This morning the work and pensions select committee, chaired by Anne Begg MP, reported that disabled people are waiting six months or more to hear if they are still eligible for disability benefits. This comes as no surprise to me as someone who is a disability activist given the government’s appalling record on disabled people. The current problem has arisen due to the government introducing the much-heralded personal independence payment as a replacement for disability living allowance.
The PIP payments are important for disabled people to be able to purchase equipment and fund carers, to allow them to live as full and independent lives as possible. Many disabled people are missing out on the payments they deserve meaning they are being driven to isolation and in some cases debt. I barely speak to a disabled person nowadays who is on PIP who has not suffered stress and anxiety from the delays in processing.
In order to receive PIP you have to undergo an assessment performed by the now-infamous Atos or Capita. These assessments have been criticised by many, including that National League of the Blind and Disabled, as being too harsh and purposely going out of their way to find a reason not to award the benefit. One delegate at Community Union’s biennial conference had to send his false eyes in to prove he was blind!
Begg has now called upon the government to implement the penalty clauses in their contracts with Atos and Capita because of the fiasco. I agree with her on this – we cannot keep letting these private companies rake in taxpayers’ money while shockingly failing disabled people. She also complained that frequently appointments are cancelled and applicants are being given insufficient answers to queries about their applications.
Also extremely alarming are the long waits that people with terminal illnesses are receiving in getting a decision on their claim. Macmillan Cancer Support complained that many of its clients have received the devastating news they have terminal cancer but have to wait in some cases over a month to get a decision on their PIP claim. This means that many cancer patients have to spend their last few months stressing over whether they can get the funding for carers. This is frankly appalling and undignified of this country.
The Department of Work and Pension seems to be a grade A student when it comes to screwing up its benefit reforms which disproportionally affect disabled people, including universal credit, employment and support allowance, PIP and, of course, the ‘bedroom tax’. Questions really do need to be asked about these shocking failures at the DWP.
In my opinion it is vital that we elect a Labour government in 2015 in order to stop this appalling treatment of disabled people. It saddens me to learn in the news of disabled people committing suicide because of the changes or never leaving their homes because they no longer have to support to do so. Please, Britain, we cannot settle for this.
———————————————-
Simon Evans is disabled members’ officer at Young Labour. He tweets @SimonEvans117