Disabled ask ‘proud’ Iain Duncan Smith how he can sleep after new benefits cuts

By The Press Association14th March 2016News EnglandBenefits, Disabilities, News England, Vulnerable Adults, Welfare / Benefits, Welfare Reform

Iain Duncan Smith has insisted he is “proud” of his welfare record after disabled people questioned how he sleeps at night following fresh benefits cuts.

The Work and Pensions Secretary was the target of fierce criticism from Opposition MPs as he appeared in the Commons for the first time since proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) were announced.

Around 640,000 claimants could lose out as a result of changes to the assessment criteria for PIP, which is designed to help people with extra costs associated with disabilities and long-term illnesses.

Labour’s David Winnick claimed the policy is the latest in the “ongoing Tory war against the disabled” while shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith warned it “laid bare” the values and priorities of the Government.

But Mr Duncan Smith told MPs that Government spending on sickness and disability benefits is increasing, adding he is “proud” money is given to the people who need it most.

Speaking in the Commons, Labour’s Mr Smith told Mr Duncan Smith: “Politics is always about choices, about priorities and about values and I think this last weekend we saw the values and the priorities of the current Government laid bare in their decision to implement a so-called welfare reform that will see £1.2 billion cut from the incomes of disabled people to pay for, we’re told, a tax cut for top-rate taxpayers.”

He added people who are unable to use the toilet or get dressed unaided will be affected by the changes, adding: “That comes on top of the cuts to ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) that went through the House last week.

“So before I came here this afternoon, I asked disabled people what question they would like to put to the Secretary of State and one answer stood out, and it was quite simply ‘How does he sleep at night?'”

Mr Duncan Smith replied: “Can I just remind you that under this Government, spending on sickness and disability benefits has risen every year, we spend over £50 billion – which is more than any other OECD country of our equivalent size, such as Germany.

“I’m proud of that, by the way, and even under these changes we will continue to see spending on PIP rise every year all the way until the end of this Parliament.

“As I said, I’m proud of that because what we’ve done to reform this is to make sure those in need get the full support that they do, to ensure that the way that we do it is fair to everybody and this represents 6% of all Government spending, which I have to say I’m proud of because by reforming the economy and reforming welfare we can get the money to those who most need it; unlike when they were in government – a lot of promises, a broken economy and cuts all round.”

Mr Winnick (Walsall North) later told Work and Pensions Minister Justin Tomlinson: “In view of Friday’s statement, why does the Government have such a compulsive need to hit out at disabled people at every opportunity?

“Don’t you realise how difficult it is for these people to lead their lives and yet at the same time their income is being undermined by the Government?

“This can only be described as an ongoing Tory war against the disabled.”

Mr Tomlinson replied: “I simply don’t accept that.

“We are increasing the numbers of people who will be benefiting from the PIP system, we continue to improve the claimant’s journey and we work extensively with our stakeholders to make sure that’s an ongoing improvement.

“By the end of this Parliament, we will be spending more money in this area than we are today.”

Earlier, SNP MP Peter Grant (Glenrothes) asked if Mr Duncan Smith was concerned by reports suggesting it would be “difficult and impossible” for the 640,000 people affected by the PIP changes to live independent lives.

Labour’s Carolyn Harris (Swansea East) questioned what “method of madness” led the Government to believe cutting PIP could help claimants into work or to live independently.