Disabled People — Question House of Lords debates, 27 July 2010

Lord Ashley of Stoke (Labour)

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed disability issues with the Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation.

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, my department engages regularly with RADAR to discuss disability issues. Ministers and officials at the Department for Work and Pensions are committed to a constructive dialogue with RADAR and will seek RADAR’s continued involvement in the Government’s disability equality agenda.

Lord Ashley of Stoke (Labour)

I thank the Minister for that response. Can he be a little more forthcoming and tell us how often these meetings are held?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, I believe the Minister for Disabled People, my honourable friend Maria Miller, phoned the chief executive of RADAR in her first week in office. RADAR then attended a round table event that she hosted last month. RADAR is a member of a group of organisations that meets regularly-four times a year-with the Minister. The first meeting of that organisation is tomorrow. RADAR is also a member of the Right to Control Advisory Group, which meets every six weeks with the Office for Disability Issues. There are also ad hoc meetings between RADAR and Ministers and officials across government.

Lord Ashley of Stoke (Labour)

I welcome the discussions but that does not tell me what the Minister has said.

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, to make it clear, we have a regular dialogue with RADAR and the whole disability lobby. I know that my honourable friend Maria Miller has seen 15 different lobby groups so far.

Baroness Howarth of Breckland (Crossbench)

My Lords, I know that we are particularly interested in ensuring that disabled people can use transport and achieve places in education. What is the Government’s attitude towards those local authorities that are already cutting fees for transport? For example, there is a college where severely disabled youngsters are now being charged for their transport by their local authority for the first time. Is this the kind of policy that the coalition Government are looking towards?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, I place on record the Government’s determination to push ahead with the equality agenda for people with disabilities. We are monitoring the situation very closely. We are signed up to the UN convention, as this House will know. Transport is one of those areas within the convention on which we are determined to fulfil our obligations.

Baroness Wilkins (Labour)

What steps have the Government taken in their discussions with RADAR to ensure their oft-repeated pledge that the cuts in public spending will not have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable and poor people?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, we are making sure that all the impact assessments that we are obliged by law to go through are being done on a timely and appropriate basis.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham (Labour)

My Lords, will the Minister kindly tell us what representations RADAR and other disability organisations have made to the Government in light of the proposed severe cuts to disability living allowance?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, we are just embarking on a process of investigating what to do in the context of DLA. As the noble Baroness knows, this is due to come in in 2013. We have to design a whole structure of making those assessments. We will do so in full consultation with members of the disability lobby.

Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat)

My Lords, when dealing with groups such as RADAR, will my noble friend bear in mind that, good as they are, they will never be able to cover the whole spectrum and government must always try to drag in such expertise as they can from across all the groups and then they must co-ordinate advice, because without advice we will pass more laws and achieve very little?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that excellent point. Clearly, we make an enormous effort to see people right across the disability lobby, not just RADAR. RADAR is part of various groups. It is important that we consult. The House will be familiar with the motto “Nothing About Us Without Us“. We take that obligation very seriously.

Lord Low of Dalston (Crossbench)

My Lords, I declare an interest as a recipient of disability living allowance. In last Thursday’s debate on the implications of the Budget in relation to poverty, the Minister stated that,

“some laxity has crept into the system”

regarding who is assessed as being eligible for DLA. What evidence is this based on? Which groups of disabled people did he have in mind? He also said:

“We remain absolutely committed to supporting those with severe disabilities”.-[Hansard, 22/7/10; col. 1133.]

To which groups was he referring when he said that?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, DLA has grown from 1 million people in the early 1990s to more than 2 million at the beginning of this decade to more than 3 million now, which is a huge expansion. Many of those people were self-referred. Clearly, we need to ensure that the money which we spend on people with disabilities is directed at those who really need it.

Baroness Thornton (Labour)

My Lords, the Minister will be aware that many disabled people are helped back into employment by a variety of organisations, including charities and social enterprises-some very small and at very local level. The Government now propose to pay those who provide this support in arrears and by results. Does the Minister accept that many of these organisations will not have the reserves to see them through this important work and that therefore the one size fits all, that is being proposed here, will not work? How is that compatible with big society support for the voluntary sector?

Lord Freud (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Welfare Reform), Work and Pensions; Conservative)

My Lords, if the noble Baroness is referring to the work programme, clearly that is a structure in which consortia will come together and help people right across the spectrum with differential pricing-something which is not currently in existence and means that people concentrate on the easier to help. The work programme will not. The capital is a key ingredient of the work programme. Clearly, capital must go in to support not just the prime contractor but the whole consortia. That is how the smaller organisations will get the resources in order to help the people who need help the most.

Summer Adjournment Royal Assent House of Commons debates, 27 July 2010

Christopher Leslie (Nottingham East, Labour)

………There are a couple of other points, affecting our constituents back in this country, that I take this opportunity to raise. The disability living allowance has for many years supported many disabled people, helping them with specialised equipment and the extra costs that they face, including transportation costs. The Conservative party promised to protect the disability living allowance in its manifesto. Unfortunately, however, it appears that there will be significant cuts in the DLA in the near future.

The introduction of a so-called objective medical assessment from 2013 appears to have allowed the Treasury to put a figure on the saving that it will be able to make on the DLA. The projected saving in 2013 is £360 million, and more than £1 billion in 2014-15. If it is to be a genuinely objective medical assessment, I am at a loss to see how the Treasury can quantify the savings involved, or indeed predict that there will be savings rather than extra expenditure. This is exceptionally worrying. Many people are expressing their concerns about this, and I hope that we will have an opportunity to discuss the matter further on another occasion. …………….

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Mental Illness: Prisoners Health Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Matthew Offord (Hendon, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the incidence of mental health illnesses in the prison population in England and Wales.

Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)

Based on the 1997 Office for National Statistics psychiatric morbidity survey and Ministry of Justice research published in 2008, our estimate is that around 90% of sentenced prisoners have some form of mental health problem. The 1997 survey showed that 7% of sentenced male prisoners and 14% of female prisoners had functional psychosis.

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Mental Health: Children Health Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

David Blunkett (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of local authorities to the delivery of child and adult mental health services provided jointly with the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)

We will be announcing details on mental health policy in due course. The reforms set out in the White Paper “Equity and Excellence, Liberating the NHS” will improve the national health service for patients of all ages, including children and young people. Our focus will be on making services patient-led, based on the best clinical evidence, responsive to patients’ choice and delivering best health outcomes. “Liberating the NHS: Local Democratic Legitimacy in Health” also sets out proposals to improve integration and partnership working across health and social care for children and adults. We do not plan to undertake such assessments.

Copies of both documents have already been placed in the Library.

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Mental Health Services: Prisons Health Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

David Hanson (Delyn, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the capacity of mental health in-reach teams to meet the needs of prisoners with mental health needs serving imprisonment for public protection sentences.

Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)

The mental health needs of prisoners are met by a combination of primary care staff and mental health in reach teams. No assessment of the capacity of mental health in reach teams working with prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection sentences has been made.

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Mental Health Services: Finance Health Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely level of future demand for mental health services in London; and how much funding he plans to allocate for that purpose in (a) 2011-12 and (b) the next three years.

Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)

We will be assessing our priorities carefully and will announce details on mental health policy in due course. Our focus will be on making services patient-led, based on the best clinical evidence, responsive to patients’ choice and management of their own care, and delivering best ‘health’ outcomes.

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Unemployment Benefits: Peterborough Work and Pensions Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Stewart Jackson (Peterborough, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

(1) how many problem drug users resident in (a) the East of England, (b) Peterborough city council area and (c) Peterborough constituency received each out of work benefit in each year since 2005;

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the Peterborough city council area who are unable to work and in receipt of out of work benefits as a result of (i) alcohol and (ii) drug dependency; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling (Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)

Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty. Helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction so that they can recover and find employment is a top priority for the Government.

Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. This assesses the effects of a person’s condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities relevant to work. People with a recorded diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependency may have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which result in their incapacity for work. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation

http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/

A breakdown by medical condition is only available for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance. Details of medical condition are not available for the other out-of-work benefits. The available information is in the tables.

The number of working age claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance whose main disabling condition is recorded as drug abuse, 2005 to 2009.
November	East of England	Peterborough local authority	Peterborough parliamentary constituency
2005	2,550	130	90
2006	2,600	130	90
2007	2,780	150	100
2008	2,840	170	110
2009	2,340	150	90
Notes:1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. This will account for some of the change in numbers of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants between November 2008 and November 2009 whose main disabling condition was recorded as drug abuse. 3. Benefit data reflect the pre-2005 parliamentary constituency boundaries as the provision of a time series based on the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundary changes would incur disproportionate cost. 4. Future published benefit data will reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituencies from May 2010. This data will be published from November 2010 onwards. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

The number of working age claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance whose main disabling condition is recorded as drug abuse or alcoholism, November 2009.
	Alcoholism	Drug abuse
Peterborough local authority	90	150
Peterborough parliamentary constituency	70	100
Notes:1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. 3. Peterborough parliamentary constituency figures take account of the boundary changes from May 2010. The most up to date available data are for November 2009, and the figures have been processed to reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundary changes. 4. Future published benefit data will reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituencies from May 2010. These data will be published from November 2010 onwards. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Estimated number of working age claimants who are problem drug users by benefit type in England in 2006.
Benefit	Estimated number
Jobseeker’s Allowance	66,000
Incapacity Benefit	87,000
Income Support	146,000
Disability Living Allowance	25,000
Total in receipt of one or more of the above benefits	267,000
Notes:1. The figures are estimates of the number of recipients of each main benefit who are problem drug users. Those individuals who receive disability-related benefits and declare their drug use are a sub-set of this larger group. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 3. The sum of the component benefits is greater than the total because claimants can be in receipt of one or more benefits at the same time. 4. Problem drug users are defined as those who use opiates (e.g. heroin) and/or crack cocaine and include those who are in treatment for their dependency. 5. Disability living allowance can be claimed by people who are both in and out of work. 6. The copy of the working paper by Hay and Bauld can be found in the House of Commons Library, and can also be accessed at: Click to access WP46.pdf Source: Population estimates of problematic drug users in England who access Department for Work and Pensions benefits: A feasibility study, Working Paper No. 46, Hay, G. & Bauld, L. 2008. Click for source

Unemployment Benefits: Greater London Work and Pensions Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Nick de Bois (Enfield North, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

(1) how many problem drug user residents in (a) Greater London, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) Enfield North constituency received each out of work benefit in each year since 2005;

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Greater London, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) Enfield North constituency who are unable to work as a result of (i) alcohol and (ii) drug dependency and who are in receipt of out of work benefits.

Chris Grayling (Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)

Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty. Helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction so that they can recover and find employment is a top priority for the Government.

Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. This assesses the effects of a person’s condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities relevant to work. People with a recorded diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependency may have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which result in their incapacity for work. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation:

http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/

A breakdown by medical condition is only available for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance. Details of medical condition are not available for the other out-of-work benefits. The available information is in the tables.

The number of working age claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance whose main disabling condition is recorded as drug abuse 2005-09
	London government office region	Enfield local authority	Enfield North parliamentary constituency
November 2005	6,670	130	60
November 2006	6,680	140	60
November 2007	6,930	130	50
November 2008	6,750	150	50
November 2009	5,800	130	50
Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. This will account for some of the change in numbers of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants between November 2008 and November 2009 whose main disabling condition was recorded as drug abuse. 3. Benefit data reflect the pre-2005 parliamentary constituency boundaries as the provision of a time series based on the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundary changes would incur disproportionate cost. 4. Future published benefit data will reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituencies from May 2010. These data will be published from November 2010 onwards. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

The number of working age claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance whose main disabling condition is recorded as drug abuse or alcoholism-November 2009
	Alcoholism	Drug Abuse
Enfield local authority	80	130
Enfield North parliamentary constituency	30	40
Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. 3. Enfield parliamentary constituency figures take account of the boundary changes from May 2010. The most up to date available data are for November 2009, and the figures have been processed to reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundary changes. 4. Future published benefit data will reflect the 2010 parliamentary constituencies from May 2010. These data will be published from November 2010 onwards. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Estimated number of working age claimants who are problem drug users by benefit type in England in 2006
	Number
Jobseeker’s allowance	66,000
Incapacity benefit	87,000
Income support	146,000
Disability living allowance	25,000
Total in receipt of one or more of the above benefits	267,000
Notes: 1. The figures are derived from estimates of the number of recipients of each main benefit who are problem drug users. Those individuals who receive disability-related benefits and declare their drug use are a sub-set of this larger group. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 3. The sum of the component benefits is greater than the total because claimants can be in receipt of one or more benefits at the same time. 4. Problem drug users are defined as those who use opiates (e.g. heroin) and/or crack cocaine and include those who are in treatment for their dependency. 5. Disability living allowance can be claimed by people who are both in and out of work. 6. The copy of the working paper by Hay and Bauld can be found in the House of Commons Library, and can also be accessed at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP46.pdf Source: Population estimates of problematic drug users in England who access Department for Work and Pensions benefits: A feasibility study, Working Paper No. 46, Hay, G. and Bauld, L. 2008 Click for source

Disability Living Allowance: Mental Illness Work and Pensions Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Adrian Sanders (Torbay, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to revise the eligibility criteria for disability living allowance for people with mental health or behavioural conditions.

Maria Miller (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)

We will reform Disability Living Allowance to ensure it supports those people with the highest needs, on a consistent and transparent basis. We will introduce a more objective assessment from 2013-14 and as we develop our proposals we will talk to both disabled people and a broad range of organisations, including those representing people with mental health and behavioural conditions.

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Ex-servicemen: Mental Illness Defence Written answers and statements, 27 July 2010

Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) veterans and (b) veterans diagnosed with mental illness linked to their service are (i) imprisoned and (ii) on probation.

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

holding answer 20 July 2010

The number of veterans in prison in England and Wales was announced in a written ministerial statement on 6 January 2010, Hansard, column 7WS. The results of the follow-on work referred to in that statement will be announced shortly. Work to determine the number of ex-Service personnel on probation is currently ongoing, jointly with the Ministry of Justice. Information on the numbers of veterans in prison/probation diagnosed with mental illness linked to their service is not available.

The Government are committed to providing effective, through-life, health services for our Service and ex-Service personnel. The Prime Minister has asked my hon. Friend Dr. Murrison to conduct an independent study into the provision of Ministry of Defence and NHS support and services to the armed forces and ex-Service personnel and to make recommendations for improvement particularly in the area of mental health.

NHS Veterans Community Mental Health Pilot schemes have also been established in six NHS Trusts around the country. They are currently being evaluated with a report expected in the autumn. The findings of the evaluation report will inform broader rollout of veterans’ mental health services across the NHS in 2011-12. Additionally, the Medical Assessment programme at St Thomas’ Hospital in London is available to serving and former armed forces personnel who have deployed on operations since 1982.

The Government have also recently confirmed an additional £2 million to allow the Department of Health to work with strategic partners, including combat stress, to ensure the best treatment possible is available for veterans with mental health problems.

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