By Stephen Stewart 28 Sep 2012 07:45
THE Record has found that more than half of the people who have had their disability benefits stopped by Atos, after having the capability test, have been left jobless and with no income.
A TOP Labour MP has called for “fast and fundamental reform” of David Cameron’s shocking fit-for-work tests by Atos.
Labour’s work and pensions spokesman Liam Byrne met disability campaigners in Glasgow yesterday.
He blasted the system run by the French firm on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
The news comes after the Record’s Atos coverage won cross-party praise at Holyrood.
Nationalist MSP Kevin Stewart waved a copy of the paper in Parliament as he attacked the work capability assessments sparking outrage across Scotland.
Byrne said: “It tells you everything you need to know about this Government’s priorities – they plan to take more money off disabled people than bankers.
“But it’s now clear too the work capability assessment needs fast and fundamental reform.
“Labour was right to introduce the test – and we were right to say we would change in the hard, clear light of experience.
“That experience is telling us that the test puts bureaucracy against disabled people. It doesn’t put a team behind them to help disabled people into work.”
The Record has found more than half of the people stripped of dis-ability benefits are left jobless, with no income.
Byrne said cuts to social care and disability aid now total £8.6billion – £71million more than the net amount taken off banks.
By the final year of the Parliament, cuts to disability benefits will be 40 per cent higher than that taken off banks.
So, EXACTLY what would he change? Until labour articulates precisely the changes it would make and how it would measure their efffectiveness to what end, these fine words mean nothing.
this money that the torys are whittling away from the ill and infirm will be placed quite snugly away with the rest of there assets, where will theses assets go ? straight into there bank accounts in the long run.
TOOK YOU FAR TO LONG TO DO THIS UTTER DISGRACE, i,m thinking of changing my support for you and resigning from this