Social Security Benefits: Disability
4th April 2011
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from disability groups on the effect of proposed changes to the (a) disability living allowance and (b) independent living fund; and if he will make a statement. [48971]
Maria Miller: Since disability living allowance (DLA) reform was announced in the Budget in June 2010, my officials and I have met disabled people and a large number of disability organisations to discuss our proposals. We published a public consultation on DLA reform on 6 December 2010, which ended on 18 February 2011. The Department received a large number of responses to this consultation, with more than 5,000 individual and 500 organisational responses. We are considering these responses and will publish our response shortly.
The Government's position on the independent living fund was set out in the written ministerial statement issued on 13 December 2010, Official Report, columns 85-86WS.
This made clear that the independent living fund will remain closed permanently to new applications and we will safeguard the position of existing recipients by carrying out a formal consultation on future support for existing ILF users, while continuing to administer their awards throughout this Parliament. This consultation will take place following the publication of the report by the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support.
I have met with a number of disability organisations and other bodies to discuss the future of the independent living fund. These include the Chair of Equality 2025, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability, and the Disability Charities Consortium and the Disabled Peoples Organisations Group.
