Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Legal move over welfare changes

2 July 2011 Last updated at 07:56 GMT Wheelchair Disability Living Allowance is paid to 3.2 million people A group representing 270 disability charities is launching legal action to obtain a judicial review of the government's plans for welfare changes.

Ministers want to replace Disability Living Allowance with Personal Independence Payment, saving ?2bn.

But Disability Alliance said ministers had not properly assessed the negative impact of the changes and that they did not comply with the Equality Act.

The government said the plans were fair and would protect those needing help.

'Overwhelming evidence'

Under the proposals, benefits such as mobility allowances for people in care homes would be stopped.

The care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at the lowest rate of just under ?20 a week, which is paid to 650,000 people, would also go.

Disability Alliance said despite providing the government with overwhelming evidence of the negative impact it said the measures would have there has been no significant alteration to the Welfare Reform Bill.

Neil Coyle, from Disability Alliance, said: "We feel forced into taking action now. We have asked the DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] to answer our queries and concerns that we have been raising over the course of the past year.

"Disabled people are telling us what the potential impact of government cuts might be. The DWP has not answered.

"We feel we have no other option but to take action at this stage, which may end up with a judicial review of the government's DLA cuts."

More than half of the disabled people who use the DLA to support them in work would have to give up work if it was cut, Mr Coyle said.

"For many disabled people it helps to pay for an adapted vehicle, so if you can't afford to run a vehicle and that's what you're using the DLA for, there's a strong chance you won't be able to continue in work," he said.

"One in seven disabled people have told us that without DLA they won't be able to manage their health condition or impairment and they're more likely to have hospitalised periods, which cost far more to the taxpayer than paying, for example,?19.55 a week, which is the bit of the DLA expenditure the government is targeting for ending."

'Creating concern'

Ministers said they were listening to the concerns of the disability sector and the process was still ongoing.

Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller said: "We are still only part the way through this process.

"I think some of the concerns that have been expressed are second guessing what the outcome will be and probably creating a great deal of concern where perhaps there is no necessity to have that concern."

Disability Living Allowance is paid to 3.2 million people, including 1.8 million of working age.


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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Huhne urges energy supply changes

12 June 2011 Last updated at 04:45 GMT electricity pylon Scottish Power's rise in prices could be followed by other major suppliers Consumers should vote with their feet and switch to a different supplier if their power company raises its charges, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has said.

In an interview with the Observer, Mr Huhne said people did not have to take price increases "lying down".

He urged people to hit firms "where it hurts" by finding a cheaper supplier.

Scottish Power has this week announced big rises in gas and electricity prices and there are fears the other five major suppliers will follow suit.

Mr Huhne said: "Consumers don't have to take price increases lying down. If an energy company hits you with a price increase, you can hit them back where it hurts - by shopping around and voting with your feet."

Mr Huhne is expected to announce new measures this week to make it easier for smaller companies to compete in the energy market.

He said: "Right now, only one in five people switch suppliers. I want to see more switching, more competition and more companies in the market.

"The big six only have a few minnows snapping at them, who are kept artificially small. By scrapping red tape for small players they can become serious challengers and help keep bills down."

'Deep concern'

On Tuesday Scottish Power revealed price increases of 19% for gas and 10% for electricity from 1 August, affecting 2.4 million households in the UK.

The company blamed the rises on a sharp rise in the wholesale cost of gas.

Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has called for talks with the supplier over the move.

He said: "I am deeply concerned at the scale of Scottish Power's price increases and I am seeking an urgent meeting to hear why they think increases of this scale are justified.

"Any fuel price rises have an impact - yet these increases will leave many households, in particular vulnerable consumers, in real, real difficulty."

A spokesman for Scottish Power said the company always co-operated with parliamentary requests and it looked forward to the meeting with Mr Swinney.


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