Last night's debate (read the transcript or watch the video) in the House of Lords on Lord Kirkwood's motion to annul the new Work Capability Assessment regulations ended without a vote.
The debate was attended by Stephen Fisher, Chairman of RSI Action , who says, "Although there was a good debate, with 10 speakers against the descriptors, and only the minister and one other for, Lord Kirkwood was given leave to withdraw his question at the end and there was no vote. Consequently, unless there is opportunity for a vote in the Commons, the regulations will be in place for 1 April.
"Having said that, there was benefit in many of the speeches, particularly in the questions asked and assurances sort by Lord Kirkwood, in both his opening and closing speaches. In particular Lord Kirkwood noted the importance of reconnecting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) properly with the disability community and the pressure groups that represent them, and asked the Minister to take a personal role in this, and not just leave it to officials."
