Respond to the Government's Consultation on Benefit Reforms

I don't get mad with people who go through life without vocation or the experience of the pleasure of a job well done, I feel sad for them, that they were not taught how properly to live by those whose job it was to instill a lust for life in them.

I also don't get angry about the benefits they claim, it's a drop in the ocean compared to the taxes evaded and corporate benefits that are paid out by the billions every year. A few poor souls wasting their life away at the bottom of a bottle are not the ones making the country poorer.

I have filled in my thoughts.

I had to stop myself from throwing the computer out the window.

I actually read some of the questions I found tried to put us in a box.

Label the disease and group people.

Instead of looking at the disability and impact. Are we really going back to a system of some disease would be seen as more disabling or real? I was a nurse for 23 years and the wording of many questions was so frustrating

I also hated the put into priority question.

Why should I prioritise surely these are all essential. Although I am not sure how to cover cost of all I need if things keep rising in cost

I actually believe some questions wording is very clever, and will cause answers to be misinterpreted.

I am very interested to see numbers of those who completed.

I have heard a lot of comments being made by those who are physically healthy who have completely believed PM and the sick note culture.

Id swap places with any body to get back on my feet and working, to be pain free, and not need help with every element of my daily activity. Id sell my soul to go back to pre 2021 when this suddenly happened.

Let's hope that it either gets changed post election or that those of us who are disabled or those who support us have our voices heard!

My family used to vote Conservative but the demonising act by Sunak to propose to destroy vital income for disabled people is surely breaking human rights laws .He isn't talking about a cut in PIP but threatening to abolish cash payments to the disabled reference PIP. I think Labour should be straight before the election and tell us how they propose to reform the PIP

Why can't we have reforms like Scotland converting PIP to Adult Disability payment

Paid by Social Security rather than DWP

Looks like the Scottish Government care about its people more than England

A voucher system just won't work in my opinion

A lot of disabled people I know depend on the PIP cash payments to pay cost of living daily expenses

I despair

I suspect Labour don't actually know how they want to reform the PIP system, and so are being deliberately vague on the subject. It may depend on what they have to deal with financially, or it may depend on the consultation, hence why we should still all fill it in as much as possible.

On the flipside, I don't believe Labour will impose vouchers or a catalogue. The cost of doing that in an organisation where the administration is already on the rocks makes me think that they will waste less money leaving it as cash payments, even if the benefit itself is overhauled. I DO think they will look at the high tribunal overturns and try and make that less of an issue, maybe by ensuring more accuracy in initial assessments, since tribunals do cost a lot of money to them as well as cause us a lot of stress and hassle.

So in short, I think there will probably be something happening around welfare and various benefits. I just can't see vouchers as realistic given the production costs and the risk of legal action from people with disabilities falling through the gaps.

This of course assumes Labour win the election. Whatever the polls say I prefer to wait for the result before assuming that.

Rachel Reeves did also say Labour would not get rid of PIP. I think that's all we have to go on with that…that and the promise not to force people who cannot work into work (whatever that means).

Whether the Tories are seriously intending vouchers and catalogues given the same costs are unclear, or whether it was just floated to try and attract a certain kind of voter…easy to play it up and put it in a consultation to attract attention then pull out on it afterwards saying they want the best value for the taxpayer. Never mind how it makes us feel in the meantime.

Reform UK want to abolish the Equalities Act and remove us from the ECHR, though. So the chances are they might have more drastic plans for various welfare benefits if they should be voted in (unlikely right now but who knows in the future).

Greens and Libs seem fairly sympathetic to disabled people.

Anything you’ve seen on any forum will be speculation. No one knows what may or may not happen! Best thing to do is not to speculate because it never helps anyone!!

@SummerLove Ah-hah, here's a paper about it But I'd still think your guy on the forum is just parroting a line rather than actually knowing anything.

https://www.mostewartresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/The-influence-of-the-private-insurance-industry-FINAL-EDIT-Jan-2015.pdf

@SummerLove It was to show people who didn't know, like me, I didn't know, what you were talking about, just an example.

Someone on the Internet can be anyone, meaning for instance some dude who says he works in insurance could be the night-cleaner who read some stuff he found on a desk in his tea-break.

I'd use a stronger word than 'propagandists' but not sure Scope would like it. No, not a rude one. Rhymes with a black bird or a chess piece.