John’s Blog No 98 – Pensions- Welfare Benefit 3

Last week my disabled son received a letter regarding benefit changes. The Gestapo could not have devised a letter better designed to create fear, anxiety and terror; a Psychologist would have had difficulty, but for DWP it was easy. A little humanity and common sense could have softened the bureaucratic message. The letter indicated a questionnaire, followed by a re-assessment; the last time there was a purge, he was subject to a cross examination, asked to walk up and down stairs and even stand on one leg on a table (will catch you if you fall). The local Supermarket also wet- nursed him through several weeks of general work, but did not take him on. There are some people who are incapable of work and should be recognised and registered as such and exempted from re-assessment, their GP’s, Consultants and various excellent charities know this and should be consulted and believed. Registered and known disabled should be given benefit for life similar to a pension. Benefit costs and fraud need to be drastically reduced, but the policy of guilty until found innocent and disbelief needs to change. Inability to work ranges from permanent to partial to temporary, all medically certifiable and subject to checks by or visits to GP’s. anyone outside these limits should be subject to assessment. Many charities say the simplified assessment will make many disabled people substantially worse off, this is a ridiculous state of affairs. Statistical information on living costs, household spend etc. is readily available to establish monetary needs and allow income continuity; anything less is penny pinching economy. The State appears to have a current policy of universally offloading costs to Local Councils, business, charities and individuals, expenditure which rightfully and traditionally belong to the State. This is wrong; they should face up to their responsibilities; sort out the economics/ budgets; decide what they can afford and implement it properly. Charities and individuals do tremendous work, saving the taxpayer millions but do not get the support or recognition they deserve. We need to decide on the type of Society we want and how we can afford it, the problems are universal for pension provision, education, health, housing etc. all are closely related. As a Nation we apparently cannot afford to educate our children, support those incapable of work or even look after our older generation, yet our taxes keep rising, whilst no-one appears capable of doing the basic sums on what we need or can afford, preferring to plod on day by day and from crisis to crisis, with massive waste. It is time a well thought out, co-ordinated and common sense policy was thrashed out, linking all parties concerned to establish and match the needs and resources of UK Society and the most effective and economic way of meeting the demands. Are we an advanced Nation or just a Third World “has been”?