John Pring

Employment

October 18, 2018 0

DWP faces nearly 60 disability discrimination tribunal cases in 20 months

The Employment Tribunal has dealt with almost 60 claims of disability discrimination taken against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by its own staff over a 20-month period, new research has shown. A database on the Employment Tribunal website shows that, since it began publishing its findings in February 2017, it has dealt

Crime

October 18, 2018 0

Sharp fall in disability hate crime referrals by police

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The Home Office has been unable to explain why the number of disability hate crime cases referred to prosecutors by the police plunged last year by nearly a quarter, and why successful prosecutions of such offences fell even more sharply. In a week when the Home Office published its updated hate crime action plan,

Politics

Jackie Doyle-Price shaking hands with Theresa May

October 18, 2018 0

New ‘suicide prevention’ minister evades questions on ESA suicide stats

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The new “minister for suicide prevention” has refused to say if she will alert agencies across the country to NHS figures that show the high risk of suicide faced by claimants of out-of-work disability benefits. Last week, mental health minister Jackie Doyle-Price had “minister for suicide prevention” added to her job title, with prime

Benefits and Poverty

Two women and two men stand outside the Houses of Parliament. One of the women holds a report

October 18, 2018 0

Account of sanctions desperation leaves disabled peer in tears at WRAG research launch

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A benefit claimant left a disabled peer in tears after describing to a parliamentary meeting how the application of the government’s brutal sanctions regime by a jobcentre adviser had left him so desperate that he attempted to take his own life. Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson was chairing the meeting, which was held to launch a

Benefits and Poverty

Gordon Henderson speaking in the House of Commons

October 18, 2018 0

Labour resists ‘scrap universal credit’ call, as Tory blames ‘fecklessness’ for food bank use

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Labour has failed in a bid to force the government to publish secret papers that would show the true financial impact of universal credit on benefit claimants. In a debate lasting nearly four hours yesterday (Wednesday), Labour and SNP MPs lined up to highlight the negative impact of the new benefit system on disabled

Transport

October 18, 2018 0

Disabled shadow minister calls for government to fund access to all rail stations

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A disabled shadow minister has called on the government to do more to improve its “inadequate” record on improving access to rail travel, and to provide enough funding to ensure all train journeys are accessible “from end to end”. Marsha de Cordova, Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people and the MP for Battersea, was

Arts, Culture and Sport

Head and shoulders of Dr Gregory Burke with a model ship in the background

October 18, 2018 0

High streets ‘need to wake up to the need to communicate with disabled people’

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Struggling high street businesses need to “wake up” to the need to communicate with disabled people and their potential £200 billion spending power, according to the founder of an accessibility information website. Dr Gregory Burke told Disability News Service that he still sees many of the same physical access barriers in high streets that

Benefits and Poverty

October 11, 2018 0

Anger and dismay after Labour back-tracks on pledge to scrap universal credit

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Labour has infuriated its own disabled members by backtracking on a public pledge by the shadow chancellor that the party would scrap universal credit if it won the next general election. John McDonnell drew widespread praise when he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that universal credit was a “shambles” and “iniquitous” and added:

Crime

October 11, 2018 0

Police work on disability hate crime is ‘unacceptable’, say watchdogs

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The work of police officers on more than half of their disability hate crime investigations has been found to be “unacceptable”, according to a new report by two watchdogs. The joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) is the third attempt

Author John Pring