Stop the Abolition of DLA

[Glitterknickaz]

The government are proposing to get rid of DLA in favour of PIP. full consultation here

Riven started a fantastic thread in Chat with the very pertinent point that this applies to everyone, that every one of us could be just one step from disability themselves.

There is NOTHING in the media about this. These proposals could mean poverty for the disabled and their families in this country. It could leave some in residential care completely isolated from their families and support networks through the removal of the mobility component.

My family has already been hit three times through the NHS, education and aiming high, via the cuts, if they now remove the money from our pockets we are going to be in a heat or eat situation.

Please MNHQ do something, as many are oblivious to these proposals and what they will mean, including those who themselves already claim DLA.

[Diego1988]

Im with u tgey will do the dame to me and tiros me ino a life of poverty and hell i may as well be dead tos horrible government if its not broke dont fix it

[molepom]

DLA link

Bumping to remind people that we still need a lot of signatures on this petition about the welfare reforn in general.

[borderlinemum]

I'm in!

[GossipWitch]

Hi can you count me in, may be a bit late, also did you know most councils are trying to cut transport for children to their SEN schools? the government are really discriminating against the disabled. Its not fair!.

[Greycoat]

Dear all-news at last: In August my MP received a very encouraging letter from the Minister, Maria Miller. In it she states 'We said that we would review the evidence underpinning the decision to remove the Disability Living Allowance mobility component from people in residential care homes and that is precisely what we are doing. When the work is complete, we will make a final decision on the way forward. I have also made a commitment that when we introduce Personal Independence Payment from April 2013 it treats disabled people fairly, regardless of their place of residence and does not diminish disabled people's ability to get out and about. We will treat care home residents in exactly the same way as any other recipient of Disability Living Allowance.'

However I should add that my son and his wife who are disabled and live in residential care are still very worried because they have been told that the Welfare Reform Bill has been transferred to the Lords and still contains the power to create regulations removing the mobility component of PIP from disabled people living in state-funded residential care.

Also you probably know that Lord Low of Dalston is calling for evidence about how the personal mobility needs of care home residents are currently being met and funded (lowreview.org.uk). The findings of the Low Review will be published and sent to the DWP. (Responses to the Low Review by midnight 10 October by E-mail: [email protected]) Please respond if you can. We need to keep campaigning!

[Greycoat]

Dear all I have just read Glitterknickaz ' story. I thought my son and his wife had trouble but I have to say that the care element at the Disabilities Trust in Burgess Hill is good. They both have epilepsy, one is blind the other is a wheelchair user. It was hell to cope with when my son was young. I found a carer, worked non stop and had to cope with the hospital appointments but at least that was only for one child. What we need is a government that really cares about the needs of the disabled rather than trying to make savings that disadvantage the most vulnerable!

[Greycoat]

Extract from Hansard for 23 March:

'Edward Miliband: Will the Prime Minister explain why he proposes to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance from 80,000 care home residents?
The Prime Minister: The short answer is that we are not.
Edward Miliband: Not for the first time, I have to tell the Prime Minister what is in his own legislation: clause 83 of the Welfare Reform Bill proposes precisely that and people do not understand why he is doing it. If he is saying that he is going to abandon the policy, then, great, let us abandon the policy.
The Prime Minister: The review of disability living allowance and the mobility component is wrapped up in the new personal independence payment. That is what is happening. To be frank, this point has been raised right across the House of Commons and is a point that we have responded to. It is a review that the right hon. Gentleman can take part in; perhaps he can say something constructive.
Edward Miliband: It is not a review, it is a proposal-a clause-in the Bill to take away the mobility component of DLA. Some 22 disabled persons organisations up and down the country are saying that the Government should abandon the policy. I have a suggestion for the Prime Minister: why does he not complete the review now and say that he is dumping the policy? He has done it before.
The Prime Minister: The first thing the right hon. Gentleman said about disability living allowance was that he wanted to support our gateway reforms, but we do not hear much about that any more. As I have said, the review of DLA is rolled into the personal independence payment. That is how we will reform the mobility component. Instead of getting so excited about it, he should congratulate the Government on listening to opinion from across the House.'

I have to say that I still think the government is more concerned with cutting costs than meeting the needs of the disabled and others on DLA. See also Mencap's 'Don't limit Mobility" and 'DLA mobility: sorting the facts from the fiction.'(Mencap. Leonard Cheshire & Sense) You can download them for free. The Welfare Reform Bill clause 83 has still not been amended. We now have to wait for the outcome of the review but I have written to my MP listing the mobility provision that my son & his wife have now and asking my MP to scrutinise the outcome of the review to make sure that they are not disadvantaged.

[Bramshott]

Reading with interest and horror Glitter. that the Daily Mirror interviewed you and then didn't really cover it at all . . .

[Glitterknickaz]

my story

[Glitterknickaz]

Just to let you know, me and my family are going to be featured in the Daily Mirror tomorrow as part of their Save our Services campaign.

We've been interviewed and had lots of pictures taken.

I've told them about the changeover to PIP, the fact my daughter has lost her FIRST visiting team and Portage Support, the fact my sons' buddy scheme lost their vital funding and my daughter's cardiac scan being 4 months late, her orthoptic appointment being six months late and that Francis Maude stood on my drive telling me that those with disabled children would be 'protected' because of the Cameron's experiences with their son.....

Should be interesting to see how its interpreted.

[poppyknot]

Welfare Bill (including DLA) being discussed in House of Commons at the moment.........

[missisipii]

Absolutely disgusted that DLA is being targeted. I am more than happy to join campaign.

[Glitterknickaz]

Right, well I'm going on the 26th. DH will stay home with the kids so I'm marching for the five of us.

[Greycoat]

Hi Kemeva and all
Re welfare reform bill and possible U turn, I think we need to keep campaigning. I have sent the following to my MP and will be circulating it widely to press the message home:
Dear X You will probably know that a new report by the independent Social Security Advisory Committee (24/2/11) has recommended in its final paragraph 'that the proposal to remove the mobility component from people in residential care should not go ahead. This measure will substantially reduce the independence of disabled people who are being cared for in residential accommodation, which goes against the stated aim of the reform of DLA to support ?disabled people to lead independent and active lives.? '

Also Neil Coyle, director of policy at the Disabilty Alliance is calling for Ministers to drop the plan to remove the mobility component of DLA from those in residential care because this measure would have a particularly damaging effect on the disabled.

However there seems to be no change in the Welfare Reform Bill. The proposal to withdraw the mobility component of DLA from those in residential care appears unchanged in Part 4 Section 83 of the Bill.

In view of the above I would be most grateful if you would make any further representations which can be made on behalf of my son and his wife who will be very seriously disadvantaged by this controversial proposal. Yours etc

If you Google Social Security Advisory Committee you can look up their entire response to DLA Reform Cheers

[ThisIsANiceCage]

Right, here's that thread I promised:
What does DLA mean to you? Collecting testimonies for MPs' select committee

Sorry it took so long. Dame Anne Begg has received and thanked us for the collation of testimonies to date (taken from 3 threads - see new thread).

I should also start a thread for ESA and the Work Capability Assessment testimonies, but I can't work out which MN section to put it in, not being an official campaign! Will link from here when I do.

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

Do we know how often and what form the assessments of children will happen/take?

Its not such an issue for my child. As he recieves the low level he wont get it anyway once they reform it all.

I worry very much about the children I work with. Putting them through frequent, invasive examinations is tantamount to abuse in my view.

[madhairday]

Is that thread around NiceCage? will contribute if I can.

Got a nice letter back from my MP. He had sent my copy to Maria Miller and she had written back, all very much in the style of the consultation document, ie the PiP will make things easier and clearer and so forth. Nice to get a response I guess.

People here are working so hard - thankyou. I have had a severe spoon shortage lately but am with you all.

[PaisleyLeaf]

It's looking like a 'U' turn :)

[kemeva]

Hi! As you may have seen in the news, the Welfare Reform Bill was published last week. In the Bill, the Government are still proposing to stop paying mobility component to people in residential care.

services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/welfarereform.html

or

Welfare Reform Bill 2011 - DWP:

www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/

However, the Government have also stated that they will delay the introduction of this change until March 2013, and that they will review whether there is an overlap with social care funding and then set the regulations accordingly.

They have backed down from a position of saying that they are going to remove DLA mobility component for people in residential care to a position of saying that they are going to REVIEW whether to do so.

This change in Government policy is of great credit to all of you who have worked incredibly hard. Together we have forced the Government into reviewing their position. During the last week of consultation over 70 campaigners from across the country took part in the lobby of Parliament. Campaigners more than filled the Jubilee Room, with over 30 MPs talking directly to disabled people about the issue. Anne Begg MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, came along to speak to campaigners and to collect the petition of 7,000 signatures collected by Leonard Cheshire Disablity.

Visit: www.LCDisability.org/campaigns

Good luck!

[ThisIsANiceCage]

Right, am about to send collated DLA testimonies to MPs.

And start new thread inviting people to send their own in.

Hossylass, I need a briefing.

The normal rule for MPs is you can only send to your own. Is it different in this case, because they're a committee or something? Are they happy to receive testimonies from just anyone?

[Hossylass]

It gave me great pleasure to contact the PCC about the Daily Mail.

I am not leading on the complaint, but if for any reason it fails, mine should then come into play.

My list of enemies is getting longer than my xmas card list .

We can only do what we can, when we can, and its a bit of a baton race.

Lovely to know we are not alone though and we can lean on each other.

You need a hug smiley!

[judyblueeyes3]

@cressa - the campaign hasn't been deleted as such - just accidentally amalgamated with another one by an over-zealous volunteer it seems. Daviv Babbs has given his assurance it will be fixed, so let's hope they will get it sorted and combine the votes and comments from both the lod and the new!!

blimey,it's hard work all this... i'm shattered

[Cressa]

Well done Hossylass. I admire your fighting spirit.I hope you take some care of yourself too! Some of us fight where and when we can but the apathy does get you down. I think we are all suffering from a bit of burnout and the feeling that you can push yourself over your limits for very little result. I think we need more people so we can take it in turn to fight and rest up.

By the way, just discovered the petition against DLA reform on 38 degrees has been "accidently" deleted. They say they will try to correct this but in the meantime a new one has been started. So, I'm afraid its a case of more pleas to please sign the petition and tell them what you think of them!

38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1507287-a-campaign-to-stop-the-abolition-of-disability-liv

On a better note the Press Complaints Commission is investigating the complaint against the Daily Mail's recent article on DLA, so fingers crossed.

[Hossylass]

Forgot to mention the other important march, that Mumsnet must be on, and that is the Mother's March on Saturday 12th March.

www.dpac.uk.net/category/headlines/

Mums, you need to be there!

[Hossylass]

Breaking news, well for this thread anyway!

There is a march in London on 26th March.

This is a march against cuts, all cuts. Organised coaches and trains from all over the country - which will be fun before the day even starts.

Obviously this march will represent all people who will be affected by the cuts.

We are asking for "Buddies for Rallies", not an onerous task, it may just be a case of standing with a disabled person at road crossings, or holding their coat while they go the loo. Not a huge commitment (no personal care, no contact, no handling of money or medication will be required) or protesting on behalf of a disabled person.

Details can be found here;
www.dpac.uk.net/about/buddies-for-rallies/
and on other disability sites and message boards.

I know several people offered to do this earlier in the thread, and all your help would be gratefully recieved.