UN task force slams Britain’s disability cuts
Co-author of report has demanded state-funded prostitutes for disabled
THERESA MAY is braced for criticism of her welfare policy after a controversial United Nations task force concluded that disabled people in Britain are unfairly bearing the brunt of austerity cuts.
The UN report, due to be published in the next fortnight, is expected to be highly critical of the UK’s support for people with disabilities or serious health conditions.
Ministers are planning to fight back by arguing that the findings are out of date, and by questioning the credibility of the authors, one of whom has called for state funding for disabled people to visit prostitutes.
A leaked draft of the report by the newly formed UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities says Britain should spend more money on welfare payments to cover the ‘extra costs associated with living with a disability’.
The report, seen by The Mail on Sunday, also calls for the Government to ensure that ‘appropriate mitigation measures’ are put in place ‘for persons with disabilities affected by austerity measures’. A senior Whitehall source said they intended to ‘push back hard’ by pointing out that the UK spends more on disability welfare than the average among developed countries. The source added: ‘This committee has chosen the UK for its first report and we fear they are trying to make a name for themselves.
‘Their evidence period runs up until the end of 2015, so it is already out of date. We intend to point out that the UK spends around £50billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions, which is over £6billion more than in 2010.’
One of the authors, Stig Langvad, has argued that the Danish government should pay for disabled people to visit prostitutes, saying: ‘Sexual frustration can be a major problem for the disabled, and in some cases the last solution is to visit a prosti- tute. Politicians can debate whether prostitution in general should be allowed, but if it is, why should the disabled be the only ones prevented from having access to it?’
Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green set out plans last week to confront the ‘prejudices and misunderstandings’ which prevent those with physical and mental health difficulties from finding employment. He said he wanted to raise awareness of the health benefits of being employed and to make clear that ‘the idea that sitting at home living on benefits is in any way good for people – particularly people with a mental health condition – is completely wrong’.
Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns said last night: ‘If the UN’s benchmark is spending taxpayers’ cash on prostitutes, no wonder the common-sense policies of the UK fall short.’