Work & Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith has insisted that reform of disability benefits is needed and that planned changes will go ahead.
It has emerged that half a million people are to lose the Disability Living Allowance over the next four years. However, Mr Duncan Smith told the
Daily Telegraph the number of people claiming it had risen by 30% in recent years, with many people "allowed to fester".
Under the changes, two million claimants would be reassessed in the
next four years, with only those considered to be in need of support
able to qualify. The government is consulting on the proposals, but Mr Duncan Smith argued a new benefit had to be introduced.
He said: "It's been rising well ahead of any other gauge you
might make about illness, sickness, disability or, for that matter,
general trends in society. "A lot of that is down to the way the benefit was structured so that it was very loosely defined."
The allowance is currently claimed by more than three million people -
but it is due to be replaced with a "personal independence payment",
which ministers say will focus on those most in need. Mr Duncan Smith said the current system had been exploited
and abused because of political fear about reforming a benefit for the
disabled.
Disability campaigners have warned ministers that the new assessment
must be fair, otherwise people with serious disabilities could lose the
money they need to cover costs such as maintaining wheelchairs and using
specially-adapted cars.
For Labour, shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "This
government has approached the vital reform of disability benefits with a
mix of contempt and carelessness. Mr Duncan Smith wants to cut at least a fifth - almost £2.2bn - off the £13bn annual bill, according to the Daily Telegraph.
You can read more about this story on the BBC News website here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18054734
