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ABOLISH WORK CAPABILITY ASSESSMENTSIf this country is going to be economically successful then it is vital to ensure that people who need it, have a support system in place to take care of them at their greatest time of need. People do not choose to be ill or disabled, therefore it makes no sense to penalise these people, either morally or economically. During the election campaign the Prime Minister spoke a great deal about his disabled son, who is now, very sadly no longer with us, therefore, I cannot believe that such a person adopts policies which takes vital support money away from this group of people. To any sensible economist this flies in the face of what normal conventional wisdom tells you should be done when an economy is in trouble. Having studied micro macro and global economics, I am aware that conventional wisdom, and common sense dictates that you adopt a spending policy in order to help the country to recover. After all one mans spending money is another man's wages. Another reason this system must be abolished now is that there are more than one million appeal cases pending. The success rate of these appeals indicates that by far the majority of the people who claim these benefits are people who are in genuine need. Finally, I think it is an absolute disgrace that the hardworking doctors, nurses and GP's are having their diagnosis and medical notes questioned in this way, which is very disrespectful and shows a lack of gratitude for the fantastic work they do, without which none of us would be here. This action represents privatisation of the Benefit system and the NHS back the back door as the result of employing a profit making American company, whose employees are paid bonuses for achieving their target figures of refusing or denying the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country access to money which they need just to fulfill their basic needs, and meet their most basic human rights of having enough money to feed themselves and any family they may have, warmth and shelter. Therefore, for the sake of the recovery of the economy, and the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country, I would implore you to abolish this unworkable system immediately.3,689 of 4,000 SignaturesCreated by Nicola Kirton
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OVERTURN BAN ON SAFE TRADITIONAL BULBS & REVIEW POTENTIALLY HARMFUL MODERN ENERGY SAVING BULBSMost types of modern lighting emit Ultraviolet rays and Blue light which can be harmful to people who suffer from Light Sensitivity. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/lighting-systems-using-light-emitting-diodes-leds-health-issues-be-considered LED/CFL/Halogen Lighting can cause serious health consequences including the following: 1. Extreme eye pain for people who suffer from photo-sensitivity as these lights generate large spikes in the blue wavelengths. 2. Skin Cancer and other less threatening skin conditions such as burning sensation, rash, blisters. 3. Severe headaches (which aren’t migraines), nausea, inability to concentrate, unexplained exhaustion and other symptoms. According to French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) the intense wavelengths in the blue part of the spectrum of light emitted by LEDs, and the associated radiation intensity, raise the question of new health risks related to these sources of lighting. In this context, ANSES published a report on the health effects of LED-based lighting systems in October 2010, along with recommendations intended in particular to improve controls on marketing of these products. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/led-%E2%80%93-light-emitting-diodes The expert appraisal carried out by ANSES showed that the risks of greatest concern, both in terms of the associated hazards and the probability of occurrence in a context of generalised use of LEDs, are related to the photochemical effects of blue light and glare. They are caused by: spectral imbalance (significant proportion of blue light in white LEDs); high levels of radiance5 (high brightness density per surface unit emitted by these very small sources). The photochemical risk is associated with blue light and the level of risk depends on the cumulative dose of blue light to which an individual is exposed. It is generally the result of low-intensity, repeated exposure over long periods of time. There is significant evidence of this risk. Populations that are particularly sensitive to this risk or that are highly exposed to blue light have been identified and include children, people with certain eye diseases and certain professional groups exposed to high-intensity light. On the basis of these findings, ANSES considered it necessary to restrict sales of LED light systems to the general public to those systems that do not involve higher risks associated with blue light than conventional lighting. Furthermore, ANSES recommends revision of Standard NF EN 62 471 on the photobiological safety of lamps to adapt it to the specific characteristics of LEDs, to take into account sensitive populations and high exposure groups including certain professions such as lighting installers, entertainment industry workers. Letters of support from UK based medical experts are available here:- http://www.spectrumalliance.co.uk/support-from-medical-professionals A consortium of charities represented through the Spectrum Alliance believe that around 2 million people in the United Kingdom are negatively affected by modern lighting. http://www.spectrumalliance.co.uk/faq Whilst energy saving modern bulbs may help in the campaign to reduce CO2 emissions, there are other negative environmental consequences to consider. A study (Environmental Science and Technology, January 2011) has found that LEDs contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially hazardous substances. http://eclipse.lupusuk.org.uk/guidetoartificiallighting.htm http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/122-a81/ LED Lighting and Retinal Damage in Rats There are numerous cases of people suffering from a range of medical problems related to exposure to all new light bulbs. Increasingly people are exposed to these bulbs in most homes and businesses. Due to increased exposure, the problem will persist unless steps are taken to reverse the widespread installation of modern lights across the UK. As there are serious health consequences for a number of people right throughout the UK and the rest of Europe, it is imperative that action is taken to scrap the ban on traditional lights and reverse the EU wide installation of dangerous modern lighting. If modern lighting is installed in all public buildings and street lights, many people risk suffering serious, long-term symptoms which may mean having to give up their place of work unless adjustments are made. Please sign this petition to request that the EU Commission and UK Department for Energy and Climate Change agree to the following:- 1. Overturn the absolute ban of all traditional incandescent light bulbs. 2. Order a review and research into the health/environmental impact arising from the use of modern lighting including LED, CFL & Halogen. 3. Suspend the mandated requirement to use modern lighting throughout the UK and EU.694 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Andy C
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Restoring the disused railway line from Chepstow to Tintern for a shared use pathThe permission was granted by the Forest of Dean District Council for their ownership, but the Monmouthshire Council have been making excuses for the last few years since the original proposal. All over the UK county after county's citizens have been benefiting from these valuable resources for leisure and transport purposes. Why are we waiting and consistently fobbed off with trivial excuses all the time? There are no cycle paths through Chepstow while everywhere else benefits. Despite all the Bills, Papers, and Consultations you pass and now 'The Wales we Want' campaign, we are ignored. This path would enable less able bodied people to access the beauty of the Wye Valley, it would provide business and opportunities locally, and hold these opportunities within Chepstow and surrounding villages where presently people go further afield for leisure facilities. Also it would encourage forms of sustainable transport such as cycling and walking, enabling many people to leave their cars at home. The already established paths in the UK are used by thousands everyday for multiple purpose. Why are we denied this resource, is it because our Council is blind to the future?7,709 of 8,000 SignaturesCreated by Jennifer Goslin
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Pay Carers a Minimum of Unemployed Benefits and Define them as EmployedCarers are classed as unemployed yet they get payed less than current unemployed levels. Carers work 24/7 without recognition, Carers at a minimum, need to receive the same amount of Benefits as the unemployed and refine their roles as employed with all rights. Care payments are also taxable so they should be given the same rights as anyone that is working and the same support regardless of their ability to have another Job along with being a care giver. For many caring for someone that has a disability is a 24/7 Job with no holiday pay and no other way of gaining an income. Being a Carer receiving £61.35 a wk whilst the unemployed receive £72.50. As a Carer on £61.35 wk we have to pay our own eye tests and prescriptions, the unemployed don't!! It costs over £500 wk to look after someone in Care but home Carers receive £61.35 wk. Carers save the economy more than £120billion yr but Carers only receive £61.35 wk. Why don't you allow a Carer some Airtime? Lets also be very clear on the Carers Allowance, its a deduction of Benefits the person Being Cared for would normally receive, so in real terms I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul( no pun intended) Its a mockery of the system and abuse of situation. Thousands are giving up work to look after a loved one. We also have over 800.000 kids who receive nothing for the caring they provide whilst missing out on growing up as a child should, enjoying a childhood. Again this wont get Airtime unless we take our concerns directly to those responsible. This Government must stop paying lip service to Carers, they are a vital to the Economy. The SNP have now committed to this.14,273 of 15,000 SignaturesCreated by Paul Cooke
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Stop changes to Access to WorkAccess to Work isn't a benefit and doesn't incur a cost to government - in fact it brings money into the treasury, yet Deaf and disabled people are having their support allowance capped or cuts made (meaning they can no longer afford to use qualified interpreters or the support they need). This places jobs at risk and has already resulted in job losses and demotions. People currently in work are potentially being forced out of work and onto benefits, which goes against everything the government is telling us they are trying to achieve. Deaf and disabled people bring a vast amount of skill and talent to our workforce that we can't afford to lose. We want to ensure that full support is provided, and people are enabled to gain, maintain and progress in their chosen careers. Personal choice and control needs to be handed back to the experts on Deaf and disabled access needs in the workplace - the individual Deaf and disabled people who use the scheme We want to ensure Deaf and disabled people are not subjected to a glass ceiling due to lack of support.21,194 of 25,000 SignaturesCreated by Emily Smith
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Make the Queen Pay the Bedroom TaxIn times of austerity, the Queen should not be exempt from the cuts that affect people with far less money than she has. We're constantly being told by the government that we are "all in this together", however it seems that in every reform it's always the poorest who are hit the hardest. This year the queen was given a £5 million "pay rise" after a new system of paying the monarchy came into force.Apparently she owns all of OUR country's sea-shore! Meaning that she gets "royalties" for EVERY type of energy -oil,gas,wind,wave, - that crosses HER shoreline.Her annual tax-free government grant has been set at £36.1 million for 2013/14 and will rise accordingly every year. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/queen-handed-pay-rise-5-1806123 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323228/Queens-38m-year-offshore-windfarm-windfall--owns-seabed.html The queen is estimated to be worth about £17 Billion - much of it made through wars around the world and the arms trade: in other words, she Profits from Human suffering - as all her ancestors have since 1066 A.D. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm6P5sDXs3k Yet at the same time people across this country are struggling to cope as the bedroom tax makes it harder and harder to make ends meet each month. The queen should pay the bedroom tax on her hundreds and hundreds of ornate and unused bedrooms - as a sign that we really are all in this together. Since I first instigated this Petition, we have had to pay 'William and Kate's decoration Expenses at Kensington Palace and also the increased Security Costs for the ever extending royal family Also, queenie has just been granted £76,000,000 for repairs at 'buck hice' (you and I will have to make do with Ikea and Homebase). I had to pay £120 per hour in order to gain MY pilot's Licence. I wonder how much Wills and Harry and Charlie and Stavros (Philips nickname in aristocratic circles) had to pay to get theirs'345 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Richard Hardy
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Letter to the ICC at the Hague Re Mistreatment of Disabled and Sick PeopleI am sure many of you are aware of the measures that the Govt has in place to root out the supposed fraudsters claiming Disability and Sickness Benefits. Samuel Miller has taken the time to make a complaint on behalf of the British People and has provided a long list of links to support this. If a Canadian is going to put the effort into helping us, surely we need to speak up with him. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has investigated the United Kingdom Government. Their report, released on 24th of April 2024, shows the committee is appalled by reports of deaths linked to benefit claims that it says have a disturbingly consistent theme. (https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD%2FC%2FGBR%2FFUIR%2F1&Lang=en) Further, a Freedom of Information Request made by The Big Issue in 2023 showed that in the last 10 years, £350m has been spent trying to uphold decisions made by the DWP regarding Personal Independence Payment and that 68% are then overturned at Tribunal. This suggests a possible £320m waste of money. (https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/disability-benefit-appeals-pip-universal-credit-cost-dwp/ ) In addition, According to an interim Parliamentary Report on Suicides, one suicide is estimated to cost £1.67m. (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhealth/300/30005.htm) and according to research carried out by Professor Barr, which was presented to The Commons Work and Pensions Committee “the work capability assessment (WCA) was linked to about 600 suicides in just three years.” (https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-ignored-hugely-alarming-research-that-linked-wca-with-600-suicides-mps-are-told/ ). Thus, the 600 suicides over a three year period has cost Britain £1,002,000,000 or £334m per year. Sadly, according to the Interim Report on Suicide Prevention “those who have lost a loved one due to suicide are more likely to commit suicide” and that for every suicide, a “minimum of six people will suffer a severe impact”. That is a potential minimum of 3600 families and friends affected by a suicide who will try and seek help from their GP etc, adding further costs that may not be recognised by The Government. Unfortunately, Professor Barr said it was not possible to examine the impact of universal credit on mental health, and whether it had also led to suicides, because DWP was refusing to release the data needed to carry out that research “when it is within its power to do that and it would be possible to assess those impacts”. Another complainant, Craig Bulman, has said that "The persistent cruelty of the government has driven me to submit the UN report to the International Criminal Court. I contend that these actions may constitute crimes against humanity as defined under Article 7 of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court Act 2001, Schedule 8, Article 7. It is my sincere hope that the International Criminal Court will consider launching an investigation into the actions of the United Kingdom Government from 2010 to 2024. Such behaviour is wholly unacceptable in a civilised and democratic society. We, as a democracy, pride ourselves on upholding the rule of law—a cornerstone of our values—and it is utterly inconceivable that any agency or government department could justify conduct that inflicts profound harm on vulnerable populations. This is not the standard of governance we expect, nor should it ever be tolerated." "Since 2010, successive Conservative governments in the UK have orchestrated policies that not only marginalised but systematically dismantled the safety nets for the disabled and vulnerable. This severe and sustained assault has led to unprecedented scrutiny from the United Nations, marking the first time a member state was investigated for potential human rights violations against disabled persons. The UN's damning findings echoed the chilling narratives captured in John Pring’s pivotal book, 'The Department,' which lays bare the harsh realities and sometimes fatal consequences of these policies that have not just failed but actively harmed those most in need of protection, exposing disturbing truth about The Government’s responsibility and the real human costs of austerity." If you would like to make your own complaint to the ICC, and submit evidence, you can do so using this link https://otplink.icc-cpi.int While you have your health, none of this matters. One simple mishap could expose you to this chaos. Please share this Petition as much as possible. http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/09/23/united-kingdom-government-denounced-for-crimes-against-disabled-people-to-international-criminal-court-in-the-hague/ UNCRPD investigates UK Govt https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/20/un-inquiry-uk-disability-rights-violations-cprd-welfare-cuts Ian Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling reported to Police over fitness to work tests. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/iain-duncan-smith-police-assessing-possible-investigation-into-dwp-ministers-over-fit-to-work-tests-a7020471.html UN probe into Disabled Human Rights violations http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/13648683.Revealed__contents_of_dossier_which_sparked_UN_probe_over_disabled__human_rights_violations_/?ref=twtrec Did David Cameron admit multiple murders to Andrew Marr? http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/20/did-david-cameron-admit-multiple-murders-to-andrew-marr/ Why the U.K. Government Has Failed the Disabled Community http://www.newsweek.com/uk-government-has-failed-disabled-community-461517 The increasing death toll due to the loss of benefits. Telling it as it is https://mzolobajluk.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/the-increasing-death-toll-due-to-the-loss-of-benefits/ The Mirror "Tory Welfare Cuts grossly violated rights of disabled people" says the UNhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-welfare-cuts-gravely-violated-9215742 "Ken Loach's Film is not true to life" comment reposted from original article by fairer society. http://www.afairersociety.uk/2016/11/07/its-a-fact-ken-loachs-film-is-not-true-to-life-it-doesnt-show-how-bad-it-really-is/ UN urged to act after Conservative Government refuses to act http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2016/11/13/un-urged-to-act-after-conservative-government-dismisses-report-on-disability/62,077 of 75,000 SignaturesCreated by Tony Gurney
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Save the Unicorn Centre from closureTo fight for the rights of family carers and disabled people who are trying to get the best out of life for themselves and their loved ones enabling their loved ones to gain independence and a valuable break from caring for the family enabling them to have a well deserved break517 of 600 SignaturesCreated by ken mcclymont
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Carers should still receive allowance when they reach pension ageMillions of people are unpaid carers,or getting a small pittance if they do receive carers allowance.these caregivers are saving the government millions.if the disabled person had to go into a home for care it would cost thousands .help the caregivers as they are doing a phenomenal job and if they are of state pension age don’t get any financial help.it’s an extremely hard and stressful job,surely a small allowance isn’t much to ask .please help.1 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Helena Clarke
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Unenforceable Advisory disabled baysDo you you have Advisory Disabled Bays where you live? Do you have problems finding a space because Non Blue Badge Holders use them? The one place disabled residents need to park, is at home. So why are advisory disabled bays not enforceable? Every day, genuine disabled residents can't park at home because there are inconsiderate residents, who aren't disabled, who park in them. This has such a devastating impact on those who are genuinely disabled. If they aren't enforceable, what is the point of them? All disabled bays should be enforceable, especially, if they are residential because otherwise, a disabled resident can't get home, as I have experienced. I know there are thousands of disabled people, throughout the country who suffer with this problem & the only way we can change the archaic laws is if we stand together to make changes.14 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Liz Wright
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Pay residents in residential homes the £400 payment as well as cost of living paymentsTo whom this may concern I am writing this because I feel that people in residential homes are being treated unfairly and should be paid the £400 payment as well as cost of living payments. It is important to help people in residential homes because some cannot speak for themselves so we must do what we can to help them.5 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Matthew Gill
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Make trains free for disabled peopleTo make such that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to focial mobility as others in society have. When on less income it reduces the opportunities to increase social mobility, so to have free public transport on trains, like buses will help.7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by William Chaundy
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