The Queen to be asked to annul new Working Capability Assessment regulations?

March 8, 2011


A motion seeking the annulment of new regulations governing the use of the Working Capability Assessment, which are due to come into force towards the end of the month, will be put to the House of Lords on March 16.

Lord Kirkwood will move that the Employment and Support Allowance (Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 be made the subject of a Humble Address to The Queen that will seek their annulment.

The introduction of the regulations this February jumped the gun before Professor Malcolm Harrington had time to present the full report of his independent review into the Working Capability Assessment (WCA) – where a working group looking at descriptors for fluctuating medical conditions has yet to complete its work. This group, of which The ME Association is a member, is still holding meetings – with the next one due on March 14.

In his motion, Lord Kirkwood will be speaking to the 23rd Report of the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee which complained that the Government had rushed the new regulations through without thinking through the implications.

Link to our last story on the subject

3 thoughts on “The Queen to be asked to annul new Working Capability Assessment regulations?”

  1. Dr Charles Shepherd

    The key people in the House of Lords who are behind this move are Lord Kirkwood and the Countess of Mar.

    Support is also coming in from other members of the House of Lords.

    At the end of the debate the motion can be withdrawn or the House can divide.

    Having been asked by Professor Malcolm Harrington to help produce a report on the way in which fluctuating medical conditions such as HIV/AIDs, arthritis, Crohn’s/UC and ME/CFS are covered in the WCA, I find it completely unacceptable for the DWP to bring in new legislation before we have even completed our report.

    We could easily end up in a situation in a few months time when further changes to the WCA are going to be made – which will cause further work and confusion to a DWP appeal system that is barely able to cope.

  2. fingers, toes, eyes, legs, arms, and anything else I can think of in the meantime, all very much crossed!

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