Changes in the benefits system for sick and disabled people: How are they working out? What does the future hold?

The talk will cover a brief structure of the current benefits for sick and disabled people, the recent changes which have been introduced and the issues around these changes focusing particularly on the problems clients experience with the assessment process for the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). It will also consider the other changes, announced in the budget and the CSR but yet to be implemented, which will impact on this group. Finally it will look at the proposed long-term changes to the benefits system – Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Sue Royston has recently written 2 reports on the ESA. The report ‘Not Working’ focused on the problems experienced by CAB clients with the assessment process for ESA. This report was based on evidence from the 416 Citizens Advice bureaux in England and Wales and was endorsed by 18 other national organisations concerned with disability issues -www.citizensadvice.org.uk/not_working

The other report ‘Limited Capability’ looks at problems in the way ESA is administered -www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/campaigns/policy_campaign_publications/evidence_reports/er_benefitsandtaxcredits/limited_capability

Previously, whilst working as a welfare rights worker at a citizens advice bureau, Sue was seconded to the DWP to write a report on what measures were needed to make the UK’s benefit system simpler for claimants. The report ‘Simplification and the customer’ is available at: www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/simplification-and-the-customer.pdf