Francesca Martinez on Disability Allowance Cuts

“Rhetoric about the Paralympics sounds hollow when the Government is hellbent on cutting benefits,” writes Comedian Francesca Martinez in the Independent.

Martinez feels that David Cameron’s comments at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics at London 2012 were empty. He talked about "inspirational" athletes, while the welfare system that helped many of the same athletes to achieve their dreams, is being eroded.

She feels that government targeting of disabled people in the cuts is dangerous, as disability hate crime is at record levels, with up to 100,000 estimated incidents per year, just as help is being withdrawn.

She believes that ‘welfare reform’ really means ‘welfare cuts.’

The plan is to cut Disability Living Allowance by 20 per cent, and half a million genuine claimants will lose their benefits.

Francesca agrees that the small minority who make fraudulent claims should be targeted, but not the majority who receive this help to cover the extra challenges they face.