Esa/atos.. Ask The Leaders A Question Bbc/itv/sky

[mikebach]

Is the DWP the Dickensian Circumlocution Office of today? What does the Government intend to do to improve the lives of the dying, the sick, the disabled and their carers given the condemnation by the recent Parliamentary Inquiry of the DWP and their contractor Atos Origin? Why did the Parliamentary Inquiry find that there are no statistics for after 2002-2003 from the DWP? Why are the medical conditions of those refused allowances not published? Why can't the HMRC pay allowances and pensions? Why can't the DoH (NHS) authenticate claims and forward their medical advice to the HMRC. Why do we need a nationalised recruitment agency when there are so many good ones in the private sector?

[pompeyfaith]

ive just had an email on behalf of Gordon Brown about DLA ill post it up soon as i can get to pc

[pompeyfaith]

Here you go from the office of Gordon Brown:

 

Dear Mr C,

 

I am writing on behalf of Gordon Brown, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, to thank you for your recent message and for your support of the Labour Party. The Prime Minister appreciates you taking the time to write and the comments that you have made in your message about disabilities have been read and carefully noted.

 

As you may be aware, the Prime Minister is currently travelling around the country during the General Election Campaign, meeting and listening to the concerns and ideas of many people like yourself. He has asked me therefore to respond on his behalf.

 

Labour is determined that the UK should always be a world leader in disability rights and we have legislated to provide protection against discrimination at work, while also offering new support for people into work. We will always seek to strengthen the rights of disabled people to access services, work and to be supported to make the choices they want to make in their own lives.

 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) supports Labour’s welfare reform agenda which supports people into work. It is paid to people with care and/or mobility needs irrespective of whether they are working. Those who qualify for the higher rate mobility component can use the Motability scheme to lease or buy a car, with further support to provide specialist adaptations.

 

We are bringing forward part of next year's increase to be able to raise Disability Living Allowance above inflation this year and from April 2011 we will extend the higher rate mobility component of DLA to over 20,000 severely visually impaired people, allowing them greater freedom to get out and about, either socially or to find work. At current rates this will mean an additional payment worth £30.45 a week to those who qualify (£1,583 per year).

 

Between 1979 and 1997, the number of people on incapacity benefits trebled, and people were left without the support to help them ever return to work. Over the last decade the employment rate for working age disabled people has increased from 42 per cent to 47 per cent, with the gap between the rates for disabled people and the general working-age population decreasing from 32 per cent to 26 per cent. In total, there are now an additional 576,000 working-age disabled people in work at the end of 2009 compared to the end of 1999.

 

Labour will ensure that if disability benefits for older people are reformed as part of the proposed National Care Service, people receiving the affected benefits at the time of reform will continue to receive the same level of cash support, under a new and better care and support system. We have also ruled out any changes to working age Disability Living Allowance as we establish the National Care Service

 

We strengthened the Disability Discrimination Act in 2005, fulfilling the Government’s commitment to a comprehensive and enforceable set of civil rights for disabled people, and in 2006 we introduced a duty on public authorities to promote equality for disabled people, known as the Disability Equality Duty. We are further strengthening disability discrimination legislation through the Equality Act.

 

By 2015 our £370 million Railways for All scheme will improve the accessibility of our train stations. Of this, £35 million per year is targeted at improving access at the busiest stations to ensure an accessible route within each station which includes providing step-free access. Labour has also introduced free nationwide off-peak travel on local buses for the over-60s and eligible disabled people in England.

 

I hope you find this information helpful.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

 

Best wishes,

Chris Murray

Office of the Leader of the Labour Party

Labour Party

39 Victoria Street

London

SW1A OHA

t. 08705 900 200

e. [email protected]

 

 

Sent by email from the Labour Party, promoted by Ray Collins on behalf of The Labour Party, both at 39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0HA.

Website: www.labour.org.uk to join or renew call 08705 900 200.

[ee-bee]

see my thread called labour poster,

[drone69]

I personally think the only way this will change is after someone wins a `medical malpractice` claim. I know for a fact I`ve got in writing that the AtoS nurse claims that in her `professional opinion` I`m fit to work and my condition will not change. A class action by people who have appealed and had the decision of the HCP working for AtoS over ruled by a real doctor is the only way I see the current situation changing. Just my opinion and you may or may not agree.

[ee-bee]

on the bbc web site ouch there`s a post inviting disabled people to join radio 4 in asking the three main parties questions,on this tuesday,not sure if this would be beneficial to anyone,just thought some may want to take a look

[pompeyfaith]

Here is the link to ee-bee's post above.

 

BBC - Ouch! (disability) - Messageboard Ouch! Talk - You and Yours/In Touch - Tuesday - Put your disability questions to the political parties

[pompeyfaith]

Ok put my question in:

 

My Question regarding Disability is:

 

The carers allowance earnings cap is this fair - my wife looks after two people in our household our disabled mum who we choose to look after thus saving the government a great deal of money and myself due to me having a major stroke.

 

Not only does she only get carers allowance for just one of us but it is also stopped for any weeks she earns over £100 in her part-time job so if she say does 1 extra hour as overtime she loses £53.90 how is that fair being penalised for doing extra work in a time when the government is encouraging people to work.

[ee-bee]

ah thanks pf,your an angel,(in disguise)it might be some help to some one

[pompeyfaith]

Well it was to me so thank you.

[ee-bee]

do you think it would beneficial to start a new thread with that link

[pompeyfaith]

Indeed I do because I expect a few people on this site would like to post there questions and it may get lost here.

 

So go ahead.

 

PF

[pompeyfaith]

Greetings All

 

This makes an interesting read from the Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusion, and although last year is extremely relevant.49 pages in the full pdf.

 

Centre for Analysis for Social Exclusion :Reducing the risks to health

 

It should also be noted that in the Welfare Reform Act 1999 introduced by Labour just after they came to Power that the tag line for the Act was "Work for those who can , security for those who can't " ...hmmmmmmmm

[COUNTMEIN]

on the bbc web site ouch there`s a post inviting disabled people to join radio 4 in asking the three main parties questions,on this tuesday,not sure if this would be beneficial to anyone,just thought some may want to take a look

 

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH" ee-bee... I HAVE ASKED THEM A QUESTION!!

BBC - Radio 4 - Contact You and Yours

[honeybee13]

Hello. Did anyone hear You and Yours yesterday? I put in a question too, but was unable to listen.

 

HB

[loan_ranger]

The "You and Yours" prog will still be available another 6 days on BBC I-Player listen again.

BBC iPlayer - You and Yours: 27/04/2010

[commiekips]

Here you go from the office of Gordon Brown:

 

Dear Mr C,

 

I am writing on behalf of Gordon Brown, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, to thank you for your recent message and for your support of the Labour Party. The Prime Minister appreciates you taking the time to write and the comments that you have made in your message about disabilities have been read and carefully noted.

 

As you may be aware, the Prime Minister is currently travelling around the country during the General Election Campaign, meeting and listening to the concerns and ideas of many people like yourself. He has asked me therefore to respond on his behalf.

 

Labour is determined that the UK should always be a world leader in disability rights and we have legislated to provide protection against discrimination at work, while also offering new support for people into work. We will always seek to strengthen the rights of disabled people to access services, work and to be supported to make the choices they want to make in their own lives.

 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) supports Labour’s welfare reform agenda which supports people into work. It is paid to people with care and/or mobility needs irrespective of whether they are working. Those who qualify for the higher rate mobility component can use the Motability scheme to lease or buy a car, with further support to provide specialist adaptations.

 

We are bringing forward part of next year's increase to be able to raise Disability Living Allowance above inflation this year and from April 2011 we will extend the higher rate mobility component of DLA to over 20,000 severely visually impaired people, allowing them greater freedom to get out and about, either socially or to find work. At current rates this will mean an additional payment worth £30.45 a week to those who qualify (£1,583 per year).

 

Between 1979 and 1997, the number of people on incapacity benefits trebled, and people were left without the support to help them ever return to work. Over the last decade the employment rate for working age disabled people has increased from 42 per cent to 47 per cent, with the gap between the rates for disabled people and the general working-age population decreasing from 32 per cent to 26 per cent. In total, there are now an additional 576,000 working-age disabled people in work at the end of 2009 compared to the end of 1999.

 

Labour will ensure that if disability benefits for older people are reformed as part of the proposed National Care Service, people receiving the affected benefits at the time of reform will continue to receive the same level of cash support, under a new and better care and support system. We have also ruled out any changes to working age Disability Living Allowance as we establish the National Care Service

 

We strengthened the Disability Discrimination Act in 2005, fulfilling the Government’s commitment to a comprehensive and enforceable set of civil rights for disabled people, and in 2006 we introduced a duty on public authorities to promote equality for disabled people, known as the Disability Equality Duty. We are further strengthening disability discrimination legislation through the Equality Act.

 

By 2015 our £370 million Railways for All scheme will improve the accessibility of our train stations. Of this, £35 million per year is targeted at improving access at the busiest stations to ensure an accessible route within each station which includes providing step-free access. Labour has also introduced free nationwide off-peak travel on local buses for the over-60s and eligible disabled people in England.

 

I hope you find this information helpful.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

 

Best wishes,

 

Chris Murray

Office of the Leader of the Labour Party

 

Labour Party

39 Victoria Street

London

SW1A OHA

t. 08705 900 200

e. [email protected]

 

 

Sent by email from the Labour Party, promoted by Ray Collins on behalf of The Labour Party, both at 39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0HA.

Website: www.labour.org.uk to join or renew call 08705 900 200.

Was there a disclaimer on this email?

[pompeyfaith]

nope as you see is how it is in full i just copied and pasted the whole email as is PF

[honeybee13]

Thank you Lone Ranger, I'd forgotten that.

[loan_ranger]

"You and Yours" prog was a disappointment, they got onto benefits after 38 minutes and no-one could say where jobs for the disabled are going to magically appear from in a recession. There was some guff about training and support - no sh1t, it still doesn't create jobs. So it was, more smoke and mirror obfuscation was the order of the day. Remploy got mentioned as providing jobs, what total and utter bovine manure, I seem to remember them laying off people a year or so back:

Remploy: 26 Nov 2008: Written answers and statements (TheyWorkForYou.com)

[ee-bee]

yeah,i agree,it wasnt much good,and i`m sorry if i wasted peoples time by posting the link,i really did think it was going to do us all some good:o

[honeybee13]

Well it still might, EB. You and Yours is a consumer programme and might be persuaded to broadcast something on disabled problems [if they haven't done so recently. Peter White, one of the, presenters, does a newsletter for disabled people, being blind himself.

 

HB x

[loan_ranger]

@ ee-bee, it was worth it for me (you posting). I was able to show-up the government for the lying toads they are by mentioning Remploy.

[loan_ranger]

The Work and Pensions Secretary of State Yvette Cooper, her Conservative shadow Teresa May and Lib Dems contender Steve Webb, outline their plans for welfare claimants on Employment and Support/incapacity/I.S. and job-seekers allowances after the election. From “The Daily Politics Election Special” BBC2 29/04/2010

 

 

Yvette Cooper said:

“we’ve seen some drops in the number of people claiming long-term sickness benefits, we’re also in the process of introducing a new assessment which focuses on what people can do and not what people can’t do, it’s finding that about 60% of people are able to work and are able to find some jobs, and that is now being rolled out to all of the people who are currently still claiming long-term benefits, they will all go through the new test.”

 

How can she lie like this, the DWP have said that there are no statistics collected on how many WCA failed claimants have moved into work. In a recent survey more than 60% of employers admitted they were against employing the sick and disabled, so what chance have we during the recession. Watch the video and I think you will choose to vote for the Liberal Democrats because the other two are complete b*******s with compassion by-passes who will have us doing full-time work-fare in return for JSA or have our benefits stopped if we refuse or are too ill/disabled to comply.

[Like-Im-Being-Ripped-Off]

The Work and Pensions Secretary of State Yvette Cooper, her Conservative shadow Teresa May and Lib Dems contender Steve Webb, outline their plans for welfare claimants on Employment and Support/incapacity/I.S. and job-seekers allowances after the election. From “The Daily Politics Election Special” BBC2 29/04/2010

 

 

Yvette Cooper said:

“we’ve seen some drops in the number of people claiming long-term sickness benefits, we’re also in the process of introducing a new assessment which focuses on what people can do and not what people can’t do, it’s finding that about 60% of people are able to work and are able to find some jobs, and that is now being rolled out to all of the people who are currently still claiming long-term benefits, they will all go through the new test.”

 

How can she lie like this, the DWP have said that there are no statistics collected on how many WCA failed claimants have moved into work. In a recent survey more than 60% of employers admitted they were against employing the sick and disabled, so what chance have we during the recession. Watch the video and I think you will choose to vote for the Liberal Democrats because the other two are complete b*******s with compassion by-passes who will have us doing full-time work-fare in return for JSA or have our benefits stopped if we refuse or are too ill/disabled to comply.

 

What a load of clap trap from labour and cons. it's kick a cripple time again i think it's a harsh time for us, if they get in we must fight back..

 

I agree lone ranger

Vote Lib Dems... they might be better for us it's worth a try i think it can't get any worse or can it.

 

Libro.