Mencap and learning disability on the agenda at Westminster

The concerns of people with a learning disability and their families and carers featured in a number of key debates in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday this week.

In the House of Commons MPs debated the Coalition Government’s changes to housing benefit, following the recent announcements in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). In a lively and sometimes heated debate many MPs expressed their concerns about what impact the changes will have on disabled people. Labour MPs Rt. Hon Tom Clarke MP (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) and Nic Dakin MP (Scunthorpe) raised Mencap’s concerns about the impact these changes would have on people with a learning disability.

In Westminster Hall – another Chamber in Parliament for MPs to debate issues of importance – two other debates took place of interest to Mencap. Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George (St Ives) led a debate on the impact of the CSR on vulnerable people and talked about the impact of the proposed changes to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for disabled people.

In another Westminster Hall debate, Conservative MP Tony Baldry (Banbury) led a debate on people not in employment, education or training, also known as ‘NEET’s. During the debate he talked about Mencap’s work in tackling some of the challenges faced by people with a learning disability when trying to get a job.

Mencap briefed MPs before these debates about the impact of the CSR on people with a learning disability and their families and carers. Mencap will continue to lobby MPs and Government Ministers on the cuts announced in the CSR.

Peter Hand, senior parliamentary officer

Links to debates:

Vulnerable people and the CSR

NEETs

Housing Benefit