Congratulations to Dame Anne Begg who has finally spoken the truth about the Employment Support Allowance “work related activity” group (WRAG).
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Anne Begg, chair of the work and pensions select committee, said last Friday that large groups of people appear to have been “parked” on the benefit in the “work-related activity” group, which covers all those found neither to be fully fit for work nor so disabled that they cannot be expected to look for employment.
Disability activists across the country will be as delighted as Pat’s Petition and CarerWatch that politicians are finally admitting to the false premise on which Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was based.
ESA is a failed experiment conducted live on sick and disabled people.
Sick and disabled people who are assigned to the WRAG are found not fully fit for work. Almost none of them are finding work. Yet the government is sanctioning and stopping their benefits; telling them they are ‘expected’ to find work. This is cruel, it defies logic and is causing tremendous anxiety for claimants. They are being threatened and required to do things that they are not able to do because of their physical or mental condition.
ESA was designed using flawed premises and has failed. It needs to be completely rethought.
Meanwhile Pat’s Petition and CarerWatch call upon this government and the next to take responsibility for this disastrous mistake. We call upon them to introduce the following immediate reforms to prevent disabled people having to live this nightmare existence while the politicians responsible sort it out.
. Reduce the level of sanctions
· Take off the time limits
. Raise the income levels for means testing
· Stop the WCA re-testing for long term and progressive conditions.
·Take the Bedroom tax off disabled people
. Expand the Supported Permitted Work scheme
These changes will make the WRAG safer and reduce the costly appeals against WRAG allocation.
Making these simple changes will make the WRAG safer and give disabled people some space to feel safe away from anxiety, while everyone works together to look for the long term answers.
News articles below –
Work Programme ‘failing those most in need and should be broken up’
DWP denies risk of rising disability benefits breaching welfare spending cap
Tags: employment support allowance, work capability assessment, work related activity group, wrag
CarerWatch Blog 
25 June 2014 at 16:22 |
she just forgot to mention all those that have died so far the many thousands in going through welfare reform ?
25 June 2014 at 20:47 |
Dame Anne Begg says “appears” to be parked on the WRAG Group of ESA well I can confirm this is the case but not only that the DWP is going as far as denying appeals as has happened to me
My complaint has gone as far as the Director of Operational Excellence (sic) so far but will go further if I have to
You can read all about there dirty underhand tactics here:
25 June 2014 at 20:49 |
Reblogged this on Diary of an SAH Stroke Survivor and commented:
This is the case as many of you know from my own battle
25 June 2014 at 21:56 |
Well done and about time – here’s hoping the WCA is abolished and that we return to Incapacity Benefit at a higher rate than we have now. The disabled have been attacked for over 4 years and it’s about time other politicians started getting together and complaining about the treatment of us all.
Another failed IDS experiment? or was it Osbourne?
25 June 2014 at 21:57 |
Reblogged this on Jay's Journal and commented:
Anne Begg speaks out about ESA…
25 June 2014 at 22:22 |
Reblogged this on amnesiaclinic and commented:
A good start!
26 June 2014 at 05:50 |
Will the dastardly beasts in parliament listen?
26 June 2014 at 14:37 |
Reblogged this on stewilko's Blog.
27 June 2014 at 12:31 |
[…] posted on Carer Watch’s Blog: Pictures displayed by Street […]
27 June 2014 at 22:28 |
I had a WCA on 27 May 2014.
The “nurse” threatened to call an ambulance and have me admitted to hospital because I said I have suicidal thoughts when she asked me if I ever had them.
I had to beg her not to. It was humiliating and I was in bits.
Today (27 June) I get a call from DWP saying I’m now “Fit to Work” unless I can get evidence from my doctor otherwise.
Still not quite worked out how I went close to staring the Sectioning process to suddenly being cured by the same “nurse”.
14 July 2014 at 02:33 |
Trevor, you should get hold of this ‘nurse’s name &/or registration PIN number, & report them directly to these guys:… http://www.nmc-uk.org/registration/
…Matter of fact, *everyone* should do the same for *every single* ‘healthcare professional’ under DWP/ATOS contract… – if the NMC, (or GMC in the case of doctors) ain’t heard of them & they’re not on their books, then the ‘HCP’ is a quack, & practicing ‘medicine’ illegaly (note: *illegal*, not *unlawful*… – this is a *criminal* offense, punishable by fine or jail, period.)