1944-1946

The Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and the NI (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946. Read More

1950

One Nation Conservative Group challenges welfare state universalism. Read More

1951-1965

National Assistance Amendment Acts and Determination of Needs Regulations. Read More

1970

The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA). Read More

1971-1972

Introduction of Attendance Allowance (AA) and lower rate. Read More

1980

The Social Security Act (SSA). Read More

Late 1980s to 1990s

UK Conservative Government tries to minimise 1980s unemployment figures by misrepresenting statistics and also misleadingly encouraging the moving of unemployed people onto disability benefits. Read More

6 April 1992

Introduction of disability living allowance, enabling more disabled people able to claim support for some of their extra impairment-related costs. Read More

Autumn 1992

Peter Lilley (secretary of state for social security) talks about “closing down the something for nothing society” and tightening up on “scroungers” and “bogus asylum seekers”. Read More

10 June 1993

Leaked Whitehall documents reveal plans to cut Invalidity Benefit. Read More

1994

US insurance company Unum Provident advise the UK government on ‘welfare reform’ to reduce the number of claimants of long-term sickness benefits. Read More

20 January 1994

The Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Bill and research paper published, discussing role of GPs in determining access to benefits. Read More

5 July 1994

Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994 receives royal assent. Read More

13 April 1995

Key measures from the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994 come into force, including replacing Invalidity Benefit with Incapacity Benefit, and introducing the points-based All Work Test, as well as regulation 27 – providing a ‘safety net’ for those who faced a ‘substantial risk’ of harm if they were found capable of work. Read More

6 November 1996

Department of Social Security says removing ‘significant risk’ regulation is ‘neutral’ despite providing a ‘safety net’ for those facing a ‘significant risk’ of harm if found capable of work. This means the committee does not see a formal referral and the regulation is approved by parliament (the removal will later be found to be unlawful). Read More

6 November 1996

Clinicians appointed by the DSS removal of regulation 27, which provides vital safeguarding to those whose mental and/or physical health is ‘substantial risk’ if found fit to work. Read More

6 January 1997

Regulation 27 ‘substantial risk’ – a key safety net for claimants at risk of serious harm if they are found fit for work – is removed from regulations. Read More

6 May 2010

Labour government voted out in general election, leading to formation of coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Read More

22 June 2010

Budget reveals plans to slash spending on disability living allowance through a new assessment process. Read More

6 October 2010

Prime minister adds to “benefit scrounger” rhetoric aimed at claimants of incapacity benefit. Read More

23 November 2010

Professor Malcolm Harrington publishes his first independent review of the Work Capability Assessment, finding that the system is “impersonal” but not “broken” (later evidence would emerge that he had not been informed by DWP of the coroner’s report for Stephen Carré.) Read More

15 June 2011

David Cameron says the work capability assessment is necessary to stop “bad behaviour.” Read More

3 October 2011

Iain Duncan Smith tells Conservative party conference that incapacity benefit is abused and open to fraud. Read More

1 February 2012

Commons invokes financial privilege to pass the Welfare Reform Act 2012, quashing Lords amendments to soften changes to the benefits system. Read More

8 February 2012

Welfare Reform Act, which introduces universal credit and introduces the “bedroom tax”, receives royal assent. Read More

12 September 2012

MP raises concerns over the death of Colin Traynor, whose family say they “hold the Government…personally responsible”. Read More

8 October 2012

George Osborne refers to welfare claimants as “sleeping off a life on benefits” in speech to Conservative party conference. Read More

30 November 2012

House of Commons Library sums up WCA concerns. Read More

6 April 2013

David Cameron tells The Sun that the welfare system has “lost its way” and become a “lifestyle choice for some” Read More

October 2013

Peter Lilley, security secretary in John Major’s government and one of the architects of the Work Capability Assessment, says he has “no regrets” and denies insurance industry influence. Read More

30 January 2014

Managing editor of the Sun appointed director of communications at DWP. Read More

27 November 2014

Employment minister says there is no formal policy to liaise with agencies after a sanction. Read More

7 May 2015

Conservatives win overall majority at general election Read More

6 October 2015

Iain Duncan Smith tells claimants to “work your way out of poverty”. Read More

13 October 2015

Priti Patel denies causality between sanctions and suicides. Read More

21 October 2015

Prime minister David Cameron is asked about the death of Michael O’Sullivan. Read More

28 October 2015

David Cameron asked about peer reviews into deaths of people claiming benefits. Read More

28 October 2015

Welfare reform and work bill has its first reading in parliament. Read More

20 March 2016

Iain Duncan Smith accuses government of deliberately attacking disabled people through “indefensible” cuts because “they don’t vote for us”. Read More

6 November 2016

Government leaks UN committee on the rights of persons with disabilities report to Mail on Sunday in attempt to discredit its findings. Read More

14 March 2017

DPAC and Inclusion London respond to the UN report, raising the connection between benefit changes, people’s deaths and Government failures. Read More

August 2017

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities committee says government cuts caused “human catastrophe”. Read More

31 August 2017

UN demands UK government provide an annual UK progress report on correcting “grave and systematic violations”. Read More

31 August 2017

Portraying UK disabled people as “parasites” could lead to “violence and killings”, says UN chair. Read More

November 2017

Windrush scandal shows UK Government threatening, detaining, and deporting Commonwealth citizens.  Read More

18 April 2018

Government responds to work and pensions committee’s report on assessments process. Read More

27 September 2018

Joy Dove, Jodey Whiting’s mother, vows to fight on for Justice for Jodey. Read More

October 2018

Citizens Advice signs £51 million contract with DWP. Read More

18 October 2018

The new “minister for suicide prevention” evades questions on statistics showing links between employment and support allowance (ESA) and suicide. Read More

6 November 2018

Commons work and pensions committee calls for an end to sanctioning disabled people. Read More

March 2019

Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd launches Health Transformation Programme – to reform assessment processes. Read More

27 November 2020

Former work and pensions secretary admits harsh benefit cuts were responsible for rising poverty. Read More

3 October 2021

Work and pensions secretary signals new bid to try to push more disabled people with high support needs into work. Read More

11 November 2021

Families outraged after government hands award to DWP safeguarding team for “outstanding contribution”. Read More

23 November 2021

DWP refuses to publish figures that would show how disabled people seeking to claim universal credit are experiencing the WCA process Read More

8 December 2021

Coffey dismisses call for a new review of the WCA, despite being told of claimant deaths evidence. Read More

19 May 2022

Government brands Disability News Service ‘vexatious’ for trying to obtain information on 90 DWP deaths. Read More

26 May 2022

Concerns over impact of DWP’s new anti-fraud plan on disabled people. Read More