In answers to questions on the progress of the Disability Strategy, the Government remained silent on the legal ruling that found the Disability Strategy unlawful.
In the debate last week, Conservative peer Baroness Scott of Bybrook said the Government was “making strides, going forward and delivering”. She didn’t respond to a question from the Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Thomas of Winchester, who asked for a timescale on the consultation of the strategy following last month’s ruling.
Instead, Baroness Scott replied “…we are continually talking to stakeholders and charities for disabled people, locally and nationally. There is a commitment across Government to do that.”
Since the ruling, the Department of Work and Pensions has been denied permission by the High Court to appeal against the decision.
Head of Policy at Disability Rights UK Fazilet Hadi said: “The debate was about the National Disability Strategy. The Government should have been open about the court ruling and set out what steps it proposes to take to genuinely engage with Disabled people and DPOs in advance of renewing the Disability Strategy. With the lives of Disabled people worsening against almost every measure, a transformational Disability Strategy is needed more than ever.”