#spartacus

The Government Didn’t Inhale DLA … And Other Lies

When the government proposed to change the benefit system, from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment, a consultation period was begun.

The government itself has a code of practice for consultations, that it has quite clearly broken. It was two weeks shorter than recommended and took place over the Christmas holidays of 2010/2011. It was also not completed by the time the Welfare Bill was presented to Parliament, so it is clear that it was not taken fully into account.

This was not simply asking a bunch of people, this was a consultation based on the answers from 523 groups – local authorities, national charities, legal groups, user led organisations, health care professionals and businesses.

The government claims that the proposed changes to DLA to PIP has the support of a wide range of the public, and that they have consulted disability campaigners and charities.

It is a bit reminiscent of the old, “I did not inhale” excuse.

We consulted, but we did not listen.

Since the government was not willing to use the responses gathered during the consultation period, a group of campaigners decided to do so. They raised the funding through donations and requested the documents needed through the Freedom of Information Act.

What a surprise it was for them to read the statement from  London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson:

The Mayor would call for the Government to retain the (current) three-month qualifying period, as the increase to six months will mean that people with fluctuating conditions have increased difficulty meeting the qualifying period.

People with fluctuating conditions face the same barriers that all disabled face in relation to higher costs of living, and DLA is essential to maintain a decent quality of life.

The Government proposes imposing penalties if disabled people do not inform the Government of changes in their circumstances.

 ‘However, the overall fraud rate for DLA is less than 0.5 per cent. For those with fluctuating conditions, asking them to report every change to their condition would prove very stressful.

Further, the campaigners found that the other respondents were almost unanimous in their response to some points, and that

• 74% of respondents were against the proposals but open to discussion
• 19% had mixed views, agreeing with parts of the proposal
•  Only 7% supported them fully.

Several points were raised by many respondents, including that the government’s motivation in proposing these reforms were perceived to be a saving 20% of disability benefits. When the overall fraud rate of DLA being estimated at 0,5%, surely it is clear that this will cut benefits from those who need it.

So why was the bill allowed to go ahead, with the government asserting that the proposals were supported by disabled groups?

Please read the Spartacus Report and pass it on to your friends and family (although I expect they will read about it in the newspapers).

I would like to point out several issues  that are often misunderstood by the general public.

1. DLA is an in work benefit. It aims to assist the disabled person in his or her daily life and often provides the means for them to be able to work

2. DLA is a highly efficient benefit, in that it saves the tax payer money. For every disabled person who is able to work because of the support, the country “earn” taxes.

3. DLA is not given out easily. It is a long and difficult process, and even someone as ill as Sue Marsh can fail to be awarded DLA

4. DLA does not automatically mean that the recipient gets a “free car”. Those on DLA who are awarded the higher mobility component of DLA. No matter what the Daily Mail tells you.

5. DLA recipients “pay” for their car using their benefit payments. So a person who has the highest possible award would pay half their DLA benefit toward a leased car. Only 30% of those eligible for a car take one.

If the government were more honest, both about the recipients of benefits not being lazy scroungers, and the response of those who replied to the consultation, I very much doubt that they would have been able to bring the Welfare Bill as far as they have.

And where the hell is our opposition party in all of this?

Why is it left to campaigners who struggle with their own disabilities and have to raise money on social networking websites to fund and produce this report?

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How You Can Help the #SpartacusReport

The Spartacus idea is all about as many people as possible showing their support, so that the report can not be ignored.

Disabled people, carers and campaigners are of course needed, but also people who aren’t currently directly affected – we need to show that society as a whole wants to look after the weaker members, and that we feel that the proposed reforms are the wrong way of doing that.  The report doesn’t oppose reform as a concept, in fact some would be welcome, but the particular reforms currently proposed will harm the very people who need support.

So, how can you support the Spartacus report?

Tweet

Use the #spartacus hashtag and tweet your views, link to articles and blog posts or simply say “I support the #spartacusreport”  This is a very effective way of showing mass support.  I’m told that it is better to copy and paste or write your own tweet, as retweeting doesn’t help things to trend.

Blog

Post on your own blog, contribute posts to group blogs like this, comment on relevant posts.  The report needs a groundswell of support, personal stories, opinion and articles.  Spread links to posts that you like.

Email your MP

Due to parliamentary rules, MPs can only accept emails from their own constituents.  The more people that email an MP on this subject, the more they are likely to take notice.  To find your MP, search using your postcode on They Work For You.  Include a link to the report and press release, which can be found here and here.  I have also copied the press release below.  If you are struggling for words, the message suggested by the report authors is:

“This report into Disability Allowance Reform has been written, researched and funded by disabled people. As one of your constituents, I am very concerned by its findings and the misrepresentation of disabled people that it exposes.

Please will you read the report and support sick and disabled people in calling for a pause to Personal Independence Payments in light of this new research.

I look forward to your response,”

Please don’t forget to include your name and address, as the MP needs to know that you are a constituent to be able to respond.  You may also like to see if your MP is on twitter so you can tweet at them, but please email as well.

Continue reading →

The Truth About DLA

A new report has been released today that shows that the government has been hiding the full scale of the opposition to the reforms of Disability Living Allowance.  I’m not surprised. There are an awful lot of myths about DLA that make it easier to persuade people that it should be replaced, but anyone who has claimed the benefit or has helped someone who has, knows what a lifeline it can be.

Disability Living Allowance, or DLA, is paid to anyone who has significant care or mobility needs. Care is split into three levels, and mobility into two, and a person can be receiving either care or mobility, or both, but only one rate of each.

For the care component, the lowest rate is only paid to people who have significant care needs at various points in the day – for example they may be unable to cook their own meals or deal with medication.

The middle rate is for people who have frequent and significant care needs, or need supervision either during the day or at night – they may need help going to the toilet, or could be a danger to themselves or others if left alone for more than short periods.

The high rate is for people who have significant care needs throughout the day and night – they could be unable to be left alone at all, or completely unable to perform even basic personal care without a lot of help.

The mobility component is paid to people who have significant problems with mobility and getting out of the house.  The lower rate is for people who regularly need help or experience severe discomfort or pain. 

The higher level is for people who are completely unable to move around or be outdoors without assistance and/or long term risk to their health.  They may need a specially adapted car or specially made equipment to get around, and they have the option of using a portion of their benefit to pay into a car scheme called Motability so they can use an adapted car.

• DLA is not an out of work benefit.  In fact, receiving DLA can be the thing that allows someone to work, as it is there to cover the costs of disability, which could include the equipment and support that someone needs to get a job.
• DLA is not means tested – it acknowledges that anyone can be disabled, and that it is not fair for them to have to deal with extra costs because of it (of course, it doesn’t cover all the costs of disability, but it is an enormous help to many disabled people)
• DLA is not for short term illness – it is for long lasting disability and/or life limiting conditions.  We are talking about people with missing limbs, downs syndrome, cancer.  People who need wheelchairs to get around.  Children who will never be able to live independently and who have the care needs of a toddler when they are school age.  People who have to deal with hallucinations, fits or blackouts.
• DLA is not easily defrauded.  Current government estimates put the fraud level at around 0.5% – around 1 in 200 claimants get DLA when they shouldn’t, or a higher level than they are entitled to.  This is much higher than the amount of people who don’t claim when they should, or who are entitled but have given up when faced with appealing.

• The criteria and claiming process for DLA is so strict that receiving it can mean you are eligible for other benefits and adjustments.  Different levels of DLA and circumstances can make someone be eligible for an extra part of working tax credit, a bus pass, carer’s allowance for a carer, help with the cost of an adapted car, disability railcard, a cinema discount card and so on.  All of these things are designed not to replace income but to try to minimise the cost of disability – they go some way to cover the costs that non disabled people just don’t have.

To support the report, please tweet “I support the #spartacusreport” and link to the report, press release or relevant articles and blog posts.  Send the report and press release to your MP and any media outlets that you have contact with.  Spread the word.  Add your story.  Keep an eye on twitter throughout today for more news and stories.