Shock over 'buried' rule changes
Changes to disability benefits that were "buried" by ministers could affect tens of thousands of extra people and end up costing the taxpayer more, Baroness Grey-Thompson has said.The crossbench peer - one of Britain's most successful Paralympians - spoke out over plans for a 60% cut in the distance people should be able to walk to claim certain state help.
She said it had come as a "real shock" when it emerged the test was reduced from 50 metres to just 20 in the criteria for higher-rate mobility payments as part of a coming reform.
Ministers say scrapping the disability living allowance (DLA) and replacing it with Personal Independence Payments will target those in most need as well as saving billions of pounds. Officials claim the numbers receiving additional help will remain "broadly" stable and those able to walk further but not "safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a reasonable time may still qualify".
But campaigners said that the test was only in guidance and was excluded from the regulations and that there had been "no indication or discussion" of the change during extensive consultations.
Baroness Grey-Thompson said: "It was a real shock to realise that these changes had been incorporated into the plans for the new Personal Independence Payment, when they hadn't come up in the consultations, nor been debated in either House.
"They should have been part of the announcement made by the minister for disabled people, not buried in the paperwork. Twenty metres is a really short distance. If we don't incorporate the principle of 'reliably, repeatedly, safely and in a timely manner' into the regulations, there's no legal protection for claimants. We're bound to see a massive increase in appeals, clogging up the tribunal and court systems."
She also backed a report by campaign group WeareSpartacus which suggested to move from DLA to PIP could also have a "domino effect" on the economy - including the car industry. "The Government's own figures show this could affect 400,000 more disabled people; people who would get support under the current system but won't be 'disabled enough' come 2018. That's an impact on families, carers, employers, the NHS and social care providers," she said.
A DWP spokeswoman said: "It is not a tightening of the rules - we are clarifying the criteria after we received strong feedback in our consultation that it was unclear. We have already made significant changes to the assessment following feedback from disability organisations.
"Our modelling shows that, after this change, the number of people receiving the enhanced rate of the mobility component as a result of the 'Moving around' activity will be broadly the same."
Baroness Grey-Thompson said: "It was a real shock to realise that these changes had been incorporated into the plans for the new Personal Independence Payment, when they hadn't come up in the consultations, nor been debated in either House.
"They should have been part of the announcement made by the minister for disabled people, not buried in the paperwork. Twenty metres is a really short distance. If we don't incorporate the principle of 'reliably, repeatedly, safely and in a timely manner' into the regulations, there's no legal protection for claimants. We're bound to see a massive increase in appeals, clogging up the tribunal and court systems."
She also backed a report by campaign group WeareSpartacus which suggested to move from DLA to PIP could also have a "domino effect" on the economy - including the car industry. "The Government's own figures show this could affect 400,000 more disabled people; people who would get support under the current system but won't be 'disabled enough' come 2018. That's an impact on families, carers, employers, the NHS and social care providers," she said.
A DWP spokeswoman said: "It is not a tightening of the rules - we are clarifying the criteria after we received strong feedback in our consultation that it was unclear. We have already made significant changes to the assessment following feedback from disability organisations.
"Our modelling shows that, after this change, the number of people receiving the enhanced rate of the mobility component as a result of the 'Moving around' activity will be broadly the same."
© 2013 Press Association