Benefits plan a 'clear attack on disabled people'
The Labour Party laid out major concessions to the bill in the hope of defusing rebels after more than 120 backbenchers threatened to vote down the governments plans.However, despite watering down the bill, which MPs will vote on in the House of Commons on Tuesday, dozens of Labour MPs are expected to vote against it.About 80 Labour MPs would have to vote against the bill for the government to be defeated. The benefits system is devolved in Northern Ireland but in practice the Stormont administration mostly copies what is happening in England and Wales.The Northern Ireland Executive does not have the resources to mitigate Labour's plans, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said.
'Discriminating against
Andrew Hamilton, who has cerebral palsy and receives Pip, told Good Morning Ulster said changes to the government's plan could, on a surface level, be seen as a "positive step" but they were "political concessions". "The system needs to be more user-centric, it needs to be more focused on what the disabled person can do."To get people back into work they need to put measures in where disabled people aren't discriminated against and employers are supported."Mr Hamilton, who founded the Just Include UK campaign group, said that the government bill "is not the answer".Pip supports many disabled people to continuing working, the cost of transport to maintain employment," he added."The government needs to support people instead of trying to take away stuff."
What are Northern Ireland's MPs saying?
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Gregory Campbell told Good Morning Ulster that while the government's position has "changed slightly" he will vote against the proposed bill. "The marginalised and the people who are going to be most directly affected are going to be impacted very negatively by the government's proposals."I think the overall welfare budget has to be addressed." He added that he did not believe anyone could argue against bringing the "massively increasing amount of payments" made to the entirety of welfare benefit "under control", but said the it should not be done "at the expense of the most marginalised and disadvantaged". He added "people want to see a bigger crackdown on those who abuse the system".
Social Democratic And Labour Party (SDLP) leader and MP Claire Hanna said the bill "puts the fiscal horse before the employment cart". "There are reforms that would support people with employment but they haven't been done yet."Hanna said that in England an employment bill has just passed but one in Northern Ireland is "not even out of the traps yet"."Devolution is about using the powers that we have to protect people here."Hanna said it will be an "economic shock" for those in Northern Ireland as there is a higher claimant rate than the rest of the UK."It is going to take the political structures here to step up and support people."
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