Disabled People in Poverty Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Oliver Ryan
Main Page: Oliver Ryan (Independent - Burnley)Department Debates - View all Oliver Ryan's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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Oliver Ryan (Burnley) (Ind)
Let us say it straight: disabled people have been let down by 14 years of Tory Government. The number of disabled people in working households living in poverty doubled under the Tories’ watch, to 1.3 million people last year and the pay gap for disabled people is higher now at 13% than it was a decade ago.
I will touch briefly on the upcoming PIP reforms—I did have a bigger speech planned, but we are short on time. An unsustainable welfare system, one that does not enjoy public support or give disabled people enough good support, does disabled people no favours. What does do them a favour is scrapping the work capability assessment and providing extra funding to get people into to work. To have no answer to the additional 1,000 people a day who are currently going into the PIP system is to keep one’s head in the sand and to provide no real answers to the failure of the current system, which is not flexible or supportive enough.
Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Oliver Ryan
I will not give way. The principle of the social contract of the welfare state is at stake, and this Government are defending it.