Poverty will increase - DLA PIP inquiry response

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Poverty will increase - DLA PIP inquiry response

Poverty and disadvantage will increase for disabled people if government’s proposals to abolish DLA and supplant it with PIP go ahead.

06/09/2011

Inclusion London has responded to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s inquiry into government’s plans to replace DLA with PIP. We oppose the plans which include the introduction of a new eligibility assessment for PIP. Reasons for our opposition include the following:

The government intends to focus PIP on those with the ‘greatest need’, also PIP will only have two rates; this will cause between 650,000 and 1.8 million disabled people to fall further into poverty.

  • Cutting the mobility component of DLA from residents in care homes will decrease the ability of 80,000 disabled people to participate in the community.
  • The DLA eligibility assessment process is already rigorous, which is reflected in the low level of fraud (0.5%), therefore there is no reason to change it.
  • The six month qualifying period will seriously disadvantage those with fluctuating conditions, terminal illnesses, and those that have recently become disabled.

You can download the full response from the right hand side.