People with disabilities could be eligible for a £650 cost of living payment according to plans going before the UK Parliament. Millions of people could be in line for the money after two petitions calling for extra support received thousands of signatures.
Marsha De Cordova MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked to open the debate on May 22 after the first petition, ‘Make people on disability benefits eligible for the £650 one off payment’, was created by Abigail Broomfield and received more than 24,600 signatures of support on the petitions-parliament website, according to the Daily Record.
The petition said: “Disabled people should be included alongside carers in the £650 one off payment as part of the cost of living support package. We have larger utilities bills and food costs when compared to non-disabled people. We rely on these utilities and food to stay alive.”
Read more: The people on DWP benefits who will not receive £301 cost of living payment this spring
The second petition, ‘Provide an energy grant to people with a disability or serious medical condition’, was created by Rachel Curtis and received more than 16,300 signatures of support on the petitions-parliament website.
The petition states: “The Government needs to provide a grant, so that people with a disability or serious medical condition can afford to run the equipment, or heating, they need to stay alive. It is not right that people living with conditions that require energy, should be punished for it, and sometimes face unmanageable debts with energy companies.”
Both petitions were initially ran last year and refer to the £650 cost of living payment given to millions of households on means-tested benefits in two instalments last year. Those with disabilities were given a £150 cost of living payment last year but were not eligible for the £650 payment unless they also had a qualifying benefit. It meant many people who claimed benefits like disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payments (PIP) were not eligible for the £650. To get all the latest money-saving news straight to your inbox sign up here.
At the time of the petitions, a DWP spokesperson responded: “Six million people in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit will receive a £150 payment in September. If they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit, they will also receive the £650 payment.”
Ahead of the planned debate, the Petitions Committee is keen to hear your views on the topics, and considering both petitions received over 40,000 signatures of support between them, that could be a lot of feedback for MPs to take on board - and could help influence change.
You can watch the debate live on Parliament TV from 4.30pm on May 22, 2023.
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