Welfare reforms could see 30,000 disabled people lose benefits
Nearly 30,000 disabled Scots could lose entitlement to disability benefits as a result of UK Government welfare reforms, according to a new report.
The Scottish Government research looked at the impact of welfare policies affecting disabled people, including the replacement of disability living allowance (DLA) for working-age people with the personal independence payment (PIP).
The report found while 45% of those being re-assessed for the new benefit are expected to see their award increase, 44% will initially have their payment cut or removed completely.
It estimated around 30,000 disabled people could lose their entitlement to non means-tested disability benefits, with those worst affected losing benefits worth more than £7,000 a year if disallowed for PIP.
The report also said that between 7,000 and 10,000 disabled people a year could be affected by the removal of the work-related activity component of employment support allowance (ESA).
Those affected could lose up to £29 a week every year until the policy is fully rolled out, it concluded.
Social security minister Jeane Freeman said: 'The Scottish Government is committed to full equality and human rights for disabled people, and we have published an ambitious delivery plan to help us achieve this.
`It is therefore with dismay that we see in this report the impact of the UK Government's unrelenting strive for austerity.
`Like Universal Credit, these cuts are failing the very people they are designed to support. They are causing unnecessary hardship and suffering to people across the country.
`The UN's Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued a report earlier this year which is damning of the UK Government and rightly highlights the changes urgently needed to halt the damage they are causing.
`That is why I've written to Penny Mordaunt, the minister for disabled people, calling on them to take action.
`The UK Government must listen to the cacophony of voices and growing evidence telling them about the damage their policies are causing and stop their assault on disabled people.'