Tom Gordon questions Minister on the impact of disability benefit cuts

Today in Parliament, Tom questioned a Minister from the Department for Women and Equalities on the impact that the planned changes to disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment, will have on the ability of disabled people to continue to operate. 

Tom asked the Minister what assessment he had made of the harms that will be caused by the cut. Since the idea of cutting disability benefits was first floated, Tom has been inundated with correspondence from concerned constituents who access disability benefits, and are worried about the potentially detrimental impact on their lives, and what the future may hold for them. There is a lot of concern that many people may be pushed into poverty by cuts, with no way to get themselves out.

Also raised was the fact that disabled people already face systemic barriers in society, including in accessing transport, equitable healthcare and education. One benefit the Government is considering cutting is Personal Independence Payment, more commonly known as PIP, which gives financial support to disabled people to help them cover the increased costs that come with disability. 

The response was extremely poor. The Minister made no mention of any assessment about the impact on disabled people’s lives, instead focussing on “financial sustainability”, and telling disabled people they should be “reassure(d)” that they weren’t making the changes proposed by the Conservative Government to replace PIP cash with vouchers. 

Commenting, Tom said: 

“I’m in disbelief – the Minister has insulted disabled people. They are most certainly not reassured – they’re terrified. It’s very clear that the Government haven’t bothered to make any assessment of the impact on disabled people. Talking about financial sustainability is all very well, but what about the financial sustainability of living as a disabled person? It’s abundantly clear that the Government hasn’t factored that in.  

“Cutting disability benefits is both incredibly cruel and misguided. The Government clearly don’t understand either the importance or benefits of this support. This support helps disabled people to cover the increased costs of their lives. 

“But the worst part is that people will be forced down into poverty. They will lose control over their own lives. We devalue people at our own cost, and turning disabled people into a group considered ‘less worthy’ is utterly wrong – and a completely outdated concept. The Government must change course and not turn their backs on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.”

ENDS