Citizens Advice Scotland is a member of SCoWR, the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform. This is the SCoWR response to the Disabilty Living Allowance reform consultation.
The Government’s intention is to reduce expenditure on the new benefit by over £1 billion a year. The objective will only be achieved by a significant reduction in the number of claimants. This is confirmed by the consultation document’s references to ‘an affordable and sustainable system’ which ‘will continue to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers’; alongside the criticism of the ‘unsustainable’ numbers of claimants of the low rate care component of DLA. We oppose this objective, because whatever the fiscal situation, the number of disabled people in society already exceeds the number of DLA claimants. It is not fairness to penalise some of the most vulnerable people in society by removing a support that can be vital in helping them overcome obstacles to inclusion and participation in society.