The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are still attempting to bullshit their way around some of the harshest and cruellest benefit cuts in decades.
Minister for disabled people Stephen Timms has been holding regular meetings with deaf and disabled people’s organisations. These chats are supposed to be under the guise of listening to us and wanting to actually work with Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs). However, one attendee of past meetings with Timms, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Canary:
It looks on the surface like he’s listening to us and does care, but it’s exactly that, always on the surface.
They continued:
You get the sense he’s only there because he has to be, and, to be honest, like he hasn’t actually got a clue what he’s doing or willing to accept just how much cuts will affect disabled people.
At the latest meeting, on Tuesday 16th September, the focus was on two areas that disabled people and our organisations are particularly anxious about. Disability Rebellion shared details of the discussion, and what Timms had to say for himself on social media.
DWP Timms Review must be co-produced
The first matter was the full review of the Personal Independence Payments (PIP), better known as the Timms Review. As the Canary previously revealed, the review is under increased scrutiny, with demands that the review must be co-produced by disabled people and be fully transparent. There have also been calls for it not to include cuts at any point. This is a central point, as the system does need an overhaul, but one that would make it more compassionate – not one that would save the DWP money.
Disability Rebellion said that Timms was still looking at the possibilities of an outside body helping to set up the review committee (of around just 10-12 people), elect co-chairs, and rewrite the terms of reference. Crucially, though this might not necessarily be a DDPO, so disabled people could be shut out again.
Timms told the meeting that the expression of interest to join the committee will be going out shortly and that the department hopes to have the committee up and running by October or early November at the latest.
However, it must be assumed that committee members will also be forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in the same way as those who wish to join the government’s highly suspect Independent Disability Advisory Panel.
Timms skirts around gagging order issues
Which brings us neatly onto the second half of the meeting. Activists had a lot of questions for Timms surrounding the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP). More specifically, around the aforementioned controversial decision to make panellists sign an NDA, which would effectively stop them from raising concerns with anyone outside the panel.
On this, Timms gave what sounds like the usual round-the-houses answer. He told the meeting there was no expectation to sign the NDA; however, if you didn’t sign the NDA, you wouldn’t be allowed to attend closed-door meetings. He also said that not all meetings would come under the NDA, so you’d be perfectly fine to talk about those as you wished.
Cynically, it sounds like the meetings that don’t come under the NDA would probably be the sort that you’d never be given much information to raise concern about. And surely they’d rather pick a panellist who would be willing to sign the NDA over one who wouldn’t.
The DDPOs suggested that instead of an NDA, there could be a code of conduct with a mention of confidentiality being needed around some discussions. In my opinion, though this still needs to give participants the freedom to bring up concerns or be able to be transparent about how they really feel the panel is going, without having to stay silent when inevitably it turns out to be a tick box exercise that just looks like the government is including disabled people.
Another fear around participation in the panel was payment. It was unclear whether compensation would be categorised as income. If it was considered income, that could then mean that individuals have their Universal Credit reduced. Timms unfortunately confirmed that payment would need to be declared to UC, and so would count towards deductible income. It’s almost as though the DWP don’t actually want disabled people to be part of this process.
DDPOs can’t become complicit in benefit cuts
Activists have privately expressed their fears of becoming collaborators in the government’s plans if DDPOs continue to support the Timms Review. And, it’s still unclear just how many DDPOs will continue to work with the Timms if nothing changes.
In my opinion, whilst I can see why disabled organisations want to be involved in this, to ensure it is run above board and we’re not shafted again, the DDPOs should be very explicitly telling the DWP that unless the review is done in true co-production with disabled people, they are not willing to work with them – and stand by that.
There’s only so far you can work with the government before you become complicit, and there’s much more strength in standing by your beliefs.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot/Sky News
This post was originally published on Canary.