Aberdeen South Celebrates Competition Winners

A film nominated by Anne for a national film competition has collected first place.

Anne was delighted to see a group of her constituents from Ferryhill School and other school children from Sunny Bank and Skene Square Primaries won the under 19 award in the Parliament sponsored competition, ‘Film the House’.

Working with the Belmont Cinema and North East Scotland College, the school children aged between 8 and 12 developed a film about ghost bullies. The children wrote and starred in the film, and developed the film as part of the National Youth Festival of 2013.

Anne welcomed two of the young filmmakers to Parliament

The film can be viewed here –https://www.bandapp.com/builder/bandpage/anoushastroud/roster/filmthehouse/35

Aberdeen South MP Blasts Government’s Welfare Reforms

In a day of debates highlighting the effects the Government’s changes to the welfare system are having, Aberdeen South MP and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, Dame Anne Begg delivered a statement on the Committee’s recently published Fourth Report from the Work and Pensions Committee on support for housing costs, highlighted the need for a second independent review into the use of sanctions by Jobcentre Plus and she spoke about the specialist employment support which is being wrongly targeted at individuals closer to the employment market.

During the statement on the Select Committee’s recent report, Dame Anne called reforms such as the ‘Bedroom Tax’ and the Household Benefit Cap a “blunt instrument”. Dame Anne mentioned that although the reforms were originally intended to make better use of housing stock and reduce welfare expenditure, they are instead causing financial hardship to vulnerable people who were not the intended targets of the reforms and are unlikely to be able to change their circumstances in response.

Amongst a number of issues raised by Dame Anne, she called on the Government to exempt disabled people living in adapted homes or who have a legitimate reason for requiring a spare room and to disregard disability benefits when considering eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP).

Following on from the statement Dame Anne took part in a Backbench Business Committee Debate on the sanctions regime being used by Jobcentre Plus, Dame Anne called on the Government to launch a second independent review on the workings of sanctions to assess whether the increased use of sanctions is leading to more people finding work or whether they are purely punitive.

Dame Anne said

“The number of JSA Sanctions are at a 12 month high, and probably the highest ever on record. Yet, we don’t even know if these Sanctions are working. There have been many examples of people being sanctioned and not knowing why. If the aim of a sanction is to change peoples’ behaviour then people need to know why their benefits have been stopped otherwise it is just a punitive punishment which is trying and save money.”

Dame Anne also spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the migration of Incapacity Benefit claimants to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Dame Anne highlighted a constituent who hadn’t worked for ten years but was able to find a job with specialised employment support. Dame Anne raised concerns that this is specialised help is lacking in the new areas the Government has introduced and called for a well funded, specialised support system to enable people who have the highest barriers to work to find employment.

After the debates Dame Anne said

“These debates are vital to holding the government to account for their welfare changes. The government has launched wholescale changes to a vast number of benefits in a very short timescale. My recent Select Committee report, approved by Conservative and LibDem members on my committee, attacks the government’s ‘bedroom tax’ as hurting the most vulnerable most. Backbench Government MPs often say ‘Disabled people are exempt’ but it simply isn’t true.”

“There are a lot of myths surrounding the Government’s welfare changes and speaking in these debates is an important way to set the record straight, and raise the many problems which are being caused by the Government’s welfare reforms. I hope the government heeds my calls and helps alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable in our society.”

MP calls for retention of vital fund which benefits the most severely disabled in Aberdeen

Aberdeen South MP, Dame Anne Begg, has called on the Government to save the Independent Living Fund (ILF) and allow the most disabled people to continue to live independently in their homes. She has also called on the Scottish Government to clarify what they will do to protect the independence of those living with a severe disability in Scotland.

To show her support for the retention of ILF, which is relied upon by over 18,000 severely disabled, Dame Anne is the primary sponsor an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to reverse their decision to close the fund in June 2015. You can view the EDM here: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/1234

The Independent Living Fund (ILF) provides discretionary cash payments directly to disabled people so they can purchase care from an agency or pay the wages of a privately employed Personal Assistant (PA). This support enables disabled people to choose to live in their communities rather than in residential care.

The Government has stated that money will be devolved to already cash strapped local authorities in England, which means that it would cease to be ring-fenced and would be subject to normal constraints and cuts within a local authority budget. And the local authorities have already said that they will not be able to offer the current level of financial support provided on ILF, potentially forcing many disabled people to move out of their homes and into residential care homes.

 Further, the Scottish Government has given no indication whether this will also be the case in Scotland and Dame Anne has written to them seeking clarification.

 Dame Anne said:

“I have spoken to a number of constituents and their families who have told me how important ILF is in allowing them to live independent and fulfilling lives in our community and I know that losing this support will have a devastating impact on them.

 

“Not only are my constituents concerned about losing the fund, but they are also living with the uncertainty with regards to what support will be provided after the ILF closes.”

The Government initially decided to close the fund by March 2015 but this was delayed until June 2015 after five disabled people challenged the Government’s decision in the High Court.

The Court of Appeal unanimously quashed the decision to close the fund and devolve the money, on the basis that the minister had not specifically considered duties under the Equality Act, such as the need to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people and, in particular, the need to encourage their participation in public life. The court emphasised that these considerations were not optional in times of austerity.

In March 2014, the Government announced that it would go ahead with the closure of the fund on 30th June 2015 saying that a new equalities analysis had been carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions.

MP Questions Government on Pension Changes

During yesterday’s Budget Debate in the Commons, Dame Anne raised questions over the Government’s pension changes and called for a rebrand of annuities.

Dame Anne said:

“Annuities need reform, I’ve called for annuity reform, my Select Committee has called for annuity reform and the Shadow Front bench has. Indeed the Government and the Pensions Industry has called for reform.

“As Government Members have emphasised again and again today, we need consumer choice so that people can make the right decision about how they will spend their own money. For some people paying off another debt might be the most sensible thing to do. However, the best thing for many people to do is to buy an annuity.

“Annuities are an excellent principle — someone saves into a pot and then buys something that lasts them to the end of their life. We do not know how long we will live after reaching pension age, so an annuity provides insurance: we know it will not run out before we reach the end of our life. It insures against old age.

“All of that is right. However — this is the big but — what if there is no annuity market? What will the many people for whom an annuity is the right choice do then? That is the question that I have for the Government. Did they intend to undermine and destroy the annuity market, or did they hope that a new form of annuity would rise phoenix-like out of the flames of their announcements last week? If the annuity market were to collapse, the choice that they say they want to give consumers will not be there for those for whom an annuity is absolutely the right choice.

“Do the Government anticipate that the annuity market will be undermined or strengthened?”

Dame Anne went on to call for an Annuity rebrand:

“Annuities have got a bad name because there have been low interest rates and low returns, but other products have the same problem. Some of them might actually give a worse return than annuities. What guarantee can the Government give that people who buy another product will not get a worse return than if they had chosen an annuity? We know that high charges and costs need to be dealt with.

“I wonder whether the Government thought about just rebranding annuities because they have such a bad name. Perhaps they could have called an annuity a pension for life, which might have changed people’s attitude. I wonder whether the Government intend to turn the UK private pension system into a saving system, and if they do, will tax reliefs remain?

Was that the Government’s intention, or is it an accidental consequence of last week’s proposals?”

You can read the full Budget debate, including Anne’s contribution here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/debtext/140325-0003.htm#14032588003560

Disability benefit delays unacceptable

A report published today by the Work and Pensions Select Committee says that the length of time disabled people are having to wait to find out if they are eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is unacceptable.

The report highlighted that some claims are taking six months or more to process and calls for urgent action to improve the current unacceptable service provided to PIP claimants.

Committee Chair, Dame Anne Begg MP said:

“Many disabled or sick people face waits of 6 months or more for a decision on their PIP eligibility. Even those with terminal illnesses are having to wait far longer than was anticipated. This not only leaves people facing financial difficulties whilst they await a decision, but causes severe stress and uncertainty.  It is completely unacceptable.

“It is vital that all disabled people, but especially the terminally ill, experience as little delay and stress as possible in making a claim. Basic failures – from appointments being cancelled without notice to unsatisfactory responses to queries about claims – are happening too often. Claimants, and their MPs, have often been unable to get any information about when a decision will finally be made.

“The Minister acknowledged that the service claimants were receiving from Atos and Capita – and in some cases from DWP itself – was not acceptable.  Whilst this recognition is welcome, urgent action is also required.  DWP should not only consider invoking penalty clauses in contracts, but must look at its own systems to ensure that the current dire situation is resolved.

“By the end of last year decisions had been made in fewer than 20% of new claims submitted since April 2013. It is essential that the backlog is cleared before the limited natural reassessment of existing DLA claims is extended any further.”

The Report also assesses DWP performance in a number of other policy areas.  It found that the DWP needs to exercise care in the language used in accompanying press releases and ministerial comments in the media, to ensure it avoids the risk of feeding into negative public views about benefit recipients.

Dame Anne commented:

 ”Statistics should be used to shed light on policy implementation, not to prop up established views or feed preconceptions.

“The UK Statistics Authority reprimanded DWP a number of times in 2013 for the way it was handling benefit statistics.

“Government efforts to promote a positive image of disabled people will be undermined if the language used by DWP when communicating benefit statistics to the media feeds into negative perceptions and prejudices about benefit recipients, including disabled people.”

The report can be read in full on the Committee’s page at http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news/dwp-monitoring-report/

 Further media coverage on the report can be read at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26615853

 http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/18/mps-criticise-dwp-spin-statistics-benefit-claimants

Time Running Out to Enter Competitions

Dame Anne Begg MP reminded local musicians and film makers that they only have until 31^st March to enter Parliament’s largest competitions, Rock the House and Film the House.

Founded by Intellectual Property Advisor to the Prime Minister, Mike Weatherley MP, the competitions are sponsored by industry and supported by celebrity Patrons. Both competitions offer the opportunity for Aberdeen South constituency’s creatives to have their work judged by the leading lights of industry and win prizes ranging from festival slots, studio time, equipment, and the opportunity to have your work premiered in London’s West End to name a few!

Dame Anne Begg MP said:

“I urge all local musicians and film-makers to enter Rock the House and Film the House. The prizes are impressive and as all nominations will be judged by industry experts its a fantastic opportunity for exposure.”

Rock legend and actor, Alice Cooper said:

“Rock the House is a great project which celebrates the fantastic diversity of the British music scene and gives musicians a vehicle through which to hold their legislators accountable about protecting the music industry’s intellectual property.”

For more information on how to enter Rock the House go to www.rockthehouseHOC.com/apply.html; and for Film the House www.filmthehouse.com/apply.html.

The Government isn’t doing enough to get people back in to work

Anne was recently interviewed by RT about the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s recent inquiry into Jobcentre Plus and she highlighted that the Government are not doing enough to get people back in to work.

You can watch the full interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD7k9vjNdVM&feature=c4-overview&list=UU1nrVLHNfnsxpJthrAP8wNw 

MP Calls on Government to Launch Impact Assessment on Welfare Reform

During a Backbench debate on Welfare Reform, Dame Anne Begg MP called on the government to launch a cumulative impact assessment on their reforms to the welfare system which are unfairly targeting people with disabilities. The Back Bench Committee allocated time for this debate after a WOW petition was signed by over 100,000 people.

As Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, Dame Anne has continually called for the government to carry out a full impact assessment of welfare reform to show the effect they are having on people with disabilities.

Dame Anne said

“Although the Government states it isn’t picking on disabled people or people with health problems, their policies are impacting that group the hardest
“When you look at the changes they’ve made to the welfare system – Work Capability Assessments, Employment Support Allowance and the new Personal Independence Payments, you can see who they are aimed at.

“The government has reformed almost every benefit in the welfare system. The migration of disabled people to Employment Support Allowance from Incapacity benefit[…] the ATOS Work Capability Assessment[…] the introduction of new Personal Independence Payments[…] reforms to Housing Benefit and Housing Allowance[…] are hitting the disabled and those with health problems the hardest.”

After the debate Dame Anne said

“I have been calling for years for a full impact assessment of welfare reform. The government has continuously refused. Either the government don’t want to know what the impact of welfare reforms have been or they don’t want us to know. Surely good policy making involves reviewing the effectiveness and impact of decisions you have made?”

Labour Politicians Call for Measures to Encourage Disabled People to Stand for Election to Holyrood

During Dame Anne’s recent Parliamentary debate on representation in Parliament she called for the Scottish Government to follow Westminster’s example and establish their own ‘Access to Elected Office Fund for Disabled People’ to ensure standing for election to Holyrood and Scottish Councils are more accessible for people with disabilities.

Dame Anne said:

“It is important that more disabled people are elected to public office, be that Councillor, MP or MSP. But major barriers still exist in making this an easy process, not least the extra costs involved. That’s why the Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund is so important as it helps towards levelling the playing field for disabled people.

“It is also important that political parties play their part in encouraging disabled people to become active in their party and then to put themselves forward for candidate selection. We know the electorate are happy to vote for candidates with a disability but obviously can’t do this if disabled people haven’t been selected.”

Following on from the debate, Scottish Labour’s Equalities spokesperson Jackie Baillie MSP lodged the following motion in Holyrood:

Access to Office for Disabled People 

That the Parliament notes a recent debate in the House of Commons, led by Dame Anne Begg MP, which called on both the UK Government and the Scottish Government to increase support for disabled people to access elected office; understands that The Independent Living In Scotland Report,Politically (in)correct– representation of disabled people in Politics, called on the Scottish Government to establish an “Access to Office for Disabled People Fund”; notes with regret, however, that such a fund has so far not been established; understands that one in five people in Scotland are disabled; believes that the Scottish Government needs to be more proactive in giving disabled people a voice and ensuring that financial support is in place to assist disabled people in becoming members of representative bodies, and hopes for rapid progress to be made on what it considers this very important issue.

You can also see the motion here:  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Simple&DateChoice=0&MSPId=1783&SortBy=DateSubmitted&ResultsPerPage=10

 

Debate on Lack of Diversity in Parliament and the Need for Positive Action

Aberdeen South MP, Dame Anne Begg, secured a Back Bench Business Committee Debate to highlight the lack of diversity in Parliament and call for more positive action to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in Parliament.

Introducing the debate, Dame Anne said:

“It is interesting to note just how topical this debate is. A few weeks ago, almost every newspaper in the land carried the picture of the all-male Government Front Bench. I wonder whether it will go down in history, and be as iconic as the Blair’s babe’s photo, which I was proud to be in. I am not sure whether those on the Government Front Bench were quite so proud to be in their photo.”

Dame Anne, who was Vice Chair of the 2010 Speaker’s Conference on Parliamentary Representation which made a commitment to discuss representation in Parliament every two years, went on to say that that:

 “There is no silver bullet or magic wand to wave which will change the makeup of the Commons. It would be an enormous missed opportunity if the Parliament elected in 2015 is less diverse than this one.

“It will require all political parties to accept they have a role to play in fostering talent and in candidate selection.  The government can play a role too, in providing leadership and encouraging a cross party approach as we have seen with the Access to Elected Office fund. But Parliament has to be more welcoming too.

“Our democracy is precious, too precious to be wholly in the hands of a narrow elite.  We can make this a Parliament for the 21st century but we can only do it together.”

You can read the full debate on Hansard here:  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140227/debtext/140227-0003.htm#140227-0003.htm_spnew24

For more information about the debate, you can also read here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-26367343