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Maria - I've Just Met a Girl Called Maria..........

The following is a reply to my constituency MP to a question I asked Maria Miller, through him, asking her what, about a Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People report, she considered 'not accurate' (see: My original posting.


Dear Richard.
Thank you for your further letter of 4 October on behaIf of Mr Mike LLywelyn Cox of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (my edit) about the proposed reforms of Disability Living Allowance.


Mr Cox has referred to an interview I gave to the Eastern Daily Press on 31 May. In the relevant part of the interview referred to by Mr Cox I said, inter alia, that:
''Obviously, the reform of “Disability Living Allowance is a really important change for disabled people and it's reaIly important that people are clear about what it's going to be doing....I'm slightly concerned that some of the things haven't been accurate.


The Government continues to spend £40bn every year on supporting disabled people and Disability Living Allowance is £12bn of that...


We are working very closely with organisations such as RADAR and the Essex Coalition of the Disabled. I have had a very long conversation with the Norfolk Coalition...”


I regularly meet with disabled people and their organisations and we are working closely with such organisations on our welfare reforms, including with the development and implementation of the new Personal Independence Payment.


I also regularly undertake media interviews, including regional media interviews such as the interview you refer to with the Eastern Daily Press. The purpose of these interviews is to keep people informed of the changes taking place, some of which may affect the readers of these publications.
As part of our ongoing reforms we ask people to come forward and give their views, and the public consultation on Disability Living Allowance reform was one of this Department's biggest ever consultations.


I would invite your constituents to get involved with these consultations and help shape the future provision and services for disabled people in this county.


I hope this reply is helpful to Mr Cox.


No Ms Miller it is not at all helpful - as usual!!!

Comments

Anonymous said…
What we do know about Maria Miller is that she knows a lot about PR and spin but not a lot about disability. This is how it goes - she anounces what she intends to do - slash and burn and fundamentaly change the purpose of dla, Access to Work etc then finds some 'tame crips' who agree with her to justify what she is doing. Any principled opposition is 'neutralised' by saying she consulted. What isn't allowed to get in the way is history of our struggle for equality and hard evidence. She uses the social model for her own ends (who says colonialisation is dead?)as though we don't know the difference between medicalised assesment processes and a feeding frenzy for her corporate buddies in ATOS, G4S etc and the social model and human rights
Mike LLywelyn Cox said…
Well said that person.

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