The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee is undertaking a short inquiry into the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper which seeks to impose drastic cuts on benefits.

Possibly in view of the short time available and the deluge of responses they would be likely to receive, they are not putting out a call for evidence, swo it will not be possible for readers to contribute.

The aims of the committee are:

  • to explore the issues with the social security system the Green Paper is seeking to address;
  • to explore the evidence of the impacts of welfare changes on poverty and employment;
  • to explore the experience of sick and disabled people of the current welfare system and their views on the impacts the changes could have on them; and
  • to explore the link between health status and worklessness, and the potential impacts of the welfare changes on health status.

Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams said:  

“While the Chancellor undoubtedly must respond to financial challenges, there are legitimate concerns regarding the proposed changes to our social security system which would lead to a cut in support for more than three million sick and disabled people and their families, especially if these cuts happen before employment opportunities emerge. It is therefore vital that there is full examination of the evidence of the likely impacts this will have on poverty and employment, as well as the health of sick and disabled people. Our social security system is meant to provide a safety net to support people, so that they are protected from poverty. But we know that there are already 14.3 million people living in poverty, and half of them are sick or disabled people who are not properly supported by our benefits system. We must ensure that new social security policy addresses this.” 

Read more on the committee website

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    · 1 hours ago
    @AB, exactly, where cuts are concerned, work shouldn't be in a conversation about pip, or pensioners.
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    · 2 hours ago
    I presume this won't be ready until AFTER MPs are asked to vote. :-(
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    · 6 hours ago
    "Taxpayers funded training for ministers to sell their controversial welfare cuts to the public."

    "Taxpayers funded the training ministers underwent when they were trying to sell their lies on their evil welfare cuts to the public, it can be revealed."



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    · 6 hours ago
    I would be worried:


    "The committee failed to cross-examine Reeves in detail about a key controversial change to universal credit, which is closely connected to the government’s disability employment policies."
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    · 6 hours ago
    Gingin, I have completed the carers uk survey, it's really good and as you say it's really important to do as it's a chance to get our voices heard. Also carers uk are going to appeal the chancellor to re think these cruel proposals so the more people who complete it the better. 
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    · 10 hours ago
    The committee chair says it would be bad especially before employment opportunities arise.   I get the point but it almost implies perhaps it wouldn't be bad or that bad if the jobs were  available. Words need to be chosen carefully at a perilous moment like this.   But the point is the majority of people that have been on these benefits for any length of time are virtually unemployable unless there was to be a culture change in equality of access to the workplace and support measures.  For the foreseeable future that likelihood is there won't be much by the way of recruitment generally let alone a new era of disabled access.  Not forgetting as well that the biggest part of this is pip and that's got nothing to do specifically with unemployment or employment it is just a benefit for recognizing the extra costs and challenges of disabilities itself whether you have a job or not.  
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      · 1 hours ago
      @AB Yes, AB, 'the biggest part of this is pip', thank you. Try telling that to @WorkshyLayabout.
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      · 6 hours ago
      @AB
      That's the thing, they want, and intend to make PIP a work related benefit.  I bet their planned review of PIP later is going turn it into a work related, means tested frankensteins' monster of what it was.  They'll tighten it up even further and make it an even worse  combination of PIP and the WCA, all based around the UNUM Provident Biopsychosocial model and the DWP will continue to be a disability denial factory.  You're not useful to us if you can't work, be productive, pay tax and serve your country under conscription.  If you're not a dead brain sat in a pool of your own bodily dysfunction, just waiting to be put out of your misery, you will get nothing.

      I hope to God I am wrong and the committee really do take them to task but I fear they will do nothing, achieve nothing and have no power whatsoever anyway.  I don't want to take the wind out of the sails so I will still try to hold onto a little hope.
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    · 11 hours ago
    This is really good news, it's good to know someone from Westminster has got our back. Thank you Debbie Abrahams for giving consideration to our sufferings. 
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    · 11 hours ago
    In an email from the Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Carers, he shared info about a survey Carers UK are doing to expose the impact of these proposals on carers and their families. Here's what he said and the link to the survey which i'd encourage any carers to complete. It's long, but I think it's worth us putting in every effort to do what we can to get our voices heard. Please respond to this survey if you can asap! Here's the extract from his email:

    We have also created a short survey to enable carers to tell us in detail about the impact the reforms will have on them and those they care for. We will use the results from this in the campaign we are running to oppose the reforms. If you would like to complete the survey, you can do so here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2W82GT2
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    · 17 hours ago
    Sadly I sense she is speaking with forked tongue, just like most of her colleagues. Read the last few sentences carefully and you'll notice that, although it sounds good initially, it's actually the same doublespeak Kendall and her DWP henchmen are spouting: "protect from poverty... not properly supported by benefits system... ensure new social security policy addresses this." In other words: WORK PAYS, AND WORK MAKES YOU FREE. 

    They're all the same, believing the "health of sick and disabled people" is compromised if we don't have the mandatory work ethic. Someone commented elsewhere that this is the government and DWP "marking their own homework" and I fear that that's the case. 

    I want to be wrong, and pray that I am. But it was reported yesterday that Kendall was out saying something yet more sinister. On the one hand she was implicitly chastising the Labour MPs thinking of voting this policy down, while on the other hand putting the country on notice that further cuts can be expected. As per, she contradicted herself by saying, almost in the same breath, that her policy is about the virtues of leading the sick and disabled to the panacea of work, AND it is an economic necessity. 

    We shouldn't be lulled into the delusion that the Work and Pensions Committee is fighting for us. That's what they want the faint-hearted among us to believe, for as long as it takes them to vote this rotten money Bill through. We mustn't stop actively opposing this while there might still be a chance of making some sort of impact on the process. 

    What we're seeing is a government who are trying to conceal their own failure. They don't have the talent, imagination, courage and acumen to rescue the economy on behalf of millions of healthy and able-bodied workers whose wages are going in ever-decreasing circles. Many of those workers are furious at their lot, so the government (along with a similarly cowardly opposition, on the whole) are encouraging them to blame a benefits system that previously supported sick and disabled people. The politicians won't confess to not being up to the job of creating an economy that provides a decent standard of living for the majority, so instead are scapegoating us. Abraham, for all her seemingly well-meaning platitudes, is one of them. 


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      · 2 hours ago
      @pollenpath Debbie Abrahams and Neil Coyle are two Labour MPs', along the former MP Dennis Skinner, have been fighting for the dissabled, and are MPs who actually understand dissabled/benefits issues.  If you watch the comissions, they fight for the Dissabled.  
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    · 20 hours ago
    Unless this was a different committee entirely, I believe Stephen Timms and some of his cronies had a meeting with them back in February where they essentially lied through their teeth and made out like they had the best interests of the disabled at heart when questioned about all this. It's not shocking that they're not happy about the Green Paper and what it proposes since it doesn't align with what Timms promised them, especially concerning an anecdote where an individual within his constituency lost his arm but managed to remain employment, only to then lose it and seek help from him as he was legitimately concerned that he would not be able to survive on benefits. 

    Timms and the rest of the Labour government lied and covered things up for the longest time and repeatedly stated they would take the concerns of disabled individuals on board. 

    Moment Ellen Clifford took the Tories and their proposals to court and won? That's when their whole demeanour appeared to change. Starmer stated he "likes a good fight" like he intends to personally mug the disabled in a dark alleyway. We're also suddenly "taking the mickey" according to Liz Kendall and Timms is also out here implying that being signed off sick is a choice we all actively make (because we're lazy, presumably), despite the story he told about the one-armed gentleman in his constituency contradicting this narrative.

    We were only worth listening to and worth sympathising with when they felt we would be doormats and it's borderline humorous how slick they thought they were.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 22 hours ago
    YES the Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams certainly has thought about the inhumanity of these proposals.

    All I do KNOW is there has already been irrevocable harm caused to us. Throughout the rest of our lives we WILL never forget this even if there was a complete u-turn to these atrocious unlawful proposals. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 22 hours ago
    It does appear that Deborah Abrahams is looking at this from a  humane perspective. 

    We have had very little of that thus far. 

    There are a lot of MP's who are absolutely horrified by what the proposals have done to us thus far even at the Green Paper stage. I just hope that there are more and that there is a back bench revolt of the like we have NEVER seen before, in our lifetimes. 
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    · 23 hours ago
    I agree SLB, it does appear that they do care and get that this is going to have a devastating impact Let's be honest just look at the state we are all in even at the proposal stage.

    I feel as if the proposals were aimed to scare and cause us distress from the outset. In order to ensure we felt oppressed. Hoping we would NOT have retaliated in any way back. 

    I do NOT know how this ends, none of us do at least Committee Chair, Deborah Abrahams is looking at this in a humanitarian way.  At least she is addressing us as human beings. The extent of the suffering and risk to life. 

    Starmer and co., from the outset with the language in which he used to intimidate us, when he said, 'I've got the balls' to do it. How utterly disgusting of him. He is NOT at the pub! 

    These proposals in many ways do NOT make any economic sense, whatsoever. We really have been used as scapegoats to blame the financial mess on us a mess that they have created since being in power.

    We were from the outset being subjected to this hateful discriminatory way of how we were being spoken about and spoken to. As if we were being put in our rightful places. In the Government's opinion. 

    Whatever, the outcome, a lot of harm has already been done to us. Harm that we are NEVER likely to forget and the impact is thus far irreversible in how it has exacerbated our already disabled and ill bodies and our minds.


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      · 2 hours ago
      @DJ I think the proposals are to scare us, but so that they can drive through some of the horrifying proposals if they u-turn on others, relying on us being so relieved we say"ok"
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    · 23 hours ago
    So how will the Committee be able to ascertain how claimants will REALLY be affected if people cannot send them comments?
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      · 10 hours ago
      @Jan Completely agree but I do think they will have a pretty good handle on the likely impact. 
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    · 1 days ago
    And for anyone who has a local election coming up, VOTE and give Labour a thorough kicking 
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    · 1 days ago
    Well it's better news than we've had lately, I'll take that. 
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    · 1 days ago
    I listened to John McDonnell on the Access to Work podcast this week and he was saying the same thing
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    · 1 days ago
    It’s a start!

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    · 1 days ago
    Well, at least it appears someone gives a damn.
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