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Social Justice > Published by Daniel Elton, January 13th 2012 at 6:14 pm

Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms

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On Wednesday, Westminster was rocked by a series of government defeats on its welfare reform bill in the House of Lords.

Chris-GraylingThe first, which came as a complete surprise to most observers, rejected the government’s plans to cut non-means tested support for people who have never been able to work, and thus have no National Insurance contributions. 

In an unprecedented move later that evening, after most of the crossbench peers who had inflicted the defeat on government had left the chamber, Lord Freud moved an amendment which had the effect of undoing the coalition’s defeat on this issue. 

So the government is keen enough to cut support for people with early-onset or lifetime disabilities to play fast and loose with parliamentary procedure.

But it appears that Chris Grayling doesn’t even know what his government is trying to do.  On Newsnight last night, Grayling claimed that under government proposals, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) would not be means tested for those who have never been and will never be able to work.

He said:

“Well, if you take the example of one of the amendments last night, on young people, what we’ve got is a situation right now where if young person reaches adult life, and they have other financial means, they could receive for example a substantial inheritance, they’re still able to unconditionally receive benefit support for an ongoing period.

“Now, if they’re never going to be able to work, the situation won’t change for them.”

We can find no plausible reading of this statement other than Grayling believes that a young disabled person who qualifies for the ESA support group for people who are not expected to be able to work will still be able to access non-means tested benefits.

However, this is precisely what the government was trying to prevent through the welfare reform bill.

The amendment the government effectively overturned through its underhand manoeuvrings on Wednesday would have led to precisely the situation Grayling described on Newsnight.

Contributory ESA is a non-means tested benefit we are entitled to if we become sick or disabled, paid for by the national insurance contributions we make while working, as explained so well by regular Left Foot Forward contributor Declan Gaffney.

In order to extend protection to people who will never be able to work, governments of all political persuasions have credited young disabled people into the system, effectively treating them as if they had built up enough national insurance contributions to qualify for ESA or its predecessor, Incapacity Benefit.

The government’s aim is to reverse this longstanding bipartisan commitment, so that young people who have never worked will instead only be able to access means-tested ESA. This means that their benefit will be reduced if they have a working partner and if they have savings above a certain threshold.

However people who become disabled in adulthood and who have contributions records will be able to receive the non-means tested benefit if they are not expected to be able to work again.

Mr Grayling thinks that his government intends to continue to provide non-means tested support to severely disabled people who have never worked, and seems to regards this as desirable.

He is wrong on what the government has been trying to do, but if he does favour non-means tested support, all he has to do is reinstate the cross-bench amendment his colleague Lord Freud worked so hard and so duplicitously to overturn on Wednesday.

See also:

• ”Demonsing the government” Sue Marsh v Chris Grayling (and Emily Maitlis) - Alex Hern, January 13th 2012

• Welfare reform bill in tatters after Lords defeats - Shamik Das, January 12th 2012

• Children’s commissioner slams welfare bill - Alex Hern, January 11th 2012

• Everyone concerned about welfare reform needs to step up to the mark - Declan Gaffney, January 10th 2012

• Disability minister ignorant on how legal aid cuts affecting disabled people - Alex Hern, January 10th 2012

  • http://twitter.com/Scribbles123 IRejectFPTP

    Lies, more lies and damned lies. This govt knows nothing than but to lie their way out of corners. They lied their way into power, and are still at it. When they have no argument to fall back on, what else is there to do? Is this really the democratic process in action? If so, I want none of it.

  • http://godlessfaith.blogspot.com/ Sam Barnett-Cormack

    Someone really needs to get the mainstream media to cover this. He has given wrong information to the media. Whether this was deliberate or mistaken, it needs prominent correction. This was FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH.

  • hindle-a

    I am glad you pointed this out ,as I thought it was the position that you outline rather than Grayling stated on Newsnight and until I read this I thought I must have been wrong.Quite incredible that he does not know his own policy at best,”economic with the verite” at worst.

  • Arecbalrin

    Freud has included among the next amendments to be moved for the debate on DLA yet another amendment that will reverse the effect of an earlier one. McKenzie has an amendment he’s going to put forward to make sure the government keeps to their declaration that they are not going to take away Mobility from care home residents, basically by making sure that they do not count care home residence as ‘hospitalisation’ or as equivalent to an in-patient hospital stay.

    Freud has an amendment immediately after that which will reverse it and make sure that care home residents can still be considered hospitalised. Sneaky enough, he’s disguised it as the amendment that withdraws the policy for taking Mobility away from the bill.

    Mason Dixon, Autistic.

  • http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

    Typical Coalition. They’ve also indicated that they’ll retrospectively declare it a money bill if necessary to remove the lord’s changes.

  • Evans Laura39

    I am still trying to work out if I go into the unconditional support phase of ESA, will it be means tested and this has helped clarify their position not one bit!

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/look-left-13-01-12/ Look Left – Wonga’s student ‘scam’ comes unstuck | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Left Foot Forward reported [...]

  • Arecbalrin

    Clause 52 in subsections 1 and 2 would have changed the 2007 Welfare Reform Bill that introduced ESA by essentially erasing the entirety of ‘conditions relating to youth’ for contribution-based ESA. The conditions relating to youth stated that a person who is under 20 or in some cases 25 but had been affected by illness or disability for at least 196 days and was aged at least 16, would be automatically entitled to contribution-ESA for as long as it made them limited in their ability to work.

    The new Welfare Reform Bill gets rid of that and then does not re-introduce it in any form. Grayling is probably confused because what his bill does is exclude those in the Support Group from time-limiting but that is NOT the same thing at all because it doesn’t affect NI contributions: they won’t be eligible for contribution-based without them. Can’t exclude them from a time-limit if they don’t even qualify for the version that is going to be time-limited.

    Mason Dixon, Autistic.

  • Anonymous

    Seems the book he needed welfare for dummies has worked and he’s now a dummy

  • Mr. Sensible

    What a mess the government is in on welfare reform.

  • Anonymous

    Well Balls has decided to back the Tories plan, but you should vote labour because well just because.

  • http://twitter.com/occupydisabled/status/158008184144011264 Sammy Beach

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/fibromitesunite/status/158009128919367681 M Thomson Fibromite

    Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/QpJTwwKU #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/postpolionews/status/158014927162974209 Chris Salter

    [Correction] The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/postpolionews/status/158015342004801536 Chris Salter

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/janiecestaton/status/158017609017737216 Janiece Staton

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

    Democratic? It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Tories been accused of THAT!

  • http://twitter.com/hephaestus7/status/158023487301222402 Samuel Miller

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/whatnewsscience/status/158032532821118977 celia joy

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/inwhichalex/status/158052616205643776 Alex

    RT @djmgaffneyw4: Amazing gaffe by Grayling on clause 52: seems to think gov policy is opposite of what it is http://t.co/TYMCoi75

  • http://twitter.com/rosenamc/status/158094180936187904 Rosena McKeown

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/dfenney/status/158097996444221440 Deborah Fenney

    RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/z3bwHX9s #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • http://twitter.com/sazzyactivist/status/158104983622008832 Sarah

    “@suey2y: RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/aldcMawO #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/debbiegeorge65/status/158111567081259008 Deborah George

    RT @leftfootfwd: Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/IZvRpig8

  • http://twitter.com/themingford/status/158133269626486784 Thomas Hemingford

    Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/QpJTwwKU #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/poutingpou/status/158133721504022528 Kyron Hodgetts

    Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/QpJTwwKU #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/lilacwheelz/status/158139024291266560 Lilacwheelz

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/amanda_j_w/status/158140524233105408 Amanda Wilkinson

    Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/QpJTwwKU #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/calimb/status/158141104481513472 Helen Brown

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/calimb/status/158141529779744770 Helen Brown

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/calimb/status/158142035243696128 Helen Brown

    “@suey2y: RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/aldcMawO #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/calimb/status/158142143834230784 Helen Brown

    RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/z3bwHX9s #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • mediantoo

    Not a good idea to say that Chris Grayling (or any other minister) doesn’t know what his government is doing, or to call him a dummy, a fool, etc, because that’s what they want. Such name-calling fails to expose their real agenda. The fact is that they know perfectly well what they’re doing, and would rather be thought of as fools, (whilst crying all the way to the bank) than the self-serving knaves they really are. The problem is that they’re so devious that actually telling people what this government is doing to us involves economic and political facts that few of them understand, thanks to a Tory-friendly media. If I went marching down my high street with a banner saying, “Down with long-term self-serving short-termism and international shadow-banking fraud,” I’d have to add: “Confused? That’s how they do it!”

  • http://twitter.com/calimb/status/158148071400800257 Helen Brown

    @paddyashdown @leftfootfwd: Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/JwR5XAK4

  • http://twitter.com/djmgaffneyw4/status/158151836455542784 Declan Gaffney

    @StuartGWhite except there was some dodgy business in the Lords later that evening- hoping the amendment will survive http://t.co/WTxxqsyM

  • http://twitter.com/naomi_jacobs/status/158156624215805952 Naomi Jacobs

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/catherinbrunton/status/158220059246997505 Catherine Brunton

    Correction: The Government does [not] understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/pRqAubKa #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/spartacustweets/status/158244750229647360 Cat

    RT@suey2y@leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/vedsvpuT #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • http://twitter.com/spartacustweets/status/158257708179529728 Cat

    RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/z3bwHX9s #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • http://twitter.com/jleebarrister/status/158266292544094208 Jennifer Lee

    RT @leftfootfwd: Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/RXCqN1ax

  • http://twitter.com/markadams60/status/158272384548347904 mark adams

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/km_caroline/status/158273207768580096 Caroline

    RT@suey2y@leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/vedsvpuT #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • http://twitter.com/simonbarrow/status/158315103282933760 Simon Barrow

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/ozzymandias33/status/158318670425239552 Andrew Crory

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/helen_hale/status/158322723267952640 Helen Hale

    RT @leftfootfwd: Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/z3bwHX9s #spartacusreport TWEET!!

  • http://twitter.com/randomstuff55/status/158356829137670145 the last unicorn

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/j8HU7stz #ppnews #wrb #spartacusreport

  • http://twitter.com/spartacustweets/status/158498795427078145 Cat

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/egloballearning/status/158510022341562368 Elaine Newman

    #Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/uaYZZV4s #diversity #disabilities

  • http://twitter.com/themingford/status/158632680194441216 Thomas Hemingford

    #Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/uaYZZV4s #diversity #disabilities

  • http://twitter.com/spneedsparents/status/158645699473457153 SNPA

    #Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms http://t.co/uaYZZV4s #diversity #disabilities

  • http://twitter.com/bookjo/status/158850993314996225 Joanna Sholem

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://twitter.com/catchedicam/status/159219700767801344 voynich

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms: http://t.co/TgsmBIl1 by @DanielElton #SpartacusReport #wrb

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/charities-call-for-welfare-reform-bill-pause/ As Lords debates DLA reforms, charities call for pause to welfare reform bill | Left Foot Forward

    [...] also: • Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms – Daniel Elton, January 13th [...]

  • http://twitter.com/fergusonkeith/status/159611257152995329 keith ferguson

    The Government does understand its own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward – http://t.co/dWVm9lzh

  • http://twitter.com/alan_199/status/159612177974706176 Alan199

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/antiassessment/status/159612321625407488 Mister Ree

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/margojmilne/status/159612791525871616 Margo Milne

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/bubbleboo/status/159612914926501888 Hannah Rachel Potter

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/159614461806788608 BevR

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/nickbloke/status/159619410955485184 Nick H.

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/jintyg51/status/159623270495301632 Janet Graham

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/gregalomaniac/status/159630883987537922 Greg

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/QwVgyjZC #SpartacusReport #WRB

  • http://twitter.com/themingford/status/159652525925081089 Thomas Hemingford

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/themingford/status/159653054248009731 Thomas Hemingford

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/QwVgyjZC #SpartacusReport #WRB

  • http://twitter.com/i_hurt_inside/status/159653343994716162 TheSilentSadness

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://twitter.com/ukequality/status/159653389205118977 Equal and Diverse

    Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/QwVgyjZC #SpartacusReport #WRB

  • http://twitter.com/poutingpou/status/159712130646540288 Kyron Hodgetts

    We could believe the government on welfare reform if they understood thier own policy #pmqs #wrb #spartacusreport: http://t.co/omnxYLr7

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/it%e2%80%99s-nearly-time-for-the-dwp%e2%80%99s-quarterly-love-in-with-the-tabloids/ It’s nearly time for the DWP’s quarterly love-in with the tabloids | Left Foot Forward

    [...] also: • Employment minister Chris Grayling does not appear to understand his own disability reforms – Daniel Elton, January 13th [...]

  • Engbyrne

    Sorry i just don’t understand what he is taking about. Employment depends on a number of things. People wanting work and employers wanting to them employ them, but also what work is available, what people are capable of, and whether the employer likes the look of you as well as how you cope with interviews, application forms etc. If he wants disabled people to work, how about him creating jobs the disabled can actually do. Being disabled means you can do things and not other things. Except for the fact most work out there is multitasking (requires people to do numerous tasks). Some of those tasks the disabled can do and some they cannot. How about forcing employers to change the way they work, how they organise work and what work they are creating. Where is the schemes for disabled people, where is the on the job training. Employers have got away for years creating multitasking jobs that only perfect people can do, which has led most disabled onto DLA and other benefits as they have no choice, add onto this stress levels (most people are struggling to do their work and fit everything in a week) no wonder we have tired employees who cannot cope. Mentally ill people are especially affected. Employers expectations, working practices have completely changed from the 1950′s which people don’t realise. Also what you have to do to get work has changed. You have to be outgoing, attend numerous interviews and fill in long forms just to shelve in Tesco, no wonder so many people are put off. Long hours and hard work has not equally success for most people who are simply put upon by employers who want to save money no wonder Britain is messed up. My mother had to work in the 1950′s and employers worked with her school etc to create jobs for young people, no employers don’t care a sod as long as they get a good profit. She worked full time including saturdays but was well looked after, dentist/doctor on site etc, personnel department for troubles etc. No wonder people were happier then, they were treated well.