[guide.chat] news welfare reform bill protests
- From: vanessa <qwerty1234567a@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "GUIDE CHAT" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:14:51 -0000
Welfare Reform Bill prompts protest in London
Adam Lotun, Disabled People Against Cuts: "All the assessments are unfit for
purpose"
Lords reject child support plans
Ashdown will oppose benefits cap
Activists and disability campaign groups are staging a demonstration in
opposition to the government's welfare proposals.
Campaigners say the changes in the Welfare Reform Bill would see half a million
people lose their benefits.
The protest was being held in Regent St in central London, with some 100 people
taking part, a BBC producer says.
The government said it wanted a simpler and fairer welfare system, which would
include a single universal credit.
The proposals are due to come into force in 2013.
Members of direct action organisation UK Uncut were among those planning to
attend the protest.
The bill, currently going through Parliament, also includes a cap on benefits
to about £500 a week, or £26,000 a year - the level of the average salary of
working families. Last week the government was defeated in the Lords on that
and other aspects.
'Vicious cuts'
The Disability Living Allowance would be replaced with a new allowance,
Personal Independence Payments. This would involve upfront medical tests and
regular assessments for working people aged 16 to 24.
Continue reading the main story
Welfare Reform Bill
Has completed its Commons stages and is now in the Report (penultimate) stage
in the Lords
Ministers have already said they they will overturn Lords defeats in Commons
Unless and until agreement on differences is reached the bill is likely to
"ping-pong" between the Lords and Commons
Q&A: Welfare changes row
Campaign group Disabled People Against Cuts said the changes would mean some
single disabled people living in London would be left with £25 a week after
paying rent.
Richard Whitehurst, from the group, said: "These vicious cuts have already led
to at least 31 disabled people committing suicide and many more are now talking
about it as they feel they have no future.
"In the 21st Century, in one of the richest nations in the world, disabled
people should not be forced to live in fear every day of their lives."
'Absolutely committed'
He said the cuts would ultimately cost the government more as disabled people
would have to rely on NHS care.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said the government was
"absolutely committed" to supporting disabled people and it was spending more
than £40bn per year on disabled people."
Continue reading the main story
?
Start Quote
We're going to show them that they're wrong.?
Laura Miller
UK Uncut
"Households where someone receives disability living allowance will be exempt
from the benefit cap and we are giving local authorities an additional £190m
over four years to ensure vulnerable people are supported through the housing
benefit reform, so we are not expecting people to become homeless," he said.
"The introduction of the universal credit from 2013 will see a simpler and
fairer system of support for disabled people."
He added disabled people in greatest need would receive more support than they
do currently.
But Laura Miller, of UK Uncut, said the government was "choosing to inflict
suffering on sick and disabled people rather than tackle rich tax dodgers,
because they think the socially disadvantaged are invisible - that they won't
or can't make a fuss - and the rest of us don't care".
"We're going to show them that they're wrong."
She said anybody could need welfare at some point in their life and the
government was "destroying our safety net".
Other changes in the bill include an under-occupancy penalty for council and
housing association tenants with spare bedrooms, means-testing the Employment
and Support Allowance (which replaced incapacity benefit) after 12 months and
charging single parents to use the Child Support Agency.
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