During the summer, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) dismissed calls from an online petition which asked the UK Government to give all disabled people and unpaid carers the £650 means-tested cost of living payment.
However, shortly after the official response was posted on the petitions-parliament website, the Petitions Committee, the group of MPs who oversee the petitions system, asked the DWP to provide a “revised response” as they felt the DWP “did not directly address the request” of the petition. But the DWP is emphatic and states that the UK Government is “not changing these qualifying criteria”.
The ‘Make people on disability benefits eligible for the £650 one off payment’ petition on the petitions-parliament website was created by Abigail Broomfield and highlights how disabled people and unpaid carers - some 12.5 million in total across the UK - have higher utility bills and food costs than most people. Since it was created in June, more than 23,120 people have shown their support for the petition calling for change.
