The UK Autism Foundation is urging the Prime Minister David Cameron and the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to think again before they slash away the disability living allowance. The Coalition government is proposing to radically reform Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and replace it with a Personal Independence Payment (PIP). In the process they plan to introduce new assessments and cut the budget and caseload by 20%.

The Government plan was to reduce eligibility for DLA by 20%, despite the official fraud rate for the benefit being only 0.5%, but the current plan appears to be to scrap DLA altogether and replace it with the personal independence payment (PIP), which will possibly require expensive rebranding to ensure that even fewer people are eligible for it.The proposal including removing the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance from people who live full time in care homes whose local authorities fund these places.

Before the election, David Cameron as Leader of the Opposition wrote to Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation in 2009 and said:  'As you know, this country is in a very serious debt crisis and we need urgently to get our public finances under control. This does not mean that some very tough decisions are necessary and public spending will have to be cut. But at the same time, we have said very clearly as a Party that we must not pare down the debt on the backs of the most vulnerable in our society. And that is why we have committed ourselves to real increases in health spending and to deliver real changes to the way the NHS works in practice so that it can meet the health challenges of the future. I agree with you that autism represents one of the most difficult and pressing of these challenges,' he said.

The Conservative Party leader went on to state: 'I am very keen to make changes to the way the funds for these disabilities are allocated. Patients and health professionals should have more power over the way that their health priorities are decided and I want to more personal budgets and direct payments so that decisions about funding can be taken at the closest possible level to the individual concerned.'

MPs in the House of Commons are currently signing a motion on Autism Sunday. EDM 1467 noted: 'That this House warmly congratulates those cathedrals, churches, parents' groups and community groups who marked Autism Sunday 2011, the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger's syndrome, which fell on 13 February 2011; notes that Autism Sunday was initiated by British parents and carers Ivan and Charika Corea and the inspiration behind the autism campaign is their 15 year old son Charin Corea who is on the autism spectrum; further notes that Autism Sunday has turned into a huge worldwide event celebrated in many nations and that many services were organised across the UK to mark Autism Sunday 2011; calls on the Government to protect and shield parents, carers and the autism community from the cuts to disability benefits and cuts to public services; and supports the call of the organisers for parliamentarians to Speak Up for Autism.'

Recent DWP figures (up to May 2010), state over 1.8 million working age people receive Disability Living Allowance. The Coalition Government cuts are likely to mean over 360,000 disabled people losing DLA across the UK. But a third of disabled people live in poverty in the UK already and disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as other citizens.

The Coalition Government has also proposed axing payments of DLA to disabled people living in care homes – cutting the support to get out and about to shop and see friends for example. Cutting DLA support for disabled people in care homes will not only undermines their autonomy and independence, it could also result in higher charges to councils to provide the lost support or to the NHS for health emergencies or crises if disabled people cannot visit a GP or collect a medical prescription.

Autism Campaigner Ivan Corea said: 'Scrapping the disability living allowance will drive even more parents, carers and the Autism Community deeper into poverty. It will undermine autonomy and independence. We are urging David Cameron and George Osborne to listen to the voices of parents, carers and the Autism Community across our land and think again before they scrap the DLA. We urge them to place themselves in the shoes of a carer or a person with autism. Life is a huge struggle at the moment - we are faced with increased food prices, increased utility bills, increased petrol costs in the midst of this if they scrap the DLA and if councils cut public services, it will push us to the very edge - during these tough economic times. The disabled are bearing the brunt of the cuts.We are soon approaching the United Nations World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April, David Cameron promised that he will protect the vulnerable and we appeal to him to think again about the DLA.'

http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/41108