Welfare Reform Bill

I support the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale. He knows that I have spoken about ME/CFS in the context of social security benefits for many years. The way that ME patients have been treated for many years is disgraceful. I cannot say anything less than that. ME groups have been negotiating new definitions for chronic fatigue syndrome and ME with the Department for Work and Pensions for some time, and they seem to have hit a brick wall as the DWP has arbitrarily withdrawn from any further negotiations. I believe I sent the Minister papers on this some time ago. The difficulty is that people who have severe ME are not being taken into account. When they have severe ME, they are bed-bound and need constant care. They are not lying in bed because they do not like work—we have had this debate before—but because they are seriously ill. I know that the DWP says that the illness may be progressive in some patients but is not life-threatening, but there have been a number of deaths from ME, including suicides and deaths from ““natural causes””. It is life-threatening if it gets bad. If patients are made to undertake the treatment recommended, we know that there have been cases where there have been problems. I support the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, on Amendment No. 48. It is important that it is brought into effect.