Means testing

android
android Community member Posts: 4 Listener
in PIP, DLA, and AA
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.

Comments

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    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
    android Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    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
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    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
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,443 Championing
    I think it's one to keep an eye on @android :) 

    Do you mind me asking if you'd be affected by this?
  • android
    android Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    Hopefully not
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 174 Listener
    edited November 2022
    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
    nasturtium Community member Posts: 373 Empowering
    edited November 2022
    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
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited November 2022
    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
    android Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    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
    Cartini Community member Posts: 1,107 Trailblazing
    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
    nasturtium Community member Posts: 373 Empowering
    edited November 2022
    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 :D

  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    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
    Cartini Community member Posts: 1,107 Trailblazing
    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 :D

    :D:D:D

  • nasturtium
    nasturtium Community member Posts: 373 Empowering
    edited November 2022
    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 :smile:

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