Esther McVey MP – New Minister for Disabled People
The new minister for disabled people has agreed to consider fresh demands for the government to assess the full impact on disabled people of all of its cuts and reforms to benefits and services.
But Esther McVey, who replaced Maria Miller as minister last month, offered no suggestion that she would attempt to soften cuts to spending on disability benefits, particularly to working-age disability living allowance (DLA).
McVey, who was appearing at a joint meeting of disability-related all-party parliamentary groups to discuss the impact of welfare reform on disabled people, claimed that DLA spending had risen “exponentially”.
She said that spending on disability benefits was one fifth higher than the European Union average, while the government spends about £50 billion a year on disabled people.
But McVey said that while she was “happy to meet with people, listen to the concerns”, she said she would also explain to those lobbying her the “conditions and constraints we are working under”.
Julie Newman, acting chair of the UK Disabled People’s Council, said she believed that the concerns revealed by The Tipping Point – last week’s report by The Hardest Hit campaign alliance on cuts to disability benefits – were just “the tip of the iceberg”.
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She says she is willing to listen but can’t do anything about it.
But what she wants to do is yack on about government policy.
We damn well know about government policy all to well.
So in other words she isn’t going to listen, it is just a charm offensive.
With stress on the offensive.
ps I could not comment on FB nor would it even let me like the article >:(
*too
and what “conditions” and “constraints” is this “poor” being living under, the same as the rest of the leeches in the two houses of parasites.
Exactly, the biggest bunch of parasites are the ones running the country. It is their incomes/high expenses; which need cutting, not the benefits of the genuinely sick or disabled.
They have given her the job of minister for the disabled because she doesnt give ATOSs. “They are all in it together”
It’s great is it not?Banks can be bailed out using quantitative easing,but the same cannot be applied to the vulnerable poor. They say they hear us,but not one of them is listening.
“Save your precious vote, none of them are worthy of it”
One may as well invite a thief into ones home & tell them to help themselves.
what is the point of having a “Minister for the Disabled” when they have no say??? sack her and pay a disabled person to have a small glimpse of hope.
just another puppet that ids pulls the strings on and we know hes not for changing you should have seen her on tv over the wkend she got hounded by the shadow mp anne.mcguire who give her whot its mps like her give me hope jeff3
The Tory Toffs will do their damned to take us further back than 1920′s and unless the rest of the so far unaffected General Public wake up to this fact the longer ill-treatment of any group will continue.
The new Maria Miller and just as ugly too.
Listening to Duncan-Smith fielding any criticism from the opposite political party in The Commons; “they instigated the WCA!” he sounded rather like a man from the-last-chance-saloon. As if there is some tacit agreement that this thing really is NASTY: the elephant-in-the-room living on borrowed time. It has reached some degree of prominence and the best they can do is pay lip-service through Harrington, and deflect any blame for it – That is their weakness. It’s heading down the hill, obliquely, from that position. The disc-pads are positively burning out, you can almost smell the asbestos disintergating under the strain of such a heavy load [of bollocks] that is IDS and the prevarication of the new Minister [against] Disabled as they obfuscate for as long as they possibly can — and extended, probably.
I’ve never understood why we have a “Disabled Persons Minister” they never represent disabled people, the post should go to a disabled person who truly understands the needs of the disabled community and not an ex TV Presenter who is just an old Chris Graylin brown noser?
Now that makes sense,wonder why politicians never come up with the obvious.