Disability Benefit Reform: 500,000 Set To Lose Allowance To Save Government £2.2bn please log in to view this image Half a million people are set to lose their disability benefits under government plans. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said he was determined to introduce radical reforms to disability allowances which could slash the annual cost by £2.24bn. Around 500,000 people in the UK who receive disability living allowance (DLA) could no longer be eligible for the replacement personal independence payment (PIP) under the plans, which are outlined in a report by the Department for Work and Pensions this month. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mr Duncan Smith said there had been a 30% rise in the the number of claimants in recent years, with the annual cost of the benefits soon to reach £13 billion. Under the reforms, two million claimants would reassessed in the next four years and only those considered to be in need of support able to qualify. Duncan Smith told the Daily Telegraph said: "We are creating a new benefit, because the last benefit grew by something like 30% in the past few years. It's been rising well ahead of any other gauge you might make about illness, sickness, disability or for that matter, general trends in society. "A lot of that is down to the way the benefit was structured so that it was very loosely defined. Second thing was that in the assessment, lots of people weren't actually seen. Third problem was lifetime awards. Something like 70% had lifetime awards, (which) meant that once they got it you never looked at them again. They were just allowed to fester." Duncan Smith defended the reforms which could see people without limbs, including ex-servicemen and women, no longer entitled to disability benefits as their everyday mobility is not undermined by their prosthetic limbs. On a serious note, there are loads of scroungers but an ex serviceman who lost a leg fighting for us?
I think your bold red sentence sums up my feelings Syd! Absolutely stupid if some bloke fighting for his country loses his leg cannot get the allowance - punish the ones that are taking the piss, not the ones that have suffered or are suffering!
Why don't this set of rich, privellaged, public school educated set of ****s target the £billionaire tax dodgers, avoiders, both individuals and companies (watch Panorama tonight) and the bastard banks who ****ed us all over in the first place. I'm all for welfare reform but there are bigger fish to catch for this govt surely........ oh wait a minute, they are one in the same aren't they? Scum.
Ah the infamous DLA..... It's about time this got investigated, it's the biggest con going. I know of 3 people who have absolutely nothing the matter with them, however, they play the game. Go to doctors claim depression, have silly thoughts, go to crisis team (keep up the act), go to gosforth for medical (keep up the act), get awarded DLA, through being on DLA get priority for housing, get house of your choice, recieve DLA benefit, it pays roughly £1000 per month depending on what level you get placed on (some higher, some lower), pay no rent, no council tax, no tv licence even as stress could make your mental health worse (only gas and electric you do pay). Job done, no more medicals and live happily ever after.
Wouldn't class my self as belonging to any of the political parties but you are spot on there Cest smacks of a a massive double standard doesn't it, because it is!
Damn my wife has been depressed for years, on tablets and the lot, and I havnt claimed a penny, bugger. in all honesty not sure i would, even now that i heard that you can, I never even thought about it before.
I'm in the same boat mate, looking after a couple of family members who aren't very well. Im aware we could claim carers and other benefits but our morals and principles tell us otherwise.
