THE GOVERNMENT has refused to listen to the voices of thousands of disabled people who raised concerns over its disability living allowance (DLA) reforms, say campaigners.
After consulting with disability groups, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed it will cut estimated spending on working-age DLA by 20 per cent in 2015/16, reducing it to the real terms equivalent of spending in 2009/10, which was £11.8 billion.
It has also said it will cut the number of working-age claimants by 20 per cent – although this is not mentioned in the response – as part of plans to introduce a new Personal Independence Payment (PIP), its replacement for DLA.
PIP is set to be introduced for working-age DLA claimants in 2013.
The DWP says it plans to pay the higher of the two rates of the new daily living and mobility components of PIP at least at the same level as the highest rates of the mobility and care components of DLA.
But it makes no such promise for the lower rates, or says what will happen to disabled people currently claiming the lowest of the three rates of the care component.
Sue Bott, director of the National Centre for Independent Living, said the Government’s response to the consultation was “disappointing”, and added: “I didn’t detect any change whatsoever.
“Clearly people have expressed very valid concerns and although to some extent the Government is recognising those valid concerns, it doesn’t appear to be responding in any way.”
Among those concerns is the “arbitrary figure” of 20 per cent cuts in spending, which she said was announced without any explanation of how such a figure was chosen.
Jaspal Dhani, chief executive of the UK Disabled People’s Council, said ministers were meeting with disabled people and their organisations, but were not changing their policies as a result of the concerns they were hearing.
He said the Government had used the DLA consultation to “cherry pick” the views it wanted to hear, and had ignored the criticisms of the disability movement and other disability organisations.
Neil Coyle, director of policy at Disability Alliance, added: “The Government’s decision to continue on a path which will deny help to thousands of disabled people and leave many more families in poverty is a bitter blow.
“It is hugely disappointing for the many disabled people and their families who have raised concerns with MPs and charities in an apparently vain attempt to ensure their voices were heard.”
