Disabled people locked out of accessing welfare impact assessment as Government fails to publish accessible versions

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Government has still not published accessible versions of the welfare Green Paper published ten days ago and subsequent impact assessment in which they outlined major cuts in support for those with disabilities, a Written Parliamentary Question by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

In response to the Parliamentary Question by Lib Dem Work and Pensions spokesperson Steve Darling, Minister Stephen Timms said that “accessible formats will be published on GOV.UK in due course” meaning that some people with disabilities have been left in the lurch over access to this document since its publication on 18th March.

The Minister went on to say that “we have published this Green Paper ahead of all accessible versions to put detailed information about the matters subject to consultation in the public domain at the earliest opportunity”. The Government has also failed to produce accessible versions of the subsequent impact assessment.

Accessible versions of Government documents are needed so those with visual impairments or learning disabilities can access and understand the information within them. Without these accessible versions it means people with these disabilities will not be able to access the information outlined in the Government’s welfare Green Paper or impact assessment which centres on cuts to support for those on Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

It could put the Government at risk of breaking their own regulations on accessibility. Part of the requirements for accessibility and public bodies are that “you must make your website or mobile app more accessible by making it ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. You need to include and update an accessibility statement on your website”. They go on to say “you may be breaking the law if your public sector website or mobile app does not meet accessibility requirements”.

Accessible versions of documents can include:

• Large Print (font size 16 or greater)
• Braille (printed tactile documents)
• Audio
• MP3
• DAISY (audio only)
• Audio description for multimedia
• Electronic
• Microsoft Word or other processor files
• PDF
• DAISY (audio and text)
• HTML
• Close captioned for multimedia
• ‘Easy read’ used for example by people with learning disabilities, which includes pictures to help explain things
• Compatible with text-to-speech software, used for example by people who are visually impaired

The Green Paper and impact assessment relates to welfare cuts to the tune of almost £5 billion including for 800,000 of those on PIP and for an additional 150,000 carers. In total, more than 3 million families will lose out on support as a result.

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government for failing to publish accessible versions of the Green Paper and impact assessment, calling it a “disgrace” that at the same time the Government was cutting support for those with disabilities it was limiting their ability to understand what the loss of support would be. 

The Party called on the Government to immediately publish the accessible versions to give people with these impairments the “dignity” of telling them just how much they will lose out by and that the “Government has fallen in real danger of losing its moral compass”.

Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson, Steve Darling MP, who he himself is registered blind, said:

“I have experienced first hand just how difficult things can be for someone who is visually impaired in this system, trying to navigate the maze of paperwork and information that needs to be understood. For the Government to now put forward these major changes in a way that many can’t even access is nothing short of a disgrace.

“First they compared removing vital support to taking away a child’s pocket money, and now they won’t even give those potentially affected the dignity of going through the details as to how much they will lose out by. This Government has fallen in real danger of losing its moral compass.

“Ministers need to immediately publish the accessible versions of their Green Paper and impact assessment. These cuts smell of a rushed job by a desperate Chancellor whose economic credibility has taken a beating and a Government that has utterly failed to understand the needs of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

“It is time for Ministers to take a long hard look at themselves and realise this is no way to treat those with disabilities. If the Government was serious about bringing the welfare bill down it would start by fixing the crisis in social care. Not taking three years for a review that could be completed by the end of this year at the latest.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

First reported by the Independent here.

The Written Parliamentary question by Steve Darling MP can be found here.

The Government’s ‘Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies’ web page can be found here.