The proposed changes will force more disabled people into poverty. The proposals set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper is estimated to push at least 350,000 disabled people into poverty, including 50,000 children.
Losing access to Personal Independence Payments will prevent disabled people from accessing work. We have received some testimony from disabled people who would not qualify for PIP under the new requirements, who are concerned that, without access to the support they receive funded by PIP, they will be unable to access employment. This is because PIP pays for support that they require to be able to work, for example
Disabled people have not been consulted on an issue which could impact over 800,000 of us. The proposed changes to personal independence payment are not up for consultation and could pass without any input from the disabled people that this will affect.
Absence of proof for these cuts and lack of information for MPs prior to voting. We are concerned by the absence of information justifying these cuts. Welfare spending as a proportion of GDP is not set to rise for the next five years, increased numbers of disabled people requiring support can also be attributed to the increasing age of retirement, the mass-disabling coronavirus pandemic and increased prevalence of disability, which do not justify cuts which could force people into poverty.
Unintended financial consequences. We are concerned that these proposals would have unintended financial consequences and cause strain on public services. There is a link between access to support and healthcare outcomes, we are concerned that a lack of access to support will worsen disabled people’s impairments, will cause them to require more expensive healthcare and support needs in the future and cause unnecessary strain on public services.