On Wednesday – 20th June, following Prime Minister Question Time, there will be an Opposition Day** debate in the House of Commons about ‘disability benefits and social care’. This will be an opportunity to debate some of the issues raised by Pat’s Petition, but we emphasise that it will not cover everything.
Pat’s Petition calls on the government to stop and review all the changes affecting disabled people and carers. While disability benefits and social care are two significant parts of the support given to disabled people, there is a bigger picture which must include reform of the NHS in England, the end of legal aid, changes to local authority budgets, housing benefits, Surestart and more.
Pat’s Petition is currently using the term ‘Cumulative Impact Assessment’ (CIA) to describe what is needed – an assessment that looks at the impact of all the changes taken together. A CIA has also been recommended by bodies including the Joint Committee of Human Rights and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
We hope that the government will take heed of all these requests for a CIA and that the debate on Wednesday will reference it.
Pat’s Petition now has over 38,000 signatures. Please continue to sign and share the link so that we reach 100,000 signatures to request a full debate on the impact of all the changes, not just disability benefits and social care.
We urge you all to take note of the debate, follow it online here, tweet comments adding the hashtag #CIA, add to Facebook and blogs. Add comments below.
Most importantly urge your MP to attend.
Pat x
**Opposition days are days allocated in the House of Commons in each session for the discussion of subjects chosen by the Opposition. There are 20 days allocated for this purpose per session and the Opposition generally uses them to raise questions of policy and administration.
Tags: benefits, blindness, carers week, carerwatch, disability, disability living allowance, employment support allowance, hardest hit, independent living, mental illness, Pat's Petition, personal independence payment, spartacus report, universal credit, welfare reform
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Please end this diabolical harassment of the sick and disabled. Press releases constantly shout about fraudulent disability claims. They also scream that nobody has any checks, or medical, to verify their illness/disability. This is rubbish. Every claimant has medical at the outset of claims. And doctors sign the sheets stating the problems their patients have.
The disabled have enough problems in their daily life without these non-elected bullies hounding them to an early grave. One man died at his local assessment centre. Some time later, his wife receive notification that his claim had failed. And then, this bullying “government” pays the CEO of ATOS a million pound bonus!!!
Something is far far rotten in this state of bullied.
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