- Conference
- 2006 National Disabled Members' Conference
- Date
- 7 July 2006
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference notes that the Government published its ‘Welfare Reform Bill on 4th July 2006. This Bill contains powers to replace incapacity benefits with a new Employment Support Allowance. The Government have said that they do not intend to force people back into work where it is not appropriate and that people will continue to receive their benefits without conditionality.
This Conference welcomes the Government’s commitment to get more disabled people back into work. However Conference notes that in order to properly support disabled people in accessing employment opportunities there must be adequate funding as well as political will.
This Conference therefore mandates the National Disabled Members Committee to study the details of the Bill, and work with Labour Link to lobby the Government to ensure that they implement welfare reform in a way which promotes the needs of disabled people and which does not penalise them financially.
In particular this Conference mandates the National Disabled Members Committee to work in collaboration on this issue with the Disability Rights Commission who have developed three principles for welfare reform to be acceptable.