Well I expect we ought to have been prepared for this, can this government get any lower. You bet, watch this space.
G http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2145086/Blind-benefits-suffer-coalitions-new-reforms-disability-allowance.html?ITO=1490 Blind on benefits 'will suffer' under the coalition's new reforms to disability allowance By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 06:00, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:35, 16 May 2012 Blind and partially sighted people will lose out under the new benefit reforms when the disability living allowance (DLA) is scrapped, it has emerged. Those currently receiving up to £120 a week through DLA payments could find themselves worse off when the new personal independence payment (PIP) is introduced next April. Critics claim the new points system for benefits assessment puts too much emphasis on tasks such as the ability to walk and not enough on the special needs of those who cannot see. Calling for change: Blind charities claim the Government's proposals for disability assessment fail to take into the account the extra costs of being blind The Government is calling for reassessment because 71 per cent of claimants remain on benefits for life but many have pointed out that the condition of blind people is not going to change. The revelation has caused a split in the coalition according to The Independent - with Liberal Democrat MPs threatening to revolt if the reforms aren't amended. Nick Clegg has voiced support for the Government's plans but is facing intense pressure from mebers of his own party to push for the plans to be changed. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has defended the reform to disability benefits - arguing they are needed Mr Clegg said: 'I support reform because many people have received DLA for year upon year without any assessment about whether their circumstances have changed. '[The test] needs to be objective and fair and rigorous so that maybe some people, far from losing it, will actually receive a higher award. But, of course, we need to get the details right.' The newspaper reports that Jo Swinson, Nick Clegg's parliamentary aide, has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith urging a rethink on the proposals. Liberal Democrat backbenchers hope Mr Duncan Smith will revise the proposals but they may try to force a Commons vote on the changes if this doesn't happen. Mike Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South, told The Independent: 'It is manifestly unfair that blind people should be subjected to this worry so unnecessarily. Even in the worst days of the Thatcher government, we didn't see this sort of thing. 'This shows a complete lack of political nous in the leadership of the Coalition. It is one thing after another. They are coming up with ideas and not looking at the consequences. I did not get elected to punish people who cannot help themselves.' Sir Bob Russell, MP for Colchester, believed the impact on the blind was an 'unintended consequence' of the reform but said the matter needed to be reconsidered in light of the new criticism. Steve Winyard, head of campaigns at the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), claims the new proposed criteria for means testing PIP does not recognise many of the daily issues facing the blind. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) insisted that DLA is 'outdated' but added the assessment for PIP was not yet finalised. Share this article: ======================================== The Just-chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web pages located at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/just-chat> You can find an archive of all messages posted to the just-chat group at either of the following: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/just-chat/index.html> or: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> You may subscribe with your RSS reader at the following URL: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> ---------------------------------------
