The new work and pensions secretary has sent out mixed signals on whether he wants to make further cuts to spending on disability benefits. Stephen Crabb, who was appointed after the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith in March, was giving evidence for the first time to the Commons work and pensions select committee yesterday (11 April). He referred at least six times during the evidence session to the number of disabled people who had been “parked” on sickness and disability benefits, and said that addressing this issue was one of his three current priorities. He said there were more than a million working-age people who were claiming both employment and support allowance (ESA) and either personal independence payment (PIP) or disability living allowance, as well as another million people claiming just ESA. He said: “I want to really think about this problem not from a position of setting ourselves a monetary figure of what we are trying to cut off the budget but actually understand what
Source: Crabb’s mixed signals on fresh disability benefit cuts | DisabledGo News and Blog
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