Last week in Parliament I attended the Disability Benefits Consortium’s (DBC) report launch where, in conjunction with over 80 charities, they provided recommendations of how Government could improve the support available for disabled people in receipt of welfare. He then heard from individuals who discussed their own experiences of the benefits system. The DBC, which represents disabled people and people with long-term conditions including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and mental health, is calling on the Government to make improvements that would enable a fairer benefits system that works for everyone.
Welfare reform has the potential to transform the lives of millions of people for the better and is much fairer than the old legacy benefits system. Nevertheless, it is always important to see whether improvements can be made, and in the past the Government has demonstrated it is in listening mode and willing to make improvements to better support claimants. That was demonstrated when I joined colleagues to successfully lobby for an additional £1.5 billion of support for Universal Credit’s roll-out. I am calling for Government to make sure that all support is given to disabled people and vulnerable claimants, and to ensure the necessary reforms are considered.
