A disabled senior government adviser has admitted failing to tell civil servants about freelance work she carried out for an insurance giant that is set to make millions from the coalition’s incapacity benefit (IB) reforms. Dr Rachel Perkins chair of the […]
News Archive
Welfare reform bill: Movement set for court showdown with government
The disability movement looks set for a legal showdown with the government, after the coalition prepared to force deeply unpopular measures within its welfare reform bill into law. More than 20 disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) and other charities are now discussing […]
Welfare reform bill: Anger as coalition ‘treats parliament with contempt’
The government has sparked fury among disabled people’s organisations and activists after taking advantage of a rarely-used parliamentary procedure to force through some of the most unpopular parts of its welfare reform bill. Disabled activists had welcomed many of the changes […]
Atos ‘failed to comply with government policy’
The company paid £100 million a year to test disabled people’s “fitness for work” has refused to cooperate with an “effective” new way of improving how disability benefit decisions are reached, MPs have heard. The first independent review of the work […]
MP calls for new laws to protect dignity in airport security checks
An MP has called for new laws to protect the dignity of disabled people forced to undergo intrusive security checks at airports. The Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop said many disabled travellers, particularly stoma bag-users, had been left humiliated after experiences at […]
Crash-tested train table could save lives
A revolutionary new table could save the lives of wheelchair-users involved in train crashes. The table has been designed to absorb the impact of a wheelchair-user who hits it at high speed while travelling on a train, leaving them with only […]
Railcard journeys treble in 15 years, but industry ‘still has more to do on access’
The rail industry still has more to do to improve access, despite increasing numbers of disabled people using railcards, according to a leading expert. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) this week marked the 30th anniversary of the Disabled Persons […]
Oxford Circus protest: Campaigners warn government of more direct action
Disabled activists who took part in a major protest over the welfare reform bill have warned the government that they are planning further high-profile direct action. The protest was organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), the Disabled People’s Direct Action […]
Oxford Circus protest: Activists had ‘nothing left to lose’
Disabled activists have explained why they took part in a major direct action protest about the welfare reform bill that brought large parts of London’s West End to a standstill at the weekend. About 20 wheelchair-users locked themselves to a chain […]
Government adviser ‘failed to declare work for insurance giant’
A senior government adviser has failed to declare freelance work carried out for the insurance giant set to make huge financial gains through the coalition’s incapacity benefit (IB) reforms, Disability News Service (DNS) can reveal. The adviser failed to declare the […]