Welfare reform vote a victory for young people with cancer

Members of the House of Lords supported an amendment to the welfare reform bill which will ensure that young people with cancer can still access a vital benefit that helps people who can’t work because of a disability or serious illness.

The government originally planned to remove the right for young people to claim the full amount of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) because they hadn’t paid in enough national insurance to qualify, but thanks to support from Lord Patel and other peers, supported by CLIC Sargent, the vote means that this provision has been removed from the bill, which is currently being debated in the House of Lords.

Lorraine Clifton, chief executive of CLIC Sargent, said: “ESA is vital to many young people whose cancer treatment means they are unable to work and face the extra costs that cancer brings. The Lords have made clear that this is a reform too far. I’d urge the government to rethink its position and ensure these changes are retained when the bill returns to the House of Commons.”

The change would have meant over 12,000 young people currently claiming ESA for a serious illness or disability would lose out; 10,500 losing £25 a week or £1300 a year, while 1500 young people with a serious illness or disability would be £100 week worse off, that’s over £5000 a year.

The House of Lords also voted two other important changes, removing a proposed time limit on how long cancer patients can claim ESA, which means that some young people with cancer who have extended treatment over a number of years and are too ill to work are not penalised. They also extended the time limit for claims for all disabled people from one year to two years.

Government minister, Chris Grayling, has indicated this morning that the government does not intend to change it position despite the votes in the House of Lords. CLIC Sargent will continue to lobby on the issue to ensure that young people with cancer are not disadvantaged by the bill.