Following the statement from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on reforms to the welfare system, I want to lay out the approach, aims and impacts of those reforms outside of media speculation and sensational headlines.
I think it is important to note that Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are not generally paid in Scotland where the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is the equivalent. This means any reform of this element of the welfare system lies with the Scottish Government.
I believe fundamentally that we need a welfare state that is there for all of us when we need it, now and in the future, that protects those in need, and that delivers equality and dignity for all.
There will always be some people who cannot work, and this Labour Government will always protect them. However, the broken welfare system we inherited is failing the most vulnerable in our society whilst placing an unsustainable burden on others. In Scotland one in ten young people are now not in work, training or education. With more incentives not to work for people who want to and all the emphasis on trapping people in a broken benefits system, everyone has been losing.
Preventing people falling out of work
In England the Government is already tackling the drivers of people falling out of work by investing an additional £26 billion in the NHS to ensure people can get an appointment if they’re sick whilst bringing in a landmark Employment Rights Bill to protect workers everywhere in the UK if they fall ill during work. There will also be consultations on a new unemployment insurance that will help people get back on track if they fall out of work, giving them a higher rate of benefit. We need the Scottish Government to use the largest increase in the block grant to bring about similar improvements in the Scottish NHS.
Boosting employment support
The Government announced £1 billion extra per year for employment support. Scotland will receive a proportionate share of this funding. It must be used by the Scottish Government to improve employment support.
Making Universal Credit a support not an incentive
The Government is addressing the perverse financial incentives not to work by rebalancing the payments in Universal Credit.
Scrapping ridiculous ‘Work Capability Assessments’
The Government will scrap the detested Work Capability Assessment (WCA) entirely.
‘Right to try’ for people who want to work
The Government will remove barriers to work by ensuring that going back to work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment. This ‘right to Try’ will give people the confidence to take on a job knowing that if it doesn’t work out, they won’t have to start from scratch.
Protecting Personal Independence Payments
There will be no freeze to these payments and no introduction of means testing. The Government will be consulting on focusing PIP in England, Wales and Northern Ireland more on those who are unable to complete activities at all or who require more help from others. PIP is generally not paid in Scotland so it is for the Scottish government to announce their plans for equivalent benefits here.
I believe the Government is well intentioned in trying to get people into work whilst still providing the safety net to those most vulnerable.
In Scotland PIP has been replaced by the Adult Disability Payment (ADP). However, I know from the number of cases I have dealt with that ADP has long waiting times, with many applicants having to wait over 4 months for their application to be processed. I will continue to fight for my constituents to have their applications processed both speedily and fairly.
As a constituency MP my job is to stand up for East Kilbride, Strathaven, Stonehouse and our villages, so I will be scrutinising these changes in detail to see how they impact us.
I welcome peoples’ views and questions.
