Call to protect Batley and Spen’s pensioners from Brown’s plans to scrap benefits
3,160 people could lose their disability benefits across Batley and Spen warns PPC Janice
Janice Small, PPC for Batley and Spen, voiced her opposition to Gordon Brown’s new plans to scrap disability benefits for the elderly in Batley and Spen. The small print of Labour’s plans to create a National Care Service reveals they will scrap Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance for pensioners to pay for it.
An average £3,400 a year will be snatched away from 2.4 million pensioners – equivalent to a quarter of the average pensioner’s income. In Batley and Spen, this would affect 3,160 pensioners – 1,850 who receive Attendance Allowance, worth an average of £60 a week, and 1,310 who receive Disability Living Allowance, worth an average of £75 a week.
Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance are based on need; they are not means tested and are intended to cover the extra costs arising from the impact the disability has on the life of the disabled person. The key feature of these benefits is that they can be spent by disabled people how they wish, without restrictions, to best support their individual care needs.
Janice said:
“Gordon Brown has chosen to penalise one of the most vulnerable groups in our society for the sake of another of his eye-catching announcements. As with every Labour initiative, someone has to pay and, as with many of them, it is once again those who are least able to afford it who are hit by Brown.
“These benefits provide vital support for disabled pensioners, giving them the chance to lead an independent life with the freedom to tailor their care to their needs.
“When I talk to pensioners in the constituency their main concern is the benefits that will be taken away from them, rather than what they might gain under Government. They should not have to live with this constant threat.
“Of course, we need to do more to help people with their care costs, but it is completely wrong to do so at the expense of disabled pensioners. Conservatives will protect Batley and Spen’s pensioners and fight against Gordon Brown’s plan to scrap benefits for the disabled.”
Notes to Editors
LABOUR’S PLANS TO SCRAP DISABILITY BENEFITS
First step to a National Care Service : Gordon Brown has said that the free home care package “is just a first step”. He said: “In the New Year we will publish detailed plans for a new National Care Service and I am clear that this will be the first domestic priority of a new Labour Government in the next Parliament” (Daily Mail, 18 November 2009).
£18-£21 billion cost of a National Care Service : After the Labour Party conference, when Gordon Brown first announced his plans for free home care as a the first step to a National Care Service, Conservatives asked how much his plans for a National Care Service would cost. The Department of Health responded: “A National Care Service could cost the State between £18.2 billion and £20.7 billion in 2014, depending on the funding model chosen” (Hansard, 12 October 2009, col. 758W).
Disability benefits to be cut to pay for it : When the Government first launched their Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, in July, which set out the options for a National Care Service, Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: “The foundation of our proposals is the idea that our existing investment to help people to deal with the costs of care can be better spent by combining investment in social care with disability benefits, particularly attendance allowance. That is at the heart of our proposals today” (Hansard, 14 July 2009, col.162).
Which benefits will be cut? In a speech on 22 October 2009 to the National Children and Adult Services conference, Andy Burnham clarified which benefits will be cut. He said: “One avenue I do want to close down, however, is the debate and controversy over Disability Living Allowance. We recognise that this is an important benefit for disabled people, and I can state categorically that we have now ruled out any suggestion that DLA for under-65s will be brought into the new National Care Service. This is because, whilst there will be increases in the numbers of disabled people of working age who need care, the majority of the people needing care in the future will be older people. However, we do think there may be a case for bringing together elements of some disability benefits, such as Attendance Allowance, with social care funding, to create a new care and support system to provide for the needs of older and disabled people.” Andy Burnham therefore made clear that the benefits at risk are Disability Living Allowance for the over-65s and Attendance Allowance (which is only paid to the over-65s).
WIDE CONCERN OVER THE PLANS
Disability Alliance : The Government’s plans will “cut support and restrict choice for disabled people” ... “We support disability living allowance (DLA) and AA as national, non-means tested benefits paid to disabled people to meet their higher living costs. We have provided research and evidence on the higher costs of living that disabled people experience. DLA and AA were intended to help with the higher costs of living disabled people and their families experience, and to help tackle the link between disability and poverty. We believe placing either or both of these funds in the pool for Local Authority distribution could cut support and restrict choice and control for many disabled people” (House of Commons Library Debate Pack, Social Care Green Paper, 29 October 2009, p. 48).
RNIB/Action for Blind People : “very strongly opposed to the loss of this important benefit” ... “In July 2009 the Government published a social care Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together to address the challenge of growing demands on England’s social care system. One very big minus was the proposal that Attendance Allowance (AA) should be abolished and the money used to help plug the gap in funding for social care. RNIB agrees that this gap needs to be plugged - but not at the expense of AA. We are very strongly opposed to the loss of this important benefit.”
http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/yourmoney/Pages/attendanceallowance.aspx
RADAR : “more people would fall into poverty” ... “RADAR is adamant no one is getting their mits on vital extra-cost benefits. These benefits are to help meet a wide range of extra costs not just care, but extra heating, laundry and so on. Take them away and people would lose choice, control and independence and more people would fall into poverty.” http://www.radar.org.uk/socialcare.doc
QUOTES THAT CONTRADICT LABOUR’S DENIALS
14 July 2009. The Social Care Green Paper says disability benefits could be used to pay for a National Care Service: “We think we should consider integrating some elements of disability benefits, for example Attendance Allowance, to create a new offer for individuals with care and support needs” (Department of Health, Shaping the Future of Care Together, 14 June 2009).
14 July 2009. The Impact Assessment on Social Care Green Paper includes taking £6.1 billion in disability benefits, particularly Attendance Allowance, in cost estimates: “The estimates make a number of assumptions, including that funding from some disability benefits, for example Attendance Allowance (AA) could be drawn into the care and support system to deliver a new and better offer” (p.3).
14 July 2009. Andy Burnham says cuts to these benefits are ‘the foundation’ of his plans in Social Care Green Paper debate: He said: “The foundation of our proposals is the idea that our existing investment to help people to deal with the costs of care can be better spent by combining investment in social care with disability benefits, particularly attendance allowance. That is at the heart of our proposals today” (Hansard, 14 July 2009, col.162).
13 October 2009. Lords Questions: The Government says that no cuts to disability benefits have been ruled out. The Government’s Work and Pensions spokesman, Lord MacKenzie of Luton, said: “My Lords, the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, proposed that one way to deal with the challenge of an ageing society may be to bring some disability benefits and the new care and support system together into a single system as a better way of providing support. At this stage, we do not want to rule out any options and so are considering all disability benefits”. When asked specifically to confirm that “neither component of the disability living allowance, whether paid to present or future recipients over as well as under 65, is being considered as a possible source of funding for social care”, he responded: “currently no particular benefit is ruled out of consideration. We are conscious of the fact that DLA is overwhelmingly used by people who are under 65, and obviously care needs are overwhelmingly for people who are older” (Lords Hansard, 13 October 2009, cols. 111-113).
22 October 2009. National Children and Adult Services conference: Andy Burnham confirms plans to scrap Attendance Allowance. In a speech on 22 October 2009 to the National Children and Adult Services conference, Andy Burnham clarified which benefits will be cut. He said: “We do think there may be a case for bringing together elements of some disability benefits, such as Attendance Allowance, with social care funding, to create a new care and support system to provide for the needs of older and disabled people.”
18 November 2009. Yvette Cooper interview, BBC News: The Government will not rule out abolishing disability benefits for over-65s. When asked by Eric Pickles whether she planned to take disability living allowance away for the over 65s Yvette Cooper could only confirm that “the disability allowance needs to continue for working age.” She refused to rule out abolishing Disability Living Allowance for the over 65s or Attendance Allowance.
ABOUT THESE BENEFITS
What are these benefits? Attendance Allowance is a non-means tested, tax-free benefit for people aged 65 or over who need help with personal care because they are physically or mentally disabled. Disability Living Allowance is a non-means tested, tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled. People would claim either one or the other of these benefits (Directgov website).
How many people receive these benefits? There are 1.6 million people claiming Attendance Allowance and a further 800,000 over-65s claiming Disability Living Allowance (DWP, May 2009). This is 2.4 million elderly people in total.
How much money will they lose? The average amount of weekly Attendance Allowance each person receives is £60; the average amount each person over 65 receives each week in Disability Living Allowance is £75. That means that in total, these people could lose around £8 billion a year in benefits. The average income a pensioner receives is around £250 a week (Office of National Statistics, 27 January 2009). This suggests that some pensioners may lose around a quarter of their income.
LOCAL FIGURES
Sources: DWP, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, Attendance Allowance, all cases in payment, May 2009.
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/aa/ccparlc/ccaaawd/a_carate_r_ccparlc_c_ccaaawd_may09.html
Disability Living Allowance, figures for the over 65s, cases in payment, May 2009.
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/dla/ccparlc/cnage/a_carate_r_ccparlc_c_cnage_may09.html
(Wesminster) Parliamentary constituency of claimant |
Attendance Allowance |
Disability Living Allowance
(over 65s) |
Total |
|
|
|
|
Great Britain |
1,585,790 |
792,380 |
2,378,170 |
|
|
|
|
Batley and Spen |
1,850 |
1,310 |
3,160 |
Picture: Janice in Batley town centre with a town pensioner
|
