Stephen Lloyd: I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. However, she will be aware that there is a significant difference between the benefits of universal credit, disability benefits and pensions. She will also be aware that certain newspapers are prone, when talking about the allegedly outrageous amounts of money that people on unemployment or disability benefits get, to look only at the...
Stephen Lloyd: Over the weekend, I was contacted by a number of parents of severely disabled children with very distressing news. Up until now they have been receiving five pads a day, because their children, grown up or otherwise, are very severely disabled. However, they have been told by the clinical commissioning group that that has been cut to three. This is incredibly distressing. Some of the parents...
Stephen Lloyd: ...the Minister, as he has been very helpful to me on a number of issues. Will he just give a commitment on the Floor of the House that the DWP will ensure that anyone who has missed out on severe disability premium will have retrospective payments so that, ultimately, they get what they are entitled to?
Stephen Lloyd: ...the Minister will give some feedback on these specific issues, so that the Department can improve the position. When people who are moved on to universal credit already have a medical condition or disability, they are immediately placed in an assessment period similar to the one that in which they were placed when receiving employment and support allowance. The problem is that the period...
Stephen Lloyd: I thank my right hon. Friend for securing this important debate. He will be aware that one of the successes during the coalition was our insistence that disabled children need to be educated up to the age of 18. That has been a real game-changer; however, the Government did not make it clear that transport for those children should be paid for; they left it discretionary—some county...
Stephen Lloyd: ...her a good life. Recently, Mr and Mrs Spence’s CCG recently told them that they would be allowed only three nappies a day. Without going into too much detail, we all understand that a very disabled 17-year-old girl—or any of us in her situation—would usually use six or seven nappies a day. They have been told that she can have only three. That is completely unacceptable, highly...
Stephen Lloyd: ...my constituency as well. I know one family that is losing just under £500 a month. As we in the Chamber all know, the reality is that these are substantial sums of money for some of our poorest disabled fellow citizens. There is no point arguing about it any more. That is why I think the request from the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) for an independent...
Stephen Lloyd: ...and Pensions Committee between 2010 and 2015, and we saw a lot of things in the same light. That is one of the reasons that I think today’s request is not unreasonable. Anyone who was born with a disability or acquired it when very young faces an enormous challenge to get work. I know this because I have been working in this area for more than 30 years. After the kerfuffle earlier today,...
Stephen Lloyd: I have to say to the hon. Gentleman, with genuine respect, that I think the Department is spinning to him on that. I know a lot about disability statistics, including all the different Government and DWP statistics, and I do not believe that it would be beyond the wit of man to come up with the model that gets over the particular hurdle he has talked about. My view is that the hurdle is not...
Stephen Lloyd: ...the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the draft Universal Credit(Transitional Provisions) (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, what representations she has received from disability charities on those draft regulations.
Stephen Lloyd: ...to the draft Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, what analysis her Department has undertaken to assess the effect of those draft regulations on (a) disabled people, (b) carers and families and (c) Information and advice services.
Stephen Lloyd: ...School in my constituency, which is a fantastic institution with a unit for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. I have been there many times and have always been a big fan of it. Deafness is a funny disability. I say that as someone who had been hard of hearing since I was about six. I have been involved with this issue for many years in various areas, including as a trustee of the Royal...
Stephen Lloyd: ...hon. Gentleman aware that one of the anomalies resulting from a change to the law a few years ago is that people have to be in education or training up to the age of 18, but—even if a person is disabled and cannot get to school or training on their own—there is no statutory obligation on a local authority to provide transport for 16 to 18-year-olds?
Stephen Lloyd: I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate. I have been involved in these issues for over 20 years. Equality legislation is crystal clear that disabled people and guide dog owners cannot be discriminated against in a range of areas; unfortunately, it is also clear that since the 2012 changes about applying for an adjudication against discrimination came into force, the...
Stephen Lloyd: I thank the shadow disability Minister for bringing the urgent question to the House. The Minister will know that the fact that at least £390 million is owed to tens of thousands of sick and disabled people—the most vulnerable people—is a shocking revelation. I have two questions. First, will the Minister give an estimate of how long it will take for the people affected to receive the...
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 May 2018, Access to Elected Office for Disabled People, HCWS695, whether a Deaf and Disabled People's Organisation or an alliance of Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations will be appointed to administer the funds announced to support disabled candidates wishing to stand in the local elections in May...
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that deaf and disabled people are able to stand for election and compete with other candidates on a level playing field irrespective of their chances of winning.
Stephen Lloyd: .... Friend is so right. We know that is true. Hon. Members will have spoken to their local headteachers and visited their schools. The number of teaching assistants has been slashed, and support for disabled children is under tremendous pressure. The schools are creaking—there are no two ways about it. I know that the budget is huge and there are thousands and thousands of schools across...
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the recruitment targets set out in her Department's paper Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability, what progress she has made on recruiting (a) Community Partners and (b) Disability Employment Advisers.
Stephen Lloyd: ..., what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend s1.3 of the Children Act 1989 to better define the classification of disability as incapacity to parent.