Greeting readers. As you will remember before Christmas I wrote to numerous politicians and ministers regarding the concerns many of us disableds share regarding benefit reform. My emphasis was on Employment and Support Allowance. Please find below the, shall we say standard response, from the Department of Works & Pensions. I will leave you to make up your own minds, I know I have and I'm working on my response.
The Government recognises the difficulties faced by severely disabled people and their carers. Ministers have made it clear that they want to ensure benefits are fair and affordable, and support the participation of disabled people in society.
The Chancellor announced on 22 June 2010 that Disability Living Allowance will be reformed, with a new assessment applying from 2013/14. The Government published a consultation paper on 6 December 2010 and the consultation document can be seen on the DWP website, which also contains details of how to submit views. The consultation runs until 14 February this year. We will talk with disabled people to ensure that support is effectively targeted on those with the greatest need, while continuing to tackle inequalities that can arise from severe disability.
New arrangements are also being introduced to ensure that people of working age who currently receive incapacity benefits have access to advice and support to help them consider a move into work, if they are able to do so.
Ministers do welcome all views, and I would like to thank you for your comments. I assure you that they have been duly noted. Information about Government services can be obtained through the internet at www.Directgov.uk.
Yours sincerely
Correspondence Team
No comments:
Post a Comment