DPAC Northern Ireland

1pm Monday 14 April 2025

Erskine House, 20 – 32 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4GF

While lavishing money on the military, the Labour government is rushing ahead with its attack on support for Deaf and Disabled people announced in Rachel Reeves’ Spring statement and proposals outlined in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

The scale of the planned cuts will be devastating based on just the information we have so far. (The figures below are UK wide – we do not yet have a breakdown for Northern Ireland.)

• Total planned disability benefit cuts are at least £9 billion and not the £4.8 billion being reported.
• Number of households to be plunged into poverty by the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cuts alone is at least 350,000 – 400,000 including 50,000 children.
• 5 million Deaf and Disabled people will be badly impacted by the changes to PIP not just the 800,000 being reported. Many claimants say without PIP they will have to stop working.
• Three million families will lose out financially by freezing the LCWRA component of Universal Credit (this is the out of work disability payments that Disabled people get if they have been found unfit for work).
• We have not been told how many Deaf and Disabled people will be hit by combined plans to cut PIP and change eligibility for out of work disability benefits but many claimants face losing over £9600 per year (nearly all their income) and being left officially destitute.
• The government plans to spend £1 billion on employment support for Deaf and Disabled people who are unfit for work.
• The Office for Budget Responsibility has not been able to calculate how many more Deaf and Disabled people will find work as a result of their benefit cuts. This assessment will not be ready until October 2025.
• These disability benefit cuts after a decade and a half of austerity and other benefit cuts will unquestionably lead to more benefit deaths as well as extra pressures on the NHS, and on mental health, social care and homelessness services.

MPs won’t have the full information before they are forced to vote the government’s cruel plans. Some cuts may be pushed through without a vote.

Northern Ireland politicians have come out against the cuts. We welcome this and thank them.

Sadly, their opposition alone won’t be enough to stop Starmer, Reeves and Kendall on their ruthless quest.

We will be joining Deaf and Disabled campaigners and allies across England, Scotland and Wales taking action over the Easter break by protesting outside the Northern Ireland Office led by Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP.

Our message is clear: we won’t let his government punish the poorest and most disadvantaged in society and we won’t let them destroy our communities with their cruelty.

For those not able to attend the protest please support us online using hashtag #WelfareNotWarfare.

For more details of online activities and more information about the planned disability benefit cuts, see www.dpac.uk.net