Boris Johnson quote from the #spartacusreport

The government proposes imposing penalties if disabled people do not inform the government in changes in their circumstances. However, the Department of Work and Pensions statistics give the overall fraud rate for Disability Living Allowance as being less than 0.5%. For those with fluctuating conditions asking them to report every change to their condition would prove very stressful.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

Christine Hamilton supports the principles behind the #spartacusreport

Most of us are lucky enough to take the basic functions of mind and body for granted, give or take the creaking of age.  But, equally, many of us know someone who is not so fortunate, either within the family or as a friend, or even a friend of a friend. 

To enable the most vulnerable people in our society to reach their full potential, we, as a community, must give them the support they need.  Changes will always need to be made to adapt to different circumstances, but we must never lose sight of the fact that those who will be affected by any change (or their immediate carers) must be consulted at every stage.

Christine Hamilton, author and media personality

Hardeep Singh Kohli supports the principles behind the #spartacusreport

The definition of a civilised society is one that makes it a priority to support the most vulnerable. Any major changes which affect the lives of sick/disabled people should not be made without their support and advice. The main issue for these groups is that they have been continually overlooked and seldom respected.  Now is not the time to overlook them. Now is the time to listen and act.

Hardeep Singh Kohli, writer, comedian and broadcaster

Val McDermid, crime writer, supports the principles behind the #spartacusreport

How we treat our vulnerable citizens is a measure of a civilised society. The way to do that is not to make high-handed decisions on their behalf but to consult directly with them about their needs and how those needs can be met. It's surely not too much to ask of a government that constantly tells us we're all in this together.

Val McDermid, best-selling crime writer 

Humza Yousaf MSP supports the #spartacusreport

We all want to see a simplified and fair welfare system. However, as a nation we have a responsibility to ensure we support the most vulnerable in our society. The UK-led Government’s proposals are deeply flawed because they hit those with a disability the hardest and that is why it was entirely right for the Scottish Parliament to withhold legislative consent. Hopefully the message will be loud and clear that the UK Government has to go back to the drawing board, find its conscience and bring forward fair proposals that we can all gather round.

Humza Yousaf MSP
MSP for Glasgow 

Joanne Harris, best-selling author of Chocolat, supports the principles behind the #spartacusreport

One of the criteria for a civilized society must surely be how we support the most vulnerable people among us; the elderly; the disabled and those who have long-term illnesses. I’d like to think that this country is civilized enough to do that, and that its leaders are humane enough to consider their responsibility fairly. Sometimes, however, our leaders can be curiously hard of hearing. Let’s hope that this report helps them to hear the voices of those  who need to be heard. 

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, the Runemarks series, etc

Reform has to be responsible #spartacusreport

I don't often blog about politics, but some things are too important for me to ignore.

The Welfare Reform Bill is currently making it's way through the UK Parliament. There are very many things wrong with this Bill, but I'll concentrate here on some of those affecting people with disabilities.

If you're unable to work due to sickness or disability, you get Employment or Support Allowance. (People on the previous benefit, Incapacity Benefit, are gradually being migrated over.) There are two types of ESA - one depending on your National Insurance contributions, and one depending on your income.

The Welfare Reform Bill will bring in a change so that if you're on the contributory version, and you have a partner who's earning any more than a pittance, your benefit will stop after a year.Yes, just like that. No matter how much poverty that plunges your family into.

Then there's Disability Living Allowance. The WRB proposes that this should change to a new benefit, tentatively renamed Personal Independence Payment. The Government made proposals about this, and put them out for consultation. All very good, I hear you say. What am I moaning about?

A new report, Responsible Reform, has been entirely drawn up by severely sick and disabled people. Using Freedom of Information requests, they have discovered that the Government misled MPs and peers about the level of hostility to disability benefit reform. Nearly all respondents to the consultation were opposed to the changes - up to 100% to some specific changes. This is the absolutely opposite to the Government's claims.

The consultation period was a sham anyway: it was two weeks shorter than the time-scale in the Government's own Code of Practice, this time was over Christmas anyway, and the period ended 2 days after the Bill was presented to Parliament.

So who's being responsible here? The Government, rushing ahead before consultation is complete, ignoring the results of the consultation, banishing couples and families to extreme poverty? Or the report authors, using the information from FOI requests thoughtfully to point up the flaws in the Government's actions and arguments?

I know which side my (benefit) money's on!