Statement from Carer Watch and Pat's Petition
Hi there
Pat’s Petition and CarerWatch are issuing this statement today.
It’s a bit of a shock for us to have departed so far from the Labour Party.
This isn’t where we hoped to be by now.
Frances
Emergency Ceasefire for ESA
Statement from Pat’s Petition and CarerWatch
Pat’s Petition and CarerWatch have tried to find out from all parties
whether, if elected, they would call a halt and make time to put right the
mistakes that have been made in welfare reform for disabled people and carers.
Thousands of people have signed petitions asking for the government to assess
the impact of all the changes before continuing with the experiment. We have
asked for a ceasefire on ESA until they can prove that work programmes are
successful.(1)
Our findings are that the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru are
supportive of these views.
The Conservative and Labour Parties are not.
Many thanks to all of you who have supported the Emergency Ceasefire
campaign.
Please pass this statement on to everyone who may find the information
helpful in deciding how to cast their vote.
The Contradiction that makes the WRAG(2) Inhumane
The primary legislation for ESA defines sick and disabled people awarded
ESA as having a condition that means that they are not required to work.
However the conditions in the WRAG for the last five years – mandatory work
activity enforced by sanctions and a time limit of one year – is a regime that
appears to require people in the WRAG to find work within a specific timescale.
This is in contradiction to the legislation.
This is despite the evidence that continues to show that people in the WRAG
don’t and can’t find work: the work programme isn't working.
There is now also a terrible legacy of the many sick and disabled people
who have been through the WRAG but have not found work within a year, and then
been unjustly timed out from ESA. The disappeared.
Continued at http://carerwatch.com/emergency-call-for-ceasefire-in-welfare-reforms-2/
Continued at http://carerwatch.com/emergency-call-for-ceasefire-in-welfare-reforms-2/
Notes
(1) ESA = Employment & Support Allowance, the out-of-waged work disability benefit introduced by a Labour Government in 2007 to replace Incapacity Benefit
(2) WRAG = Work Related Activity Group
No comments:
Post a Comment