Benefits v Defence Lord Robertson

[Wednesdayschild87]

Lord Robertson’s Speech… seriously does anyone care?? He’s laid out the fact that as a nation we can’t carry on like this… he said we can’t afford to keep throwing money at benefits whilst leaving our country defences I’m actually shocked no one has come out and spoken on this matter before. I’m incredulous.

For the small number of SEND kids getting transport and the cost of means testing vs the potential savings its probably not worth it.

Have you ever been to a special needs to school a drop of and pick up time ?
My sons school
Caters for children with severe and profound learning disabillities the vast majority gets transport
Getting the 200+ severly disabled children off transport and safely into class is like a millitry operation ,they want the children calm and settled to begin their day
Its not helpful to snyone for parents to be turning up in dribs and drabs dropping thr childrn and would be chaotic and unsettling for the children.

I hadn't even thought about that aspect. I'd thought it just wouldn't be much of a saving.

But another 200 cars alltrying to wait out side schools sounds like a nightmare.

Then think of the poor parents who already have a lot on their plates, trying to half themselves in two getting disabled child to school and other children to mainstream.

No leave their transport alone.

It isn't just SEND children who can get transport to school. In many LA's, it can also apply to any child who lives 3+ miles away from their school if there isn't a closest alternative.

It's similar with SEND children, if they go to school far away then it means closer alternatives aren't possible.

In my probably wrong opinion, I think a small amount of help and a bit more bracing would actually get a better result. I concede that I have never had to cope and am completely ignorant about what's realistic for SEN, who are all very individual. However, the country spends a lot of money dealing with the issue, and I don't think it is bad to discuss what is and isn't a reasonable expectation.

I was thinking about this.

Why aren't all disability benefits mean tested? Why must taxpayers pay the costs of a disability?

As a woman, I have costs like period products. No one pays for those.

As a mother, I have significant costs. The support for children is means tested. Not everyone who is a parent chose to become a parent - and lots of disabilities are a result of choice/inaction.

why is everything else means tested aside the state pension and PIP, DLA, attendance allowance?

You could say why does anyone pay for food, as it is vital to life.
Being disabled is expensive. DLA/PIP/AA is a payment in acknowledgement of the extra costs being disabled brings. Yes, some have lower costs than what they get paid, but then some have costs that far exceed what they get paid too. To set up a system where each person on DLA/PIP/AA had individualised payments would cost a lot to set up and run. Vouchers being floated as an idea was thrown out.
Means testing is also based on household income. A disabled woman could lose all of her financial independence if she moved in with someone, and that is a very vulnerable state to be in.

You chose to have children. No one chooses to be disabled, or have disabled children. Being non-disabled is temporary.

Why do you think it would get a better result?

But its ok for higher earners to do the same right?

I have been severely physically disabled since birth, having been born without eyes and with multiple joint deformities. I am also a mother and work full time. The PIP I receive enables me to cover some, though by no means, all of the costs associated with my disability. Without it I would be unable to pay for all the care, support and specialist adaptive equipment and technology I need to function day to day and without which I would be unable to care for myself or my family, let alone get to and remain in work. I am already considerably worse off than a non-disabled person earning the same wage as me as they would not incur my considerable extra costs. If PIP were means-tested then I would very probably be unable to work and would end up costing the 'hard-working tax payers', of whom I am one by the way, lots more money.
The fact that you have seem to have little understanding or empathy for the considerable challenges and expenses many severely disabled people face is a clear indication that you have been privileged enough not to have been personally touched by disability. I hope this state of affairs continues for you but please remember that everyone is only an illness or accident away from becoming disabled, it is not a condition reserved for the feckless or morally irresponsible as you seem to suggest.
Finally, I am also a woman who requires period products, to suggest that this expenditure is in anyway comparable to my extensive disability-related costs if, quite frankly, laughable.

Plenty of people ‘choose’ to be disabled - they choose addiction, at least initially, or a series of unwise lifestyle choices which leads to their ‘anxiety’ or MH issue which they claim for. It’s far more common than you think.

Yes indeed, this reliance on Chinese EV's, whilst at the same time slapping penalties on UK car manufacturers for not selling enough.

At least have relaxed one of these silly sales ban.

WTF were were Govts thinking when they allowed construction of the 2nd leg of HS2, only to scrap it .... at the eye watering cost of £29 billion.

£29billion would increase the defence by 50%.

Yet once again, the discussion always comes back to the disabled, which now says they "chose" to be disabled.....

Yes the Chinese cars that have 360 cameras that aren't allowed on certain government sites.
The UK government need to support its own industry. But it's easier said than done.

MN has educated me that I vastly changed my whole mind on PIP and disability benefits. I never knew the struggles others go through and what's it like to not have a functioning body

You can plan your finances with having children. How do you manage that with disability?

My god, do you sit there trying to think
up the most controversial and contrary thing to say to each comment.

Anxiety doesn’t need quotation marks, it’s a real condition. It’s not a choice.

@Notmycircusnotmyotter because living with a disability is expensive and these benefits are in place to level the costs of living with one.

Pensions should be means tested becuase you’re just handing out money in lieu of being able to earn your own to live on in old age. If people don’t need it to live on, they don’t need handouts.

They’re not awarded based on expense. I spent £££ on my disability but because I can live a normal ish life if I do, I wouldn’t get PIP

I didn’t say they were.

If someone cannot complete essential daily living or mobility tasks safely and reliably without aids or assistance, then that is exactly the kind of functional limitation PIP is meant to support - so if you’re having to use aids to achieve this, then I can’t understand why you wouldn’t be entitled to it?

Yanbu but so many people want to milk the state, I can't see how it will be stopped until the country goes bankrupt. Last year Starmer tried to reduce the increase in benefits but was blocked by Labour MPs.

Tbh I don't really care anymore, lots of people aren't sensible about tax and benefits, let's see how long until it all implodes 😕

He has reduced the amount of money paid to new LCW/LCWRA claimants. It’s just not made much news surprisingly. The headlines far more focused on his removal of the 2 child cap

One thing I wonder about is that everyone is treated as an individual which I suppose is fair but the difference for a disabled person if they live alone with no relatives alive and one who has a spouse, adult children, siblings nearby must be a very different life.
And one who is wealthy enough to pay for care -I remembered reading that David Cameron’s severely disabled son got pip - so everyone gets it even those in multimillionaire households.

For many people DLA / pip isn't just about the money. It's proof of disability, entitled you to things like free carer tickets, a disabled person bus pass / railcard, etc

To be fair, while I might blame David Cameron for many things, this isn't one of them - the amount of care his son will have needed would have cost A LOT.

It’ll fast become meaningless then as 5 million people now have it