Follow Me On Twitter

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Did Justin Tomlinson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Disabled People, mislead Daniel Zeichner, Shadow Minister for Transport, to spare himself and the DWP political embarrassment?

Please read: Personal Independence Payment: Motability: 25 Feb 2016: Hansard Written Answers - TheyWorkForYou http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-02-22.27713.h&s=disabled#g27713.r0

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have had their Mobility Scheme vehicle taken away as a result of personal independence payment replacing disability living allowance?

The date of Justin Tomlinson's written response is February 25, 2016; and he claims that the DWP does not hold this information. Yet, on February 3, 2016, the BBC reported that: Nearly 14,000 disabled people have mobility cars taken away - BBC News http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35476904.

It is reasonable to assume that Mr. Tomlinson knew this figure, but wished to spare himself and the DWP political embarrassment.

Of the nearly 14,000 disabled people who have had their mobility cars taken away, only 8,000 have received a £2,000 grant. This is based on the Motability figure of £16m, quoted in the BBC article.

There is a urgent need for a Parliamentary debate on the nearly 14,000 disabled people have had their mobility cars taken away. It's a deplorable situation and a grave and systematic violation of their human rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Up to 200 disabled people every week are losing their Motability vehicles, their jobs and independence, after being assessed for the government’s new disability benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), yet there has been scant attention paid to their predicament by the mainstream British media.