Scope responds to cap on welfare

The chancellor has announced a cap on Annually Managed Expenditure (AME), which includes disability benefits.

Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope, said:

"Disabled people will be extremely concerned about the cap on welfare.

"After £28.3bn of cuts, disabled people can’t bear any further squeezes on their living standards.

"This is about the kind of society we want to live in, and this announcement represents a huge change in the way we think about social security.

"Some disabled people will always need financial support. It doesn’t make them scroungers or skivers. The AME cap divorces the provision of welfare from the demand for it. Where’s the fairness in that?"

"This could create a real-terms cut that would suddenly pull the plug on support for disabled people when they really need it.

"If you’re disabled, preparing a cooked meal or going to work comes with big extra costs. At the same, you’re more likely to be on a lower income or out of work.

"Financial support is the difference between being able to live independently and pay for essentials, and being trapped in your own home racking up debt.

"The news that the Government has invested in social care and better employment support for disabled people is welcome, and in the long run these moves will be more effective in meeting disabled people’s needs and driving down costs than any cap on AME." Ends