Plaid’s Health spokesperson Helen Mary Jones has labelled the Government’s cuts to incapacity benefits, as ‘utterly heartless.’
The government plans mean that people claiming incapacity benefit will have to undergo a new test using a points-based system to reassess whether they are fit to work. It has been estimated by the think tank Demos that the Government’s plans will see 3.6million disabled people and carers in the UK lose about £9.2billion by 2015. The government plans would see many people on long term sickness benefit forced into work or face having their benefits cut. Medical tests are being piloted in Burnley and Aberdeen. The tests have been criticised by disability campaigners who claim that forcing sick people into jobs could have catastrophic results.
Plaid AM Helen Mary Jones said:
“These ConDem cuts show a government with complete disregard for the needs of the most vulnerable. We all know that we need to cut the deficit, but in attacking benefits for disabled people, this coalition is showing itself to be utterly heartless. We should not be surprised to see the Conservatives undertaking an ideologically cut on the benefit system, but the Liberal Democrats should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
“Hundreds of my constituents who struggle now to live decent lives on their disability benefits could be dreadfully impacted by this. The Conservatives tell us that we are all in this together, but we in Wales know better than to believe them. This is yet just another example of them totally failing to understand the reality of people’s everyday lives.”
