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»Scientists unravel abnormal egg mystery
Scientists in Newcastle have discovered why older women are more likely to suffer from infertili ...
»Alcohol drinking in Britain sees sharpest fall since 1948
Consumers drank on average five bottles of wine fewer last year as health concerns and the reces ...
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»Double hand transplant recipient shows he can curl fingers
The recipient of a rare double hand transplant has shown the world he can curl his fingers and m ...

Date published: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:27:50 +0100
Details

»Greece: refusing to quit | Helena Smith
Could Greece's latest attempt to ban smoking, this time on patriotic grounds, finally persuade Greek ...
»My breast cancer journey is more of a staycation | Deborah Orr
My transport difficulties began straight after I was diagnosed with a tumourPeople, it is alleged, a ...
»'There are cases of women having 15 miscarriages and never having a baby'
Foreign secretary William Hague has revealed his wife has suffered 'multiple miscarriages'. Only whe ...
»Terry Pratchett: 'I'm open to joy. But I'm also more cynical'
Discworld's creator on his new novel, living with Alzheimer's – and why he should be allowed to deci ...
»Life on the waiting list: action stations
Eight years ago James Hipwell received a kidney from his brother. Now he prepares to go into surger ...

Date published: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:51:40 GMT
Details

»Publication: Personal Care at Home Act 2010 c.18
Personal Care at Home Act 2010 c.18
»Latest News
Following agreement by both Houses on the text of the Bill it received Royal Assent on 8 April. The ...
»Sitting: 08/04/2010
House of Lords Consideration of Commons amendments
»Publication: Ping Pong
Ping Pong
»Sitting: 08/04/2010
Not assigned Royal Assent
»Publication: Royal Assent
Royal Assent
»Publication: Marshalled List for Consideration of Commons Reasons
Marshalled List for Consideration of Commons Reasons
»Provisional Sitting: 08/04/2010
House of Lords Consideration of Commons amendments
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 24 March and no am ...
»Publication: Commons Disagreements, Amendment in Lieu and Reasons
Commons Disagreements, Amendment in Lieu and Reasons
»Sitting: 30/03/2010
House of Commons Consideration of Lords amendments
»Publication: Ping Pong
Ping Pong
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 24 March and no am ...
»Publication: Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
»Publication: Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
»Publication: Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendment as at 30th March 2010
»Publication: Selection of amendments (Consideration of Lords Amendments)
Selection of amendments (Consideration of Lords Amendments)
»Publication: Consideration of Lords Amendments as at 30 March 2010
Consideration of Lords Amendments as at 30 March 2010
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 24 March and no am ...
»Provisional Sitting: 30/03/2010
House of Commons Consideration of Lords amendments
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 24 March and no am ...
»Publication: Bill 97 09-10 (Lords Amendments to)
Bill 97 09-10 (Lords Amendments to)
»Publication: Bill 97 EN (Explanatory Notes on Lords Amendments)
Bill 97 EN (Explanatory Notes on Lords Amendments)
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 24 March and no am ...
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 25 March and no am ...
»Sitting: 24/03/2010
House of Lords 3rd reading
»Publication: 3rd reading
3rd reading
»Publication: HL Bill 48 09-10 (as brought from the House of Commons)
HL Bill 48 09-10 (as brought from the House of Commons)
»Latest News
Report stage – line by line examination of the Bill – took place on 17 March. Amendments ...
»Sitting: 17/03/2010
House of Lords Report stage
»Publication: Report stage
Report stage
»Latest News
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - began on 17 March. Amendments di ...
»Publication: Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 15th March 2010
Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 15th March 2010
»Publication: Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 12th March 2010
Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 12th March 2010
»Provisional Sitting: 24/03/2010
House of Lords 3rd reading
»Provisional Sitting: 17/03/2010
House of Lords Report stage
»Publication: Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 2nd March 2010
Amendments to be Moved on Report as at 2nd March 2010
»Latest News
Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the second day of committee stage on 1 M ...
»Sitting: 01/03/2010
House of Lords Committee stage
»Publication: Committee: 2nd sitting
Committee: 2nd sitting
»Latest News
Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the second day of committee stage on 1 M ...
»Publication: Second Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 19th February
Second Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 19th February
»Provisional Sitting: 01/03/2010
House of Lords Committee stage
»Latest News
Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the first day of committee stage on 22 Februa ...
»Latest News
Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the first day of committee stage on 22 Februa ...
»Latest News
Line by line examination of the Bill took place during the first day of committee stage on 22 Februa ...
»Sitting: 22/02/2010
House of Lords Committee stage
»Publication: Committee: 1st sitting
Committee: 1st sitting
»Publication: Revised Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 19th February
Revised Marshalled List of Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 19th February
»Publication: Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 17th February
Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 17th February
»Publication: Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 16th February
Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 16th February
»Publication: Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 11th February
Amendments to be Moved in Committee as at 11th February
»Publication: Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 10 February 2010
Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 10 February 2010
»Publication: Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 9 February 2010
Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 9 February 2010
»Publication: Amendments to be moved in Committee
Amendments to be moved in Committee
»Sitting: 01/02/2010
House of Lords 2nd reading
»Publication: 2nd reading
2nd reading
»Latest News
During second reading of the Bill on 1 February, a wide-ranging discussion took place on issues incl ...
»Provisional Sitting: 22/02/2010
House of Lords Committee stage
»Publication: HL Bill 23 09 - 10 (as introduced)
HL Bill 23 09 - 10 (as introduced)
»Publication: HL Bill 23 en 09 - 10
HL Bill 23 en 09 - 10
»Latest News
First reading took place on 13 January 2010. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the ...
»Provisional Sitting: 01/02/2010
House of Lords 2nd reading
»Sitting: 13/01/2010
House of Lords 1st reading
»Publication: 1st reading
1st reading
»Sitting: 12/01/2010
House of Commons Committee stage
»Publication: Committee: 1st sitting
Committee: 1st sitting
»Sitting: 12/01/2010
House of Commons 3rd reading
»Publication: 3rd reading
3rd reading
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Publication: Committee of the Whole House Proceedings as at 12 January 2010
Committee of the Whole House Proceedings as at 12 January 2010
»Publication: Personal Care at Home Bill (Committee of the Whole House)
Personal Care at Home Bill (Committee of the Whole House)
»Publication: Notices of Amendments given up to and including 8 January 2010
Notices of Amendments given up to and including 8 January 2010
»Publication: Notices of Amendments given on 7 January 2010
Notices of Amendments given on 7 January 2010
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Provisional Sitting: 12/01/2010
House of Commons Committee stage
»Provisional Sitting: 12/01/2010
House of Commons 3rd reading
»Sitting: 14/12/2009
House of Commons 2nd reading
»Publication: 2nd reading
2nd reading
»Sitting: 14/12/2009
House of Commons Programme motion
»Publication: Programme motion
Programme motion
»Sitting: 14/12/2009
House of Commons Money resolution
»Publication: Money resolution
Money resolution
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Publication: Notices of Amendments given on 14 December 2009
Notices of Amendments given on 14 December 2009
»Publication: Research Paper 09/90
Research Paper 09/90
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Provisional Sitting: 14/12/2009
House of Commons 2nd reading
»Publication: 1st reading
1st reading
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Latest News
The Personal Care at Home Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November 2009.This is kno ...
»Latest News
This Bill was presented to Parliament on 25 November. This is known as First Reading and there was n ...
»Sitting: 25/11/2009
House of Commons 1st reading
»Publication: Bill 11 09 - 10 (as introduced)
Bill 11 09 - 10 (as introduced)
»Publication: Bill 11 en 09 - 10
Bill 11 en 09 - 10

Date published: not known
Details


Welcome to DLA Help Group!

Lets Keep our DLA and AA!
Sunday 22 August 2010

 DLA Help Group Response

DLA Help Group
22/08/10


Welfare Reform

10 Points for Consideration




1. The Welfare and Benefits system needs reform. That much is agreed. The manner in which and the amount of the suggested cuts is what is an issue.

2. The Treasury has suggested a 20% reduction and the Coalition has portrayed the proposed cuts to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Housing Benefits and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as (mainly) to address the levels of fraudulent and incorrect claims. Even if fraud and error were completely eliminated it comes nowhere near the expected 20% savings. This is clearly misleading information being put out to the media to portray all benefit claimants as feckless wasters.

3. The Coalition quotes (as did the previous administration) the research that showed that the majority of sick and disabled people actually wanted to work but could not because of various barriers. The oft heard commitment from Coalition members is that they wish to “help sick and disabled people back into work” by “support and encouragement”. The ESA however is not a benefit that “supports” or “encourages” the sick and disabled to find work. ESA divides the sick and disabled into 3 groups; an ironically named “Support” group (that will never be helped to find any work at all) and a Work Related Activity Group (the WRAG) that will be “encouraged and supported” by way of sanctions their benefit payments. The third group (which contains many people forced to appeal because their “medicals” were not done correctly) are the so called “fit for work”. In practice (because of the faulty nature of the “medicals”) this group comprises anything up to 50% of people who are not really fit for work at all, those who are ill but not recognised as ill etc. This includes a large proportion of mentally ill claimants. An immediate review of the medicals is therefore required above and beyond the Harrington Report.

4. The current contract for all medicals for both ESA and DLA costs £500m and is with Atos Origin. No proposal to cut this amount by 20% has been announced, why? Either Atos should provide 20% savings in line with the other proposed cuts or the contract should end and it be put out to tender.

5. Many of the cuts are to working age claimants benefits and affect the poor disproportionately. The proposed cuts to DLA especially are very harsh and if implemented at the 20% level would leave around 1m sick and disabled people without their main means of support. It would leave many unable to work and some without any possible means of transport or independence. A freeze in benefit levels for DLA would be preferable to any arbitrary cuts that would withdraw benefits altogether from huge numbers of claimants.

6. If the Coalition is serious about finding jobs for sick and disabled people there does not need to be any element of “stick” to the benefits paid. Rather there needs to be very much more “carrot” to facilitate sick and disabled people trying jobs. It is suggested that rather than a “taper” claimants need to be able to keep full benefits for at least a year to stabilise their new work pattern and return to simple benefit payments if it does not work for them with no penalty. There should be no “conditionality” for sick and disabled people who by all accounts want to work any way.

7. Employers need to be pursued with a “stick” approach if they fail to take training in employing sick and disabled people. A “carrot” approach would see tax breaks for good employers completing the course and employing a proportion of sick and disabled people.

8. Discrimination laws would need to be tightened and for the first time include provision for legal representation for employees. Carers to sick and disabled people should be included in anti discrimination legislation by name and definition.

9. If one of the stated objectives is to cut the fraud/error bill then more money needs to be spent on it, why has this not been identified?

10. Finally, the non means tested benefits for people with children and pensioners will inevitably have to become means tested maybe over a 5 year period.



This document is published by DLA Help Group - a group supporting DLA claimants since 2000.

All content © DLA Help Group 2010
ians1onSunday 22 August 2010 - 13:45:59
comment: 2

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