uk! the government is running a consultation on it’s proposed reforms to health and disability benefits which could cut off vital, life saving support to thousands of people. here’s your chance to feedback, or, if disabled yourself, let them know how this will impact you- www.gov.uk/government/c... - ThreadSky

notanotheralex.bsky.social • 10 days ago

uk! the government is running a consultation on it’s proposed reforms to health and disability benefits which could cut off vital, life saving support to thousands of people. here’s your chance to feedback, or, if disabled yourself, let them know how this will impact you-
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper

Comments

artisanoftruth.bsky.social•10 days ago

Reform is needed, everyone knows someone who is scamming the system. If done right, which I very much doubt it will be, there should be more money for those who truly need it and the country as a whole.

meataumaton.bsky.social•9 days ago

Not only do I not know anyone who is scamming the system, I know many people who were fraudulently denied support until they challenged the ruling.

patricksamphire.bsky.social•10 days ago

Everyone thinks they know someone who is scamming the system. This is because of their own prejudices and lack of understanding of disability, and because they are not doctors and do not have access to strangers' medical records.

abookishgirl.bsky.social•10 days ago

I don’t know of anyone who is scamming the system. I do know many disabled people who are being completely fucked by the system, though. And they’re more important than some guy who might or might not be scamming, frankly. You can’t not help people “just in case” some random twat cheats.

artisanoftruth.bsky.social•10 days ago

Totally agree with you on this and it's always been a problem when governments try and crack down. The ones who need it get screwed while the ones who don't, seem to get around it.

It is still is a broken system that needs reform.

simon.farnz.org.uk•10 days ago

You can - the choice is between some corpses who needed help and didn't get it, or some fraud. You just can't choose "no corpses, no fraud".

Personally, I prefer some fraud to corpses. There's a reason card companies don't eliminate all card fraud, for example…

abookishgirl.bsky.social•10 days ago

I too will choose some fraud over any corpses, thank you. It seems so obvious a choice 🤷

simon.farnz.org.uk•10 days ago

It does to me, too, but I've met people who are insistent that no fraud is a hard requirement, and that given the hard choice between "no fraud, some corpses" or "no corpses, some fraud", they'll choose the option with dead people and less money spent.

Don't ask me why!

simon.farnz.org.uk•10 days ago

And worth noting in this context that, at a significant cost, banks could reduce card fraud to insignificant amounts (compared to the ~£0.5bn/year today).

We don't do that, because the cost of getting zero fraud is higher than the cost of the fraud. Same applies to benefits.

ollybain.bsky.social•10 days ago

*everybody knows someone who knows someone who they think is scamming the system but is probably not because if the DWP with all their resources can’t find much over 0.0% fraud what are the chances that you magically managed to uncover an epidemic of it?*

artisanoftruth.bsky.social•10 days ago

Overpayments due to fraud and error: 3.7% of total benefit expenditure (equal to £9.7 billion).
Overpayments due to fraud: 2.8% of total benefit expenditure (equal to £7.4 billion).

garrysutherland.bsky.social•10 days ago

PIP which is the disabled benefit being changed by this review has "fraud of 0.4%"

runesmithtk.bsky.social•9 days ago

Done

mandygmandibles.bsky.social•10 days ago

I've sent my response, but the last question - "Do you consider yourself disabled?" I do, and my GP and psychiatrist agree with me, but this one is just a "yes/no/prefer not to say". Even in their consultation they make you feel like a liar

lafuca.bsky.social•10 days ago

I dont easily jump to conclusions (smart, thats to say, keir).

queerbunny.bsky.social•9 days ago

Here are my responses if anyone is looking for inspiration. (I'm a disabled person on PIP and UC)

queerbunny.bsky.social•9 days ago

mxquitegood.bsky.social•9 days ago

I'll set myself a reminder to do this at some point. Right now I need to focus on looking for work, but when I get some time, I will be replying. I said as much in my letter to my MP; benefits need reform and need to pay better, but not at the expense of taking from those who are disabled.

notanotheralex.bsky.social•10 days ago

big thanks to @quietriotpod.bsky.social for flagging this up! i would HIGHLY recommend this pod- asides from their great political analysis, they offer a call to action each episode which is extremely helpful in the face of :gestures at the bin fire that is? everything???:

notanotheralex.bsky.social•10 days ago

p.s @quietriotpod.bsky.social- i think the link to this on the spotify show notes page might be broken? it took me to the .gov website, but it said the page couldn’t be found?

thanks!