Calum J Wiley's description from petition -In a Written Statement dated 13 December 2010 the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Miller) stated that the ILF is "financially unsustainable", was already closed to new applications and that existing recipients were only protected for the life of this Parliament (i.e. 2015). For over 21 years the ILF has made payments to disabled people to be used towards the cost of employing Personal Assistants. This money currently enables over 20,000 disabled people to lead an independent life style. The Governments policy indicates that responsibility for independent living strategies would be passed to Local Authorities. This is unacceptable. The LA's are unlikely to have the funding or the in house expertise to assess the needs of the small numbers of disabled people in their areas who would benefit from the kind of support ILF provides and the new system should it come in would not be ring fenced which means the local authorities could use that money for other purposes. It has to be ring fenced to safeguard vulnerable people's futures and to enable them to carry on living independent lives. The ILF does have the expertise and experience so the Government should reverse the decision to close the ILF.

If the ILF was abolished it would mean possible unemployment for those personal assistants employed through the ILF used by disabled people.

The government aims to cap credits to families who take strike action - effectively removing the right to strike for low-paid workers (the ones who most need wage-increases to survive). This is a huge attack on the poorest in our society who have organised to fight for better wages at a time when they are struggling. At the same time as the government decides to cap or reduce benefits for people who have the audacity to struggle for better pay and conditions, pay among the highest in our society - the heads of the FTSE 100 companies (companies many of these low-paid workers labour for) - is soaring (ref. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/executive-pay-soars-survey-shows?CMP=twt_fd)

The government's plans are another attack on the right to strike, social security and organised workers on low-pay. Please vote for this campaign and help fight these proposals (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/17/workers-strike-lose-benefits)

You may have read in the press recently about the latest statistics regarding the adoption system in this country: The number of children in care finding adoptive families has reached the lowest level in 10 years, the delays are terrible and the social work profession and the courts are at odds with each other, and in spite of new guidelines issued by the government earlier this year, the situation is not improving.
We should prioritise the best interests of children in care. The set up of a National Adoption Authority to bring together and take charge of all elements of the adoption system - social workers and the courts, policy creation and enforcement is the only way to fix our broken adoption system.
You can also sign a petition:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18508
More information on: www.adoptionwithhumanity.com

Next campaign should urgently be started regarding cuts to Pensioners winter fuel allowance payments. our winters are getting colder, and energy prices are going up 15-20% - pensioners are already going to public buildings to keep warm to save money, and thousands of them are dying from the cold weather.

I'm not a pensioner myself - in fact i'm the exact opposite of the age scale - but i do think it is wrong to take important money from some of the poorest - and most likely to be in fuel poverty - sections of society. There are plenty of wealthy pensioners that don't need the money - so the allowance should become means tested - along with the free bus pass - so that savings can be made to the benefits bill (sections of the state pension are already means tested so surely adding these two in will have a net saving overall despite added bureaucracy costs)

I am wondering whether we could put some pressure on the government about fuel prices which I think are going to be the big issue now winter is approaching. Nobody made too much of a fuss in the summer but I dread to think how old people and families with little income are going to manage to afford to keep their heating on. It is crucial for old people to keep warm. I cannot understand why we are allowing 20% increases in some cases. This is actually going to be a matter of life or death to some people this winter.

Cival servants are being put under increasing pressure to sanction payments to the unemployed. They are instructed that there is a minimum number of people, per month, that they must remove from the list of eligable recipiants.

It transpires that in order to reach these targets, that people are being fed inaccurate information so as to innocently turn up for appointments at the wrong time or mot at all and so incure a sanction. When a sanction is in place any complaint is met with the threat of further sanction.

Welfare benefits are ours as right. We pay for them and we expect them without question. It may suit a present government to show a reduction in costs by unlawfully removing this right, but it is beyond any ethical boundary.