcome of this consultation, we propose to bring forward legislation early in the New Year to reform the current system

Dept of Health
Refreshing the National Carers Strategy. Minister for Care Services seeking views, by 20 September 2010, on the key priorities, supported by evidence of good practice, on what will have the greatest impact on improving carers’ lives in the next four years. All carer issues back in the melting pot.

Independent review of work capability assessment
ESA. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked Professor Malcolm Harrington to undertake an independent review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and make recommendations on the future development and efficacy of the WCA

Family carers are a necessity

Update 4th July 2010 – still no response, not even acknowledgement.

The silence from Coalition Government and DWP Ministers has been deafening. What are they planning re : #carers benefits?   

What are they hiding ?

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Reports daily from the media announce cuts to Social Care across the country. With Local Authorities needing to make savings in their budgets, this will place added pressure on many family carers, carers who are already struggling to cope.

The Coalition government announced the establishment of a new independent commission  to advise the Government on the future funding of long-term care.  As the government work towards solutions to the increasing problems faced , Carer Watch trust they will also address the issues surrounding carers. In many cases they are the frontline in providing Social Care, they provide the foundation that all else must build from.

Many carers are unable to continue in or take up employment due to the amount of care they are required to provide. Future funding for care cannot and must not be looked at in isolation away from these carers.

On 2nd June 2010,  Carer Watch called on the government to make a statement regarding their intentions re Carers Allowance. To date there has been no response from them.

Well done Laura Sandys

Last night Laura Sandys, who won the Kent seat of Thanet South at the general election delivered her maiden speech in the Commons.

At the start of Carers’ Week, she took the opportunity to highlight the importance of government supporting those who selflessly care for relatives..

see full article here