The government is to slash financial support for hundreds of thousands of disabled people on out-of-work benefits, as part of measures that will cut £13 billion-a-year from the social security budget by 2020-21. The chancellor, George Osborne (pictured), announced in yesterday’s […]
Benefits and Poverty
Disability poverty rose sharply in fourth year of coalition
The proportion of disabled people living in poverty rose sharply in the fourth year of the coalition government, according to official figures. Disabled campaigners say the rise was an inevitable consequence of a string of cuts to disabled people’s support under […]
Ministers ‘considering scrapping WRAG top-up’
Ministers are considering plans to slash benefit payments to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, by scrapping a key part of the main out-of-work disability benefit, employment and support allowance (ESA), according to the BBC. The BBC reports that a leaked […]
Trust and charity deny DWP mental health links, after protesters march on jobcentre
An NHS trust and a homelessness charity have failed to dispel concerns that a new centre for mental health services is closely linked to government plans to push people in mental distress off benefits. Scores of protesters marched on a jobcentre […]
Minister feels for PIP throttle, despite delays and cancellations
The new minister for disabled people has brought forward plans to roll out the government’s new disability benefit to those with the highest support needs despite continuing lengthy delays for thousands of claimants. The Department for Work and Pensions had been […]
DWP ignores watchdog’s deadline over benefit-related deaths
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has ignored a deadline imposed by the information watchdog, as part of its investigation into DWP’s refusal to publish secret reviews into 49 benefit-related deaths. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched the investigation in March, following […]
Capita hands its receptionists ‘overbooking scripts’ after new PIP crisis
Delivery of the government’s new disability benefit appears to have been plunged back into crisis, after reception staff were sent scripts telling them how to explain to benefit claimants why their appointments have been cancelled. Disabled people across the country are […]
No promises from minister on benefit cuts for disabled people
A minister has refused to promise that the government will protect disabled people from further benefit cuts in next month’s budget. Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister David Cameron, had promised during the election campaign that he wanted to “enhance” and […]
Minister’s PIP actions were ‘unreasonable’, ‘irrational’ and ‘unlawful’, says court
A court has ruled that work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) was “unreasonable”, “irrational” and acted “unlawfully” by delaying payments of his new disability benefit to two disabled people. The high court said the delays of up to 13 […]
DWP is ‘taking baby steps’ on sanctions when regime ‘is costing lives’
Companies delivering the government’s Work Programme appear to have ignored rules that protect disabled people from serious harm, forcing the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to publish new guidance on its benefit sanctions regime. DWP has accused providers of an […]