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Means testing

android

Giving how the proposed means testing of disability benefits by the Govt, will be of grave concern to many of us. Whilst personally not being gifted at composing letters,was wondering if possibly someone from admin/members, could compose a draft letter for the benefit of members to forward to their MP on the subject please.

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Comments

janer1967

No point as yet as it hasn't been announced and could just be scare mongering

Also depends what the means test will be it could just affect those on well above average earnings and savings

Everyone needs to wait and see what the detail is

It is a concern but worrying about something that hasn't happened is a waste of energy

android

Many thanks for your reply, though would imagine once agreed in principal, that the damage is done and so was trying to prevent it from reaching that stage

janer1967

I get your point buf you can hardly petition against something we have no detail about as we don't know if or who would be affected

The only thing you could put is you disagree with the rumoured means testing of a disability benefit

You would get more traction if you could give examples of those affected eg how much they would lose and the impact but we don't know that yet

Tori_Scope

I think it's one to keep an eye on @android

Do you mind me asking if you'd be affected by this?

android

Hopefully not

[Deleted User]

janer1967 said:

I get your point buf you can hardly petition against something we have no detail about as we don't know if or who would be affected

The only thing you could put is you disagree with the rumoured means testing of a disability benefit

You would get more traction if you could give examples of those affected eg how much they would lose and the impact but we don't know that yet

I completely agree, it's all currently speculation and rumour. In the rare likelyhood that it does happen I suspect it would be restricted for higher earners like what happens with Child Benefit, above £50,000. It won't be anywhere near as restrictive as the means testing used for UC and ESA

nasturtium

Personally I think this is all just Rumor and your typical Conservative scare stories. They are basically signaling to there base voters. Lets look on it this way. If they made it means tested they would need to basically create a whole new benefit and it would neen to go through full scrutiny and then go through the motions of passing the house of commons and the lords. Then there is the human rights aspect and the welfare rights aspect because it would find strong objections in the courts of law.

Basically I am saying the idea will not swim. It is a non news story.

calcotti

nasturtium said:

Personally I think this is all just Rumor and your typical Conservative scare stories.

Although I am no fan it isn't even that - it's media hype based on a parliamentary response in which a minister refused to confirm they couldn't confirm that disability benefits will not be means tested citing the convention that minsters do not comment on matters leading up to a fiscal statement.

android

Many thanks for your comments, which hopefully are more so correct and that I was being unduly over concerned. It's just that given recent government actions and their total lack of compassion shown, I wouldn't put it pass them on trying it on

Cartini

nasturtium said:

Personally I think this is all just Rumor and your typical Conservative scare stories. They are basically signaling to there base voters. Lets look on it this way. If they made it means tested they would need to basically create a whole new benefit and it would neen to go through full scrutiny and then go through the motions of passing the house of commons and the lords. Then there is the human rights aspect and the welfare rights aspect because it would find strong objections in the courts of law.
Basically I am saying the idea will not swim. It is a non news story.

Actually.... it was the Tory minister refusing to say yes or no to a question when asked by a Labour minister, so it wasn`t a "typical Conservative scare story".

The media has taken the response of the minister to neither confirm nor deny, pushed it through the metamorphosing machine, changed most of the words round and then spat it out as sensationalistic journalism. Unfortunately, a good number of readers will take this manufactured tripe as gospel.

Taken from another forum, a response to a letter sent to his / her local MP:

"The Secretary of State’s decision not to comment on whether disability benefits would be means-tested or not when asked in the House of Commons Chamber on 31st October should not be regarded as either a confirmation or denial that they will go ahead but rather as compliance with a long-standing convention that Ministers simply do not provide a running commentary on what may or may not be in a major fiscal event."

Of course the media would ignore this.

As we used to say in the Navy: Why let a good story get in the way of the truth.

nasturtium

Cartini said:

Actually.... it was the Tory minister refusing to say yes or no to a question when asked by a Labour minister, so it wasn`t a "typical Conservative scare story".

I agree it was not a "typical conservative scare story" I was going to edit that out but by the time I logged back in I was over my 1 hour time limit to edit the post

So it is now sitting there for the rest of eternity

calcotti

nasturtium said:..I was going to edit that out but by the time I logged back in I was over my 1 hour time limit to edit the post

You can, if you wish, get posts edited by moderators after your own access has run out.

Cartini

nasturtium said:

Cartini said:

Actually.... it was the Tory minister refusing to say yes or no to a question when asked by a Labour minister, so it wasn`t a "typical Conservative scare story".

I agree it was not a "typical conservative scare story" I was going to edit that out but by the time I logged back in I was over my 1 hour time limit to edit the post So it is now sitting there for the rest of eternity

nasturtium

calcotti said:

You can, if you wish, get posts edited by moderators after your own access has run out.

Thank you Calcotti. I dont think it is really that important that I should trouble a mod. It was not meant to sound liike an "anti tory" post because I am not like that but after I read it again it did sound a little like that but it was not meant to. Like I said it is not really important