Hardest hit will benefit

Published: 3 June, 2011

• IF you or someone in your family is disabled then I know you may have concerns about what welfare reform means for you (Hardest Hit by cruel cuts, May 20; We won’t keep quiet, May 27).  

After the Hardest Hit march in London, I want to reassure readers that this government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people. We are more determined then ever to help disabled people live independent lives and we continue to spend more than £40billion a year on disabled people and services – this includes £12billion on disability living allowance (DLA), which is more than the entire transport budget for this country.   

But we also need to face up to the fact that the current benefit system is not always reaching those who need it most. It can’t be right, for instance, that more people get £51.40 per week, the higher rate mobility, of DLA for drug and alcohol abuse than for blindness. 

DLA has to work better to reach the disabled people who need it. That’s why we will replace it with a personal independence payment (PIP) that will help to ensure people get the right levels of support. 

I want to be absolutely clear that this will continue to be a non-means-tested cash benefit, paid in and out of work, and will continue to help disabled people with the extra mobility and care costs they incur. The way DLA works at the moment means that disabled people lose out on around £200million a year in underpayments. The new payment will be awarded following a more objective and transparent assessment process, which we are developing with the help of disability organisations.  

Our new DLA proposals will include reassessments over time – something that is lacking under the current system – to ensure everyone receives the correct amount as their needs change.

I know that change is worrying and I know that people want to be sure the government is listening. I regularly meet the organisations that took part in the march, including Scope, Mencap, RNIB and Mind. I will continue to work with disabled people and their organisations and listen to their concerns.

MARIA MILLER
Minister for Disabled People