Attached a a reply from my Labour mp with refs to cuts

Hi guys I have attached is a reply from my so called Labour MP with ref to her views on the welfare cuts to say I am disgusted is a under statement there is no Labour Party anymore sadly I will never vote Labour cheers Robbo
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PIP and Welfare Reforms (Case Ref: NC3800)

Thank you for contacting me about this important issue and I apologise for the delay in response.

On 18th March, the government announced its welfare reforms and releases the Pathways to Work Green Paper. The proposals are in response to a growing number of people across the country being on incapacity benefits long term. One in 10 working-age people in Britain are now claiming at least one type of health or disability benefit. 2.8 million people are out of work and classed as long-term sick and the number of people claiming health related benefits with no requirement to work has increased by 45% since 2019. We are the only country in the G7 to not see employment and economic inactivity rates return to pre-pandemic levels.

The system is not working for disabled people, and it is not working for the taxpayer. We need a welfare system fit for the future, that does not trap people on low incomes and excludes them from good work.

The current system creates a binary of fit for work and not fit for work when many people’s circumstances are more complex and fluctuate, with accommodating workplace settings people who want to work can work and stay in work long term, increasing their incomes, standard of living and their life chances.

There is a lack of support for disabled and long-term sick to get into work and there are peverse incentives in the system that encourage people to present as unfit for work in fear of losing their benefits. We are removing those perverse incentives from the system and protecting people’s access to additional support in and out of work so people can try work without fear of losing their benefits and livelihoods.

Programmes such as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for those with severe mental illness have shown incredible results in supporting people into work. The government will expand this programme to reach 140,000 more people by 2028/29 and other trailblazer programmes with support of local authorities and the voluntary community sector to give disabled people the same opportunities and chances as everyone else.

That is why I welcome the Government’s record £1 billion investment in tailored employment support for disabled people. This comes alongside efforts to break down barriers to work and create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. There are 200,000 people receiving incapacity and disability benefits who feel they could work now if the right job or support was available and 1 million say they may be able to work in the future if their health improved.

The government’s Plan for Change, is a joined-up approach between the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to bring down waiting lists and have people on a path of recovery sooner to enable more people the opportunity to access employment, stability and independence that is not available in the current system.

Crucially, the new "Right to Try" guarantee will ensure going back to work itself will never lead to a reassessment, giving people the confidence to take on new opportunities.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggests that benefit changes over the last decade have likely driven people into the most inactive parts of the economy. The Resolution Foundation have highlighted that ‘changes to the benefits system over the last decade have strengthened the incentive to claim incapacity and disability benefits. This is because, under the last government the real value of Universal Credit (UC) and out of work benefits fell significantly.

That’s why I support this government’s decision to increase the basic rate of UC to protect living standards while providing people the support they need for good and fulfilling work. This will be the first increase to UC above inflation, with a cash increase of £725 per year, on current forecasts, for a single household aged over 25 by 2030.

I understand the concerns you have raised regarding changes to disability welfare. People are understandably fearful when they hear about changes to the benefits system, and I want to be clear up front that the reforms announced by the Government will not result in any immediate changes to anyone’s benefits.

I believe that we need a welfare state that is there for all of us when we need it, now and in the future, that protects those most in need, and that delivers equality and dignity for all. There will always be some people who cannot work, and I assure you that they will be protected.

The Government is looking at ways to ensure that those who will never be able to work are afforded confidence and dignity by never having to go through reassessments, and it is proposing that those people continue to receive additional support through Universal Credit (UC). That’s why for those who have been deemed with Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activities (LCWRA) will not have to go through the process of bi-annual assessment again.

The broken Work Capability Assessment will be scrapped. This will simplify the process for attaining health-related benefits into one single assessment and end binary categorisations of can and cannot work, helping people who can work to access support to do so.

I was elected on a pledge to put the voices of disabled people at the heart of policy. A public consultation has been launched on many of the Government’s proposals, including changes to support for under 22s and a new Unemployment Insurance, as well as how those who may be impacted by changes to PIP can be supported. I urge any disabled person or representative organisation to contribute their views to this.

I am confident that these changes will enable disabled people to live with dignity, while making sure the welfare system is sustainable in the long term. This is essential, above all, for the people who depend on it.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

MP Nesil Caliskan