Disability organisations say people with disabilities will be ‘worried’ about the government’s plans to ‘Get Britain Working’ and reduce welfare spending.
Although the government has not yet confirmed its plans for reforming disability benefits, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall says she has a plan to tackle economic inactivity by supporting people, including those who are disabled or ill, into employment, and to turn the ‘Department for Welfare’ into a ‘genuine Department for Work’.
Ms Kendall discussed the government’s plans to reform the Department at a launch event of a new report by the Pathways to Work Commission. The report recommends that the DWP introduces a “duty to engage” with employment in a bid to cut welfare spending.
Ms Kendall said: “The OBR says spending on sickness and disability benefits is set to increase by £30 billion over the forecast period. Imagine what a fraction of that money could do instead.”
The learning disability charity Mencap says while they support the government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Working’, this announcement may be ‘worrying’ for people with a learning disability, and the welfare system must not leave those who cannot work to struggle.
Jackie O’Sullivan, Mencap’s Executive Director of Strategy and Influence: “We have long been calling for more people with a learning disability to be welcomed and supported into the world of work. Our research shows that 86% of people with a learning disability without a job want to work, and the biggest barrier they face is the benefits system.
“We want to work with the government to remove the barriers preventing people with a learning disability from entering and thriving in work, by giving them the confidence that they will not be worse off by taking a job. We need a social security system that empowers and enables people with a learning disability who can work, while providing adequate support to those who cannot.”
Ken Butler DRUK’s Welfare Rights and Policy Adviser has welcomed Kendall’s plan to offer disabled people personalised employment advice and support, but warns that policies to support the employment of disabled people should be co-produced with disabled people and delivered by disabled people’s organisations.
Alongside Kendall’s plans to ‘Get Britain Working’, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves also addressed the House of Commons this week with a pledge to ‘restore economic stability’.
Ms Reeves said the Labour government has inherited £22 billion of unfunded pressures from the previous Government, and this will result in some “difficult decisions” on tax and spending.
This includes means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment, meaning the payment will only be given to those already receiving benefits.
Ms Reeves also announced plans to scrap the previous government’s social care reforms, saving £1bn by the end of next year, and introducing a multi-year Spending Review to provide “long-term certainty that has been lacking for too long.”
Responding to the Chancellor’s statement, Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) said: “We welcome the announcement that there will be a three-year spending review, providing a long overdue chance for forward planning and stability for third sector providers and the disabled people reliant on publicly funded support.
“The scrapping of adult social care funding reforms is of little surprise, as they were unfunded and with a focus on older people, ignored millions of disabled people drawing on social care. That said, the pressures of increasing unmet need are not going away, and an urgent solution is vital for state-funded social care and support.”
Mr Hughes says we now need “government reform with a significant focus on improving commissioning coupled with an injection of funding to address the growing funding gap.”
“Without this, unmet need will continue to escalate, piling more pressure on the NHS and undermining the government’s growth agenda,” he said.
