Document Actions
Cool welcome for new man at DWP
By Sunil Peck
The appointment of Iain Duncan Smith as secretary of state for Work and Pensions in the new coalition government has raised concerns among campaigners.
The MP for Chingford and Woodford Green and a former Conservative leader, Duncan Smith takes over the post previously held by Yvette Cooper under Labour.
He served as shadow secretary of state for work and pensions between 1997 and 1999 and founded the Centre for Social Justice, a right wing think tank concerned with tackling poverty.
Neil Coyle, Director of Policy, Disability Alliance said: "The appointment is probably a strong indication that the Conservatives will be pushing for stringent reform at a faster pace than the previous government had planned. Disability Alliance has some concerns about the abolition of work programmes that could support disabled people which were contained in the Conservative manifesto and we are keen to understand how disabled peoples' needs will be met under a one-size-fits-all work programme."
He added that he had concerns about a Conservative pledge to rapidly reassess all claimants of Incapacity Benefit which could lead to disabled people being wrongly assessed as being fit to work.
New Minister for Disabled People is?
The new Under Secretary of State for Disabled People and hence "Minister" (though not carrying full ministerial status)is Maria Millar MP (Conservative).
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/ministers/
http://www.mariamiller.co.uk/
Nice to know we have retained our place in the pecking order isn't it? J/K
It actually took a web-search and then only finding the information about the appointment on the "Children and Young People Now" and "Pink News" rather than any of the main official disability websites like ODI, 2025 or EHRC.
Wait and see
It is unfair when people with a genuine disability are refused benefits they are entitled too when able bodies people are claiming for DLA this is the area the DWP needs to sort out and give more money to the people who actually need it.
bogus experience was exposed in DN
2reports toa steering group he set up himself
and one visit to a run down edinburgh housing estate
pathetoc for a man given such huge responsibility. this brings into sharp focus the judgement of he who put him there
To Condem or not to Con-Dem IDS & Co?
So I for one am prepared to see just how this all pans out before Con/dem-ing him, not least as his target for the realistic welfare to work estimate was lower not higher than the outgoing Secretary of State 600,000 total rather than 1 Million just off IB and much else of what he said in his recent paper "Dynamic Benefits: Towards Welfare That Works" as part of the think tank "The Centre for Social Justice" as indicated above.
http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/default.asp
One "interesting" additional thought that has just crossed my mind as well though is the possibility of perhaps appointing Baroness Jane Campbell (or some other at least disability aware Peer) as the new Minister for Disabled People.
Not least as the reappointment of the Shadow Shadow Minister for the Disabled the elusive Mark Harper (0 out of 10 attendee and so ex-member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee of the House of Commons) would really give me great cause for checking out checking out and booking an early flight to Zurich. LOL