Stop the Tories from hammering disabled
THERESA May doesn’t get out much. It’s too risky these days – she might bump into a real person.
Which is exactly what happened in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, when Cathy, a woman with learning disabilities, confronted the PM.
Cathy’s income was cut when she was moved from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment.
She is not alone. Hundreds of thousands are being hurt across the UK as a result of Tory cuts to social security. Many are disabled people.
In Scotland, the Tory UK Government will have cut £1billion a year from welfare spend by 2022 – with £0.25billion coming through changes introduced last month alone.
May had no answer for Cathy. That’s because these cuts to the most vulnerable are indefensible.
In the Scottish Parliament yesterday, we debated these cuts, with many MSPs sharing stories from constituents.
I highlighted cuts to motability vehicles, which happen when an individual loses the higher rate mobility component of PIP.
The charity Muscular Dystrophy UK have found that 900 disabled people a week are losing their disability vehicle in the UK.
Many affected individuals use the vehicle to get to work. And losing a car can mean losing your job, too.
Ironically, 75 per cent of these unfair DWP decisions are overturned SCOTS comedian Janey Godley has struck gold with her voiceovers during the general election.
Her latest of the Prime Minister is especially hilarious.
Theresa May is addressing factory workers about her priorities for government. “Am gonnae bring back fox hunting cause I know ye’ve been worried sick… “she said.
“Me. Big Jinty, Agnes, Big Lisa fae Castlemilk, we’re aw gonnae get the rid coats oan, head doon and get the foxes. Cause that’s important.”
Watch it on her Twitter feed, @janeygodley.
But while we can all laugh, there’s a serious side. Bringing back fox hunting really is a Tory priority.
“Big” Theresa, unlike Janey, is serious about ripping animals apart. on appeal. But that takes months, by which time the car is gone.
This is exactly what happened to a constituent.
The gentleman was employed and works hard. He suffers from scoliosis and is an amputee with a full-length artificial leg. He has a brace attached to his back and walking or standing for any period of time was excruciating for him.
I quoted him in yesterday’s debate.
He told me: “If I had to use public transport, I would need to walk a long way to work – it is not practical as I would be in agony by the time I got there.
“Every day is different when you have an artificial leg like mine. You might have a good day where you get it on OK. But on other days it can take a long time to get semicomfortable. Some days, I have to force it on because I know I have to get to work but at the weekends when I have problems like that, then I wouldn’t wear it.
“The weather has as impact on me, too. If it’s icy or snowing, I would have a problem going out without a car. If it is really windy, I struggle as the wind just catches the back of my leg and I struggle to stay upright.”
The DWP removed his motability car – a man in excruciating pain, with an artificial leg, who struggles to stay upright.
He was deemed not to need the higher rate of PIP mobility allowance. After six months, he won his case on appeal – because that is independent of the DWP. But by then he had lost his car. That case is not unusual. Another constituent, a lady this time, was threatened with the loss of her vehicle, again after losing the higher rate of PIP mobility.
She has osteoarthritis, lymphedema and a damaged vertebrae. Since first being assessed for disability benefits a number of years ago, her condition worsened and she developed an additional illness, fibromyalgia.
What is the logic when a doctor confirms a person’s illness has got worse but the DWP claim she deserves less?
One of the problems is that private firms such as ATOS are contracted by the DWP to carry out the initial assessments. I am so proud that when responsibility for PIP moves to Scotland, the SNP will bar these firms.
Holyrood’s Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman said: “One of our fundamental principles is that profit should never be a motive nor play any part in assessing or making decisions on people’s health and eligibility for benefits.”
Unfortunately, although PIP will come to Scotland, most benefits affecting disabled people, such as Employment and Support Allowance, will stay with Westminster.
That’s why it’s so important we don’t give the Tories a free hand to do what they like.