The Department for Work and Pensions has broken its silence after a judge found its plan to rollout cuts to incapacity benefits was “unlawful” and “misleading”. The DWP has suffered a set back in its plan to push through £3bn of cuts to incapacity benefits.
The High Court today (Thursday January 16) found the DWP had presented UK-wide incapacity benefit assessment reforms as a way to support disabled people into work without making clear the “primary rationale” of the proposals was cost savings.
The consultation failed to mention that 424,000 disabled people would see their benefits cut, many losing £416 a month, the judge found. A government spokesperson said: “The judge has found the previous government failed to adequately explain their proposals.
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“As part of wider reforms that help people into work and ensure fiscal sustainability, the government will re-consult on the WCA descriptor changes, addressing the shortcomings in the previous consultation, in light of the judgment. The government intends to deliver the full level of savings in the public finances forecasts.”
Documents released to the court also revealed that internal DWP estimates suggested the reforms to the “fit for work” test known as the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) would push 100,000 highly vulnerable disabled people into absolute poverty.
David Southgate, a policy manager at the disability equality charity Scope, said: “It’s good that the previous government has been called out for its mistakes. Proposed changes to the WCA were only about saving money, not meaningful change. Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled, and cutting support to those who need it most will lead to even more disabled people living in poverty.”
Ayla Ozmen, the director of policy and campaigns at the anti-poverty charity Z2K, said: “As the current Labour government sets out its own plans to reform the disability benefits system, the ruling sends a clear message that it cannot mask a cost-cutting exercise with claims of increased employment.”