Urgent - Government Proposals To Axe Dla And Aa

[3333333]

Social Services will probably carry it all in their cars:rolleyes:

[Undercover-Elsa]

They'd need a Winnibago! LOL

[littlewillie]

Hi All, according to Steve Donnison (Benefits & Work) campaigner, it was stated by Phil Hope (Care Services Minister), at yesterdays Labour Conference, that DLA would not be abolished.

I'd just like to add that he was most magnanimous having just repaid £42,000 in MP's expenses for household items for his London home?

 

Dear Will,

In what may represent a dramatic victory for campaigners, Care Services Minister Phil Hope yesterday told a reporter at the Labour Party conference that DLA is not under threat by the care green paper.

According to the Disability Now website, Phil Hope, when asked if he would abolish DLA after the election, replied:

“No. All the models that we have done have not included DLA. But if people were to make a case to integrate DLA into a comprehensive system, then I'm very happy to hear that case and have those arguments.

"DLA is not under threat and people can be very happy".

For more details and our reaction, visit: www.disney.go.com/mickey//news/latest-news/1110-dla-is-not-under-threat----be-very-happy-says-government-minister

We know that some people will claim that the minister’s comments are evidence that campaigning to save DLA was unnecessary. It’s a claim, however, that can only be be made by ignoring such as the following.

 

1 Earlier this month the DWP press office said in relation to whether DLA would be scrapped: “It depends on what people say in the consultation. We need to see what people say when they respond.”

 

2 The same minister who is now saying DLA is not under threat wrote to MEP Liz Lynne just a fortnight ago stating that: “. . . this is a consultation exercise and no final decisions have been made about which disability benefits might be involved, or how they would be affected.”

 

3 The same minister also refused to rule out the possibility of DLA being axed in an interview earlier this month with Disability Now.

 

4 Last month CPAG claimed that it had received assurances from ‘senior sources’ at the DWP that DLA was not under threat. Just four days later CPAG revealed that it had “subsequently been contacted by the DWP who have said that no decisions have been taken as to the future of DLA whilst the consultation is ongoing.” CPAG then went off to lobby the Department of Health on the issue.

 

5 For almost two months national charities such as the MS Society have tried, but failed, to get clarification from the government as to whether DLA would be affected by the care green paper.

 

6 Just last week, David Behan, the Director General of Social Care at the Department of Health, published a blog post on the Big Care Debate website clearly trying to reduce the flood of hostile responses. He could have easily done so by saying outright that DLA would not be affected by the green paper – he didn’t.

 

The reality is that, if the government have now stepped back from an attack on DLA before the care consultation has even ended, it is because of the literally thousands of angry responses on the Big Care Debate website, the thousands of signatures on petitions, the torrent of angry letters to MPs, the motions before the Scottish and Welsh assemblies and the growing pressure from disability charities who were themselves under enormous pressure from outraged claimants.

It’s because the focus on the single issue of benefits is fast becoming a public relations disaster for a green paper signed by no fewer than six secretaries of state.

Above all, if there’s been a change of heart, it’s because you have fought so effectively to protect the benefits of disabled people.

Here at Benefits and Work we don’t know if the fight is yet over for DLA, but we do know for certain it’s only just begun for AA.

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

 

LATEST DLA AND AA THREAT ARTICLES

CPAG admits DLA is not safe

CPAG admits DLA is not safe

DLA threat website tries to stem hostile responses

DLA threat website tries to stem hostile responses

Scrapping DLA is an option confirms DWP

Scrapping DLA is an option confirms DWP

Is the Big Care Debate being nobbled?

Is the Big Care Debate being nobbled?

Scottish and Welsh assemblies campaign for DLA and AA

Scottish and Welsh assemblies campaign for DLA and AA

No 10 DLA and AA petition needs you

No 10 DLA and AA petition needs you

“DLA is not under threat . . . be very happy” says government minister

?DLA is not under threat . . . be very happy? says government minister

Please feel free to forward or publish this email.

Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd

www.disney.go.com/mickey/

Company registration No. 5962666

© 2009 Steve Donnison. All rights reserved.

[Bookworm]

But if people were to make a case to integrate DLA into a comprehensive system, then I'm very happy to hear that case and have those arguments.

Translation: Damnit. Foiled again. Quick, plaster a big fake grin on and pretend it was never our intention to touch it.

 

[littlewillie]

You've got it in one Bookworm. I was just the messenger for the previous post, but can see straight through them. Why do they naturally think that we were all born yesterday or we're as green as the grass?

The other anomaly that I picked up was, Phil Hope answered, "there are NO plans to axe DLA if I am in office after the next election"

What chance have CONSERLabourVATIVE got of being re-elected?

"CONSERLabourVATIVE" is my definition of Labour in Conservative clothing.

Regards, Bill.

[Bookworm]

There is that of course.

 

My worry is that even if Labour drop it hand on heart, the Tories will be looking at ways to cut costs anyway and traditionally do so by picking on the weak and vulnerable, and may well look at the paper and think "oooh, what a great idea". I've already heard one of them saying that Tax Credits, arguably one of Labour's greatest ideas, would not be safe with them, and IDS wanting to cut benefits from 50+ to just 2 is nothing short of lunacy!

 

I know, I KNOW, people will insist on getting ill, disabled or otherwise be a drain on the public resources, what a nuisance!

[littlewillie]

Dear Will,

It’s a start, but nowhere near enough.

Health secretary Andy Burnham has said that he has ‘heard the concerns and worries about disability living allowance’. As a result, he has announced that:

“I can state categorically that we have now ruled out any suggestion that DLA for under-65s will be brought into the new National Care Service.”

Good news indeed . . . for some . . . for the moment.

But definitely not for the one and a half million people who depend on AA.

Nor for the for the three quarters of a million people aged 65 and over who receive DLA.

Not even for the 400,000 DLA claimants currently aged between 60 and 64, many of whom will have reached the age of 65 by the time labour’s proposed National Care Service is introduced.

Because, of course, DLA is not just paid to people under 65. You have to make your claim before you are 65, but you can then go on claiming indefinitely if your needs do not change.

Unfortunately, many organisations who should know better seem to have forgotten that – perhaps just as the government hoped.

Because Mr Burnham made no secret about why he made this announcement: he wants to shut people up. He said in his speech, given at a conference in Harrogate on 22nd October and also published on the Big Care Debate website:

"One avenue I do want to close down, however, is the debate and controversy over Disability Living Allowance.”

In that ambition, he seems to have succeeded, at least so far as some disability charities are concerned.

Immediately following Burnham’s speech, Disability Alliance sent out a press release stating that:

“. . . the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) benefit will not be affected by Government plans to merge some benefits with social care funding . . . Andy Burnham's announcement will reassure disabled people that DLA is safe – for now at least.”

The Disability Charities Consortium told the media:

"This represents a real victory for disabled people who felt very strongly that the DLA should be retained and made their collective voice heard on this issue. "

Macmillan Cancer Support also issued a press release saying that:

“Whilst we are pleased the Government has said Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will not be used to meet the shortfall in social care funding, we remain deeply concerned that Attendance Allowance (AA) is still under threat.”

But that isn’t what Andy Burnham said at all. He said DLA for under 65’s is not being considered.

This was echoed by Yvette Cooper, the DWP secretary of state who told a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME on 21st October that DLA for people of ‘working age’ is not under review.

It was also made clear by Burnham that there will be no transitional protection of existing awards for current claimants. Instead, ‘an equivalent level of support' will be provided by your local authority.

Burnham’s announcement seems to have had the desired effect, however – the ‘debate and controversy’ over DLA appears to be over as far as some disability charities are concerned. Yet, in a little over two weeks time the deadline for submissions on the green paper ends.

It’s vital that the case for saving DLA for all claimants is still made. Only now there is a real worry that not only have the disability charities relaxed, but also that Burnham will claim that because 3,000 submissions to the Big Care Debate were made before his announcement that DLA for under 65s is safe, they should mostly be discounted.

If you don’t want the government to get away with closing down ‘the debate and controversy over Disability Living Allowance’ there are things you can do.

Contact disability groups you have a connection with and warn them that they still need to respond to the green paper in relation to both DLA and AA.

Respond to the Care Green paper yourself, again if necessary, making it clear that you are aware that DLA for under 65s is not under consideration and giving your views on axing AA and DLA for people aged 65 and over.

http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/execsum/

Email: careandsupport@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Rouse people to sign the No 10 petition, which is gathering real momentum again: it now has over 19,000 signatures and is at number 8 out of over four and a half thousand petitions on the site. Not bad going for a petition that has been running for less than two months.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/AttendanceA/

Tell your MP what you think or, better still, go and visit them and tell them face-to-face.

One final thought. The revelation that the government is considering slashing the income of 2.5 million older disabled claimants was made by Andy Burnham in a keynote speech last week.

The subject of that speech?

Outlawing ageism in the NHS.

 

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

 

Please feel free to forward or publish this article, which is also available online at: http://www.disney.go.com/mickey//news/latest-news/1118-dla-saved--for-some

Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd

www.disney.go.com/mickey/

Company registration No. 5962666

POST YOUR NEWS

Finally, remember that you can post your news in the Benefits and Work forum, if you’re a member, at:

http://www.disney.go.com/mickey//forum?func=showcat&catid=13

and/or in the free welfare watch forums at:

http://welfarewatch.myfineforum.org/index.php

You can also keep up with news about opposition to the green paper at the Carer Watch campaign blog:

http://carerwatch.com/cuts/

[banker_rhymes_with]

Hello Folks!

 

Just a word of warning to say that I think the email lists in relation to the AA/DLA Campaign Group have been compromised (not the CAG Forum I hasten to add, but the Web Site/Email Campaign mentioned at the start of this Thread).

 

I had subscribed to the AA/DLA Campaign, but signed up with a unique email address, as I now tend to do when ever I sign up for any Forums or email lists.

 

I am now starting to get Spam to that email address, and it is not one that could have been guessed. None of my other many email addresses are receiving Spam, so it's 99.99% positive that the email list in relation to the AA/DLA Campaign has fallen into the hands of a Spammer.

 

One came in this morning with the title...

 

"Elite Casino Game !!!Get 3500 now!!""

 

I regret this is just a warning, because if your email address has been compromised, there is not a lot you can do about it other than to add the sender to a junk email list.

 

In my case, I will just delete the email address that I set-up specifically for the AA/DLA Campaign, which will at least stop them reaching me.

 

Sorry to spread bad news, just letting people know in case they are getting new Spam and have no idea where it is coming from.

 

Cheers,

BRW

[marie6666red]

is it too late to sign the petition.

[The GodMother]

yes

[angelstorm]

*Ssigh* It has to be the ones that need money the most that have to pay the price of the fat cats mistakes!!,

 

I have problems as it is getting my Care needs and funds to help with any adaptations and going out, I do not know what that is.

I`m a 36 yrs old women and I live in a very small villiage in Suffolk which is a big county and our Social Services have never got funds for anything and are always in debt themselves.

This is very unfair and I`ve forwarded the link on to other Disabled groups in the area.

 

Angelstorm.(A Prisoner in her own home!) would like to see what a weekend break feels like!!