Three committees complain of ‘inadequate consultation' over welfare reforms
A letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall also said there had been a 'lack of robust data' to allow parliamentarians in the three areas to 'effectively scrutinise' the potential impact of the changes.
The letter, sent by the Scottish Parliament's Social Justice and Social Security Committee together with the Equality and Social Justice Committee of the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee for Communities, comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion from Labour MPs against the proposed changes.
We, alongside @nia_communities & @seneddequality, have jointly written to @leicesterliz, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to share our concerns about a lack of meaningful engagement on proposed changes to the UK benefits system.
Read the letter: https://t.co/IKT4qGa4cy pic.twitter.com/EtDHwTU5Hw
— Social Justice and Social Security Committee (@SP_SJSS) June 25, 2025
A Commons vote on the plans to squeeze sickness and incapacity benefits is due to go ahead on Tuesday, despite 120 Labour MPs having publicly backed a move to block the legislation.
Meanwhile, the Work and Pensions Secretary was told there are 'significant concerns' about the Government's changes.
The letter from the three committees told how the 'economic backdrop' for many of those claiming disability benefits is 'already extremely challenging'.
And the committees added that the payments people receive 'are not symptomatic of a 'broken' system, but make a significant contribution to their health and wellbeing'.
They told Ms Kendall they were 'agreed that inadequate consultation and engagement by the UK Government with stakeholders and the devolved institutions has contributed to this sense of concern'.
Representatives from the committees added: 'In addition, the lack of robust data and jurisdiction-specific impact assessments presents significant challenges for our three committees to effectively scrutinise potential impacts.'
Here they insisted they have been 'constrained by the lack of quality information'.
They added: 'Our committees fully support the stated ambition that 'no-one should be consigned to a life on benefits just because they have a health condition or a disability, especially when they're able to and want to work with the right support in place'.
'However, in order to contribute meaningfully to the reform process, committees and citizens must be fully informed and offered every opportunity for meaningful engagement.'
A UK Government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to create a welfare system – backed by dedicated employment support we are investing in now – that will help people into work and out of poverty in all parts of the country.
'We will never compromise on protecting people who need our support, and our reforms will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work.
'We are working with devolved administrations to ensure their views are at the heart of what we do, which is why we held Green Paper consultation events in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
30 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Starmer seeks to quell revolt to speed through welfare reforms
Downing Street insiders said talks were taking place with Labour MPs about the legislation after 126 of them publicly backed a move to block it. The first vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will take place on Tuesday and a concerted effort has been launched by ministers to win round potential rebels. The Prime Minister told MPs there was 'consensus across the House on the urgent need for reform' of the 'broken' welfare system. 'I know colleagues across the House are eager to start fixing that, and so am I, and that all colleagues want to get this right, and so do I,' he said. 'We want to see reform implemented with Labour values of fairness. 'That conversation will continue in the coming days, so we can begin making change together on Tuesday.' If the legislation clears its first hurdle it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the Bill – with a plan for it to clear the Commons a little over a week later on July 9. Ministers have said they will listen to suggestions to improve the legislation but opposition appears entrenched and the swift timetable for the Bill could add to critics' concerns. Commons Leader Lucy Powell told MPs: 'As the House would expect, the Government actively engages with parliamentary opinion throughout a bill's passage, as we are doing intensively with the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill.' A No 10 source said: 'Delivering fundamental change is not easy, and we all want to get it right, so of course we're talking to colleagues about the Bill and the changes it will bring, we want to start delivering this together on Tuesday.' Overnight six more Labour MPs added their names to the rebel amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks. The reasoned amendment argues that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces the most serious revolt of his premiership (Ben Stansall/PA) The new signatories include the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee chairman Toby Perkins, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, Newcastle upon Tyne MP Mary Glindon and Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards. North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell and Colchester MP Pam Cox, both of whom won their seats in the party's 2024 landslide election victory, have also added their names. The new names take the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the amendment, tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier, to 126 out of a total of 162 backers from all parties. The plans restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. But the fact so many Labour MPs are prepared to put their names to the 'reasoned amendment' calling for a change of course shows how entrenched the opposition remains. One backbencher preparing to vote against the Bill told the PA news agency: 'A lot of people have been saying they're upset about this for months. 'To leave it until a few days before the vote, it's not a very good way of running the country. 'It's not very grown-up.' They said that minor concessions would not be enough, warning: 'I don't think you can tinker with this. They need to go back to the drawing board.' The Daily Telegraph reported that potential concessions being considered include a commitment to speed up payment of support to help people back into work and offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published. Meanwhile, The Times reported some MPs opposed to the plans had blamed Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and suggested the time had come for 'regime change' in Downing Street. Asked about attacks on Mr McSweeney, trade minister Douglas Alexander said: 'I'm much less interested in the gossip about SW1 than whether this legislation works on the streets, in the towns, in the communities right across the country.' He told Sky News it was 'for the Prime Minister to make his judgments' about who works in Downing Street but 'the fact is that team delivered us an historic victory only last July, against expectations'. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'If there are practical ways that we can improve this legislation, we should. 'We should do it not to buy off rebels, but because it's a Labour thing to do and that's the conversation that I expect ministers will be engaged in in the coming days.' Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank indicated overall, 800,000 fewer working-age people are expected to receive a Pip daily living award in 2029–30 as a result of the reforms. The tighter criteria are set to lead to 430,000 new applicants – who would have received an award without reforms – receiving no award, and 370,000 existing claimants losing out following reassessment. Most of the 800,000 losers will receive £3,850 per year less in Pip. The 2.2 million existing claimants of the health element of universal credit who are expected to still be claiming in 2029–30 are estimated to see a £450 real decline in their support in that year because of the freezing of the payment. There are also set to be 700,000 new claimants who will typically receive £2,700 a year less than they would have done under the current system, the IFS said. NEW: Government's benefit reforms could reduce annual spending by around £11 billion in the long run – but still leave health-related benefit bill far above pre-pandemic levels. Read @TomWatersEcon, @LatimerEduin and @matthewoulton's new report: — Institute for Fiscal Studies (@TheIFS) June 26, 2025 It will be well into the 2030s before the reforms are fully rolled out and, in the long-term, the savings could amount to around £11 billion a year, the IFS said. A little over a quarter of the public are supportive of the proposed reforms, according to polling published on Thursday. Of 2,004 people surveyed by More in Common over the weekend, just 27% said they supported the planned changes to the benefits system and half (51%) said they believe the cuts would worsen the health of disabled people. A similar proportion (52%) said the cuts would increase pressure on the NHS while six in 10 said the Government should look at alternative cost-saving measures instead. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Government should pull the Bill and 'go back to the drawing board' instead of 'cutting vital support from thousands of vulnerable people'.
The National
35 minutes ago
- The National
John Swinney rips into Anas Sarwar on support for benefit cuts
Despite how 12 Scottish Labour MPs joined with others to sign an amendment against welfare cut plans, party leader Sarwar has continued to support Keir Starmer, telling the Holyrood Sources podcast on Wednesday "I support the principle of reform". At First Minister's Questions, Swinney told the chamber Sarwar falling into line behind the Prime Minister was a sign he "would not be standing up for Scotland anytime soon". In response to a question on inflation from SNP MSP Marie McNair, Swinney said: "The Scottish Government has taken a number of measures to address the cost of living challenges the public face – whether that's investment in early learning and childcare, or the Scottish Child Payment which boosts household incomes for those in poverty, or the steps that we are taking to lift the two-child limit that should have been lifted as one of the first acts of the UK Labour Government." He went on: "We face a new threat which is the benefit cuts agenda of the UK Labour Government. "At a time when many, many Labour MPs are now saying these cuts are unacceptable, isn't it just telling that Anas Sarwar is supporting the Prime Minister in implementing the benefit cuts. "It demonstrates that Anas Sarwar won't be standing up for Scotland any time soon." More to follow.
ITV News
38 minutes ago
- ITV News
Northumbria Police force destroys records relating to the Miners' Strike and 'Battle of Orgreave'
A police force has destroyed records relating to the Miners' Strike and the 'Battle of Orgreave' ahead of an inquiry into the violence. Northumbria Police has confirmed it disposed of two boxes containing data relating to the year-long strike, more than 40 years ago, in April last year. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: 'We can confirm two boxes containing data in relation to the Miners' Strike were disposed of in April 2024 following a formal review, retain or disposal process in line with force policy and the Data Protection Act 2018." 'Absolutely alarming' Labour committed to hold an inquiry or investigation into Orgreave in their manifesto ahead of the 2024 election. And in the House of Commons on Thursday, Labour's Ian Lavery, MP for Blyth & Ashington, called for an urgent debate as he described the destruction as "absolutely alarming". "Is this the systematic attempt to obscure justice? I'm not sure if anyone is prepared to ask that question," he said, later adding: "Justice cannot be served if the evidence is systematically and deliberately destroyed." In response, Lucy Powell MP, Leader of the House of Commons, said she would continue to raise the issues with government ministers. She told MPs: "I would join him in saying to people anyone involved that they must retain the records and they must come forward, as they would be expected to do when those questions are asked, with every bit of information they have got on what happened." Meanwhile a group campaigning for an inquiry into the 'Battle of Orgreave' has labelled the force's move as "extremely disturbing". Kate Flannery, secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said: 'We are now understandably worried about how many other police forces may have recently destroyed or intend to destroy important information that would be very relevant in an Orgreave inquiry or investigation.' Yvette Cooper, who is now the Home Secretary, wrote to police forces involved in the policing at Orgreave in December 2016 in her role as Chair of the Home Affairs Committee. She asked them to tell the committee what information they had on Orgreave that was not already in the public domain. The chief constable of Northumbria Police at the time, Steve Ashman, responded later in December 2016. He said they had found 15 documents relating to the clashes at Orgreave on 18 June 1984, detailed what two of the documents related to, and said they were available to the committee if requested. Kevin Horne, miner arrested at Orgreave on 18 June 1984, said: 'Any argument that documents and records were simply destroyed on the basis of time passed does not make sense given that Northumbria police and other police forces had by April 2024, already kept the documents for nearly 40 years.'
