This document summarizes the key points made in a presentation on creating a fair society in Northern Ireland. It notes that unprecedented cuts have targeted disabled people and those in poverty, with 58% of all cuts impacting these groups. It highlights that the poorest families pay the highest taxes and live on very little income. Despite legislation promoting rights and equality, these cuts are exacerbating inequality. The presentation calls for building an alliance to advocate for a vision of a society with equal rights and opportunities for all.

1. A Fair Society
in Northern Ireland
Dr Simon Duffy ￭ The Centre for Welfare Reform ￭ Belfast ￭
26th June 2012

2. Current events are
unprecedented

3. Never in living memory
have we seen...

4. • Such deep cuts in public expenditure
• Targeted reductions in income for
disabled people and the poorest
• Targeted cuts to services for disabled
and older people
• Explicit rhetoric blaming the poor and
disabled people for poverty

5. So much has happened,
so quickly.
It is hard to take it all in.

6. What are the facts?

7. 1. cuts target
disabled people &
poor

8. Not everything is being cut
[Source: HM Treasury, 2010 October Spending Review]

9. Biggest increase is in central spending
[Source: HM Treasury, 2010 October Spending Review]

10. Biggest cuts: benefits & social care
[Source: HM Treasury, 2010 October Spending Review]

11. • English local government - cut by
£11.3 billion
• Benefits (excluding pensions) - cut
by £18 billion
[Source: Manifesto for a Fair Society]

12. • 58% of all cuts target disabled people
and people in poverty
• 36% of all cuts target disabled people
• 24% of all cuts target the 1.9% of the
population who need social care -
those with the most severe
impairments
[Source: Manifesto for a Fair Society]

14. 2. The poor pay the
most tax

15. [Source: Office of National Statistics]

17. The poorest 10% of
families pay 47% of their
income in tax.
They also face marginal
rates of tax that can
exceed 100%.

18. 3. The poor are very
poor

20. The poorest 10% of families
live on £9.70 per day.
That is £3740 per year -
before tax.

21. 4. The U.K. is already
a very unequal society

23. Trust - percent of people who respond positively to
the statement “most people can be trusted”
Life expectancy - life expectancy at birth for men and
women
Infant mortality - deaths in the first year of life per
1,000 live births
Obesity - percentage of the population with BMI > 30,
averaged for men and women
Mental health - prevalence of mental illness
Education - combined average of maths literacy and
reading literacy scores of 15-year olds
Teenage birth rate - births per 1,000 women aged
15-19 years
Homicides - homicide rate per 100,000
Imprisonment - log of prisoners per 100,000
Social mobility - correlation between father and son’s
income

24. Third most unequal
developed country
After the USA and Portugal
Growth in inequality is
greater than USA

25. 5. Spending to reduce
poverty is very modest

27. After tax the poorest 40%
of families receive a total
increased in income of
£25 billion.
This is less than 2.5% of
GDP

28. 6. The poor commit the
least fraud

29. [Sources: Various - see Manifesto for a Fair Society]

30. Tax Fraud is 15 times
greater than Benefit Fraud
Tax Avoidance is 70 times
greater than Benefit Fraud

31. What will this mean?

32. • End of Disability Living Allowance
• Cuts in Housing Benefit
• Reductions in Access to Work
• Reduced eligibility for ESA
• Increasingly intrusive testing - ATOS
• Increased poverty traps - e.g. saving caps
• Benefits reindexed to increase poverty
• End of ILF
• Increased eligibility for social care
• Increasing bureaucracy in social care
• Reducing budget levels in social care
• Return to institutions and care homes
• Increasing social care charges
• Increased taxes on the poor - e.g. VAT
• and many other measures

33. • People with less severe, but still
significant, disabilities
• People with mental health
problems
• Women suffering domestic
violence
• People not in work
• Refugees and asylum seekers

34. Why is this happening?

35. • Prejudice against and fear of disabled
people
• Political weakness of disabled people -
fragmented into many groups
• Complexity of social care and benefit
systems
• Confusion about the welfare system and
our shared rights
• Corruption of political systems that
must pander to key electoral groups

36. And all this has happened
despite

37. • DDA and Equalities legislation
• UN Convention on Rights of Disabled
People and Human Rights
• Office of Disability Issues at the heart of
government
• Disabled people in the Commons and
Lords
• Personalisation and Direct Payments

38. Despite the fact that the
government declared its
commitment to fairness

39. •Unfair - target those who are
most disadvantaged
•Unfair - make an unequal society
even more unequal
•Unfair - target the very groups
that didn’t benefit from the
economic bubble

40. An economic crisis caused by the bursting
of a bubble created by...
• Bankers who benefited from bonuses
• Home owners who benefited from
unsustainable house price increases
• Investors who benefited from unsustainable
profits in finance industry
• Politicians who benefited from the illusion of a
booming economy
Who did not benefit from the bubble? - the
poor and disabled people

41. Not just cuts - but targeted cuts
Protected Cut
Pensions Disability benefits
Healthcare Social Care
Education Social Housing
£350 billion out of £500 £40 billion
Universal, mainstream, for Special, marginal, ‘the
‘ordinary people like us’ poor & unfortunate’
Delivered by nationalised Delivered by complex
systems with high visibility systems with low visibility

42. Political pandering

43. Time to think

44. What can we do?

45. Protect people’s
individual rights

46. www.know-your-rights.org.uk

47. Innovate, find
better and smarter
solutions

48. www.centreforwelfarereform.org

49. Get organised,
get stronger

50. DH DWP ODI DCLG SCIE
CQC
Disability Rights UK Carers UK
ASL ECCA NAAPS NCVO
Carers ARC NCB
ACEVO
Trust Mind Housing
Age UK Mencap Scope Options
Community
Groups People First ULOs

51. How do we build the
strongest possible
alliance?

53. What is our vision
for the future

55. Everyone is equal, no matter their
age, differences or disabilities.
A fair society sees each of its members
as a full citizen - a unique person
with a life of their own.
A fair society is organised to support
everyone to live a full life, with
meaning and respect.

56. 1.Family - we give families the support they need to
look after each other.
2.Citizenship - we are all of equal value and all have
unique and positive contributions to make.
3.Community - we root support and services in local
communities.
4.Connection - we all get chances to make friends
and build relationships.
5.Capacity - we help each other to be the best that
we can be.
6.Equality - we all share the same basic rights and
entitlements.
7.Control - we have the help we need to be in
control of our own life and support.

57. 1.Human rights - not services
2.Clear entitlements - not confusion
3.Early support - not crisis
4.Equal access - not institutional care
5.Choice and control - not dependence
6.Fair incomes - not insecurity
7.Fair taxes - not targeted
8.Financial reform - sustainable

58. 1. Human rights
• UN Convention on Rights of Disabled
People as law in all parts of the UK
• Rights that can be backed by the courts,
includes
• ...equal right with other citizens to
choose their place of residence and
where and with whom they live.
• ...services including personal assistance
necessary to support living as part of the
wider community.

59. Human rights - not services

60. 2. Objective entitlement
• Cost of health and social care is >£130
billion
• Private social care is £3.5 billion (2.7%)
• LA charging and top-ups is £2.3 billion
(1.8%)
• Health & social care divide makes no
sense in an era of personalisation
• Courts use ‘natural justice’

61. Clear entitlements - not confusion

62. 3. Early support
• Family support is counted against you
• Families are encouraged to break down
• Families are disrespected
• Crisis support is expensive and
institutional

63. Early support - not crisis

64. 4. Right to control
• People make the best decisions
• Current restrictions are burdensome
and confusing
• Individual or personal budgets are being
corrupted
• Why is an entitlement ‘public money’?

65. Equal access - not institutional care

66. 5. Against segregation
• People need access to all the ordinary
opportunities available to citizens...
• housing
• education
• work
• leisure

67. Choice and control - not dependence

68. 6. Income security
• The poorest 10% of households have an
income of £6,500
• Of which 47% is paid in taxes - highest
rate of any decile
• The poor often face marginal tax rates
of 100%
• Only sensible solution is universal
minimum income and fair taxes

69. Fair incomes - not insecurity

70. 7. Against charging
• Charging is special tax that is levied
only on disabled people
• It punishes people on very low incomes
and benefits
• It encourages people to be poor
• It is expensive to organise
• It raises very little money

71. Fair taxes - not targeted

72. Financial reform - sustainable

74. For more information go to
www.centreforwelfarereform.org
www.campaignforafairsociety.org
please join
These slides are © Simon Duffy 2012 ￭ Publisher is The Centre for Welfare Reform
￭ Slides can be distributed subject to conditions set out at
www.centreforwelfarereform.org ￭

75. 137 different
ways...
to give people not
very much...
•linked or not
•means-tested or
not
•tax credits or
benefits
•disability related
or not
•employment-
seeking or not