A leading disabled people’s organisation is hoping that its annual awards will spread the message that spending money on disability equality is a good use of public resources in tough economic times. Liz Sayce, chief executive of RADAR, was speaking at […]
EHRC warns government over spending cuts
The equality watchdog has warned the government not to breach its international human rights obligations to disabled people when deciding how to cut public spending. Mike Smith, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) disability committee, and an EHRC […]
Government ‘steps back’ from rapid reassessment programme
The new coalition government has released the first details about its timetable for “reassessing” hundreds of thousands of disabled people who claim “old-style” incapacity benefit (IB). There were fears that the government would start to reassess large numbers of people on […]
Beds call for tough new licensing laws
Disabled campaigners have asked their local MPs to back calls for tough new laws that would prevent councils granting alcohol or entertainment licences to inaccessible venues. The Central Beds Access Group (CBAG) wrote to its three local Bedfordshire Tory MPs – […]
Peers concerned over impact of more academies on disabled pupils
Several peers have raised fears about the impact on disabled pupils of a new government bill that will make it easier for schools to opt out of local authority control. Crossbench and Labour members of the Lords raised a series of […]
Social care funding bill ‘within two years’
The government is hoping to introduce new laws to reform the funding of adult social care and support within two years, the Department of Health (DH) has confirmed. The government had already said it would set up an independent commission to […]
Movement unites for new Resistance to assisted suicide threat
Leading disabled activists have issued a “call to arms” to disabled people to fight off new attempts to weaken the law on assisted suicide. They warned that MPs and peers were already planning a fresh bid to legalise assisted suicide through […]
Civil servants ‘criticised DWP’ for failing to fund Pathways to Work
Senior civil servants criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for failing to invest enough money in its employment programme for disabled people, it has been claimed. Disability Alliance (DA), the disability poverty charity, said Cabinet Office civil servants believed […]
Civil Service recruits record number of disabled high-flyers
New government figures show a record number of disabled graduates have been successful in a recruitment scheme that aims to find the future leaders of the Civil Service. The Fast Stream annual report for the year to November 2009 shows that […]
European Commission ‘must do more on disability rights’
Europe’s leading disabled people’s organisation has raised concerns over the European Commission’s failure to make disability rights a central part of its strategy for the next decade. The European Disability Forum (EDF) which fights for the rights of the European Union’s […]