Government’s dismissal of the UN’s recommendations on Disabled people’s rights

Letters and responses from Baroness Jane Campbell to Damian Green and Penny Mordaunt regarding the Government’s dismissal of the findings of the UN CRPD Inquiry into the rights of Disabled people. The Government has dismissed all 11 recommendations made by the UN report which found evidence of grave or systematic violations of Disabled people’s rights under welfare reform.

The Government has dismissed the findings of the UN CRPD Inquiry into the rights of Disabled people. The UN report, which found evidence of grave or systematic violations of disabled people’s rights under welfare reform, made 11 recommendations to the government. The Government has dismissed all 11 recommendations and  has described the report as “patronising and offensive” and “completely wide of the mark.”

Baroness Jane Campbell has written to both Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Damian Green MP, and Minister of State for Disabled People, Penny Mordaunt MP.  In her letter to Damian Green, she asks, “In the light of the overwhelming evidence suggesting the UN Report is a reliable reflection of Disabled People’s current experiences, I should be very interested to know what evidence prompted you to dismiss the report.”

In his reply Damian Green writes, “Unfortunately, I can only assume there was a disconnect between the evidence gathered and the report produced. I stand by my belief that the conclusions of grave and systematic violations are completely wide of the mark, and that the policies and practices in the UK do fulfil the obligations set out in the Convention.”

The UK Independent Mechanism has also written to the government outlining key concerns which have been dismissed: