Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 2 November 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has carried out (a) a disability impact assessment and (b) any other impact on the effect of his proposed changes to benefits on disabled individuals and families.
Public authorities are legally obliged to pay due regard to the promotion of equality in carrying out their functions. These duties mean that all public bodies need to consider the impact of their decisions on people with disabilities when these decisions are made. The Department carries out equality impact assessments to ensure that the impact of decisions on people with disabilities, as well as other groups such as people from ethnic minorities, is taken into account.
The equality impact assessment for the reassessment of old-style incapacity benefits customers is available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/875/pdfs/uksiem_20100875_en.pdf
The equality impact assessment concluded that the reassessment would have considerable significance for disabled people, but that disabled people would not be exposed to particular risk.
An equality impact assessment was carried out for the measures announced in the 2010 spending review. This is available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_equalities.htm
The impact of the proposal to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance for customers in the work related activity group is included in this equality impact assessment. The equality impact assessment is clear that some people with a disability will be affected by the time-limit for contributory employment and support allowance, but that this will be mitigated for the most severely disabled and those on low incomes as neither the support group nor customers in receipt of income related employment and support allowance will be subject to the time limit. A full equality impact for the proposal to time-limit contributory employment and support allowance for customers in the work related activity group will be published as a part of the equality impact assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.
The proposed changes to disability living allowance will be introduced as a part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill. An equality impact assessment for all changes to disability living allowance will be published as a part of the equality impact assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.
Yes2 people think so
No1 person thinks not
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