Tuesday 31 January 2012
Fighting for a fairer Welfare Reform Bill
Today the Welfare Reform Bill is being debated in the House of Lords, before the changes suggested by Peers are discussed by MPs again in the House of Commons tomorrow.
Peers have secured a number of key amendments to the Bill over the past weeks, including increasing the proposed time limit on claiming contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to two years. Contributory ESA is based on the National Insurance contributions an individual has paid while they have been working. The original proposal was that - after one year - an individual claiming contributory ESA would be moved over to income-based ESA, which is means-tested, so would not be awarded if a claimant had significant savings and/or a partner who worked or had significant savings.
Doubling the proposed time limit would be a significant victory, but the outcome of the Lords amendments is not yet certain as the Bill needs to be debated again by MPs. We are a member of the Disability Benefits Consortium, which is a group of over 40 charities working towards a fairer benefits system, and it is through this group that we are able to lend our voice to campaigning for a better Welfare Reform Bill.
We have also been working closely with Baroness Celia Thomas on specific issues that are of particular concern to people with a neuromuscular condition. For example, we have suggested some changes to the proposed assessment for the Personal Independence Payment (the replacement to Disability Living Allowance) which, if accepted, would mean that the assessment better reflected the needs of individuals who use aids such as a walking frame to help them move around.
The Bill proposes significant changes, many of which could risk leaving some disabled people worse off. However, through the campaigning outlined above significant progress has already been made, and we will continue to campaign for a fair benefits system that meets the needs of people with a neuromuscular condition.
For more information, please get in touch:
020 7803 2865
campaigns@muscular-dystrophy.org
