Welfare Reform Bill

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, has spoken very movingly from personal experience. I think that he is pointing to the importance of taking account of the costs of disability. All the poverty figures that we have underestimate poverty among disabled people because they do not take account of the kind of costs to which the noble Lord referred. This relates back to our previous discussion. Minimum income standards have to be different for people with disabilities because of the costs associated with disability. I simply want to add to the debate by referring to a piece of research which I think reinforces the point, although perhaps not as powerfully as the noble Lord has done. It came winging into my e-mail box a few days ago from the Children’s Society. It has reported that four in 10 disabled children live in relative income poverty once the additional cost of their disability is accounted for. This means that 320,000 disabled children are living in low-income families, lacking the resources they need to engage in the kinds of normal social activities that other children take for granted. This, again, goes back to our previous discussion. This shocking statistic means that disabled children are disproportionately likely to live in poverty when compared with around three in 10 of all children. The society goes on to say that it is extremely concerned that this figure could become worse as a result of cuts to support for disabled children to be introduced under the universal credit. These cuts will mean that around 100,000 disabled children will lose up to £27 per week under the new benefits system. It strongly recommends that the Government reconsider this proposal, which could have a damaging impact on an already vulnerable group. I do not know whether the Minister has seen this research yet. I hope that he will look at it and, in the light of it, reconsider what is being proposed.