The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Universal Credit (UC) has published a report containing a “list of practical recommendations for the changes that are required to UC, to enable it to better support those with an insufficient income”.
The APPG on was established for Members of both Houses of Parliament of all parties to be able to come together to discuss the experiences of their own constituents with UC, to receive advice and support from experts in the field, share best practice in supporting constituents and to monitor practical experiences of this critical policy as it is rolled out.
In relation to disabled people, the APPG report includes the following recommendations:
“On average, disabled people have a lower level of financial resilience than non-disabled people, with 83% of those eligible for Severe Disability Premium (SDP) saying they would have to cut back on food if their benefits were reduced.
Severe Disability Premium: Disabled people currently receiving premiums would see the greatest reduction in their support through moving to UC.
Once UC is fully implemented, people with additional care needs but with no adult to assist them will be entitled to about £64 less a week than those in the current system, and even the most disabled adults in the support group for ESA will be entitled to £42 a less a week than in the current system.
Recommendation: The APPG welcomes the halting of people with SDP moving onto UC but calls for a permanent solution to protect the vital support that people with severe disabilities receive through premiums.
Recommendation: The DWP must ensure that the disability elements of UC are at least equivalent to those which applied on legacy benefits. This would mean allowing people to gain access to an extra addition to UC, based on receipt of PIP or DLA, rather than just an assessment of work capability.”
Ken Butler DR UK’s Welfare Rights and Policy Officer said:
“We would strongly echo the APPG’s call for an introduction a disability element to UC to replace the disability premiums that have been cut from the system.
The DWP has now agreed to compensate those who lost the Severe Disability Premium (SDP) on moving to UC. However, this will not help claimants who only meet the conditions for the SDP only after they have started on UC. Disabled people face unavoidable costs as a result of their condition and cannot afford to lose substantial sums each year.”
A copy of the APPG's report and summary of recommendations is available @ https://appguniversalcredit.org.uk