Call for Investigation of Maria Miller

Having previously mentioned Maria Miller's weasel words comparing the "higher rate" (without explanation of whether she meant Care or Mobility) DLA caseload for those whose main disabling condition is blindness to that for alcohol and drug abusers, courses of action to address this misleading of the public have been considered.

Prior to taking action, the case needed to be better quantified. As you would expect. the number of those with blindness as their main disabling condition outnumbers that for alcohol and drug abusers eligible for the Higher Rate of the Care component although not by much, perhaps because alcohol and drug abuse is often associated with underlying psychological problems and can often lead to severe physical problems. For the Higher Rate of the Mobility component, 7100 people with blindness as their main disabling condition are eligible against 9100 for alcohol and drug abusers. Overall, 12,500 disabled by alcohol and drug abuse claim the Higher Rate of DLA, against 12,200 disabled by blindness. Does this mean that Maria Miller was correct

At first glance, the claim appears to be a half-truth at best. The reasons that so few people with blindness as their disabling condition are eligible for the Higher Rate of the Mobility is that, at the date when the latest figures were collected, the visually impaired cannot qualify for the benefit due to their visual impairment. But recent changes to eligibility criteria make the claim entirely false.

The rules for eligibility to the Higher Rate of the Mobility component of DLA have changed since April 2011, meaning that many more severely visually impaired people are now eligible for DLA at this rate, so that Maria Miller's claim is no longer even half-truth. Over 20,000 people have been eligible for the Higher Rate of the Mobility component of DLA since last month.

This new exploration of the data is convincing evidence that Maria Miller lied, and that she meant to deceive the public. The lie was intended to set camps of disabled people against one another, and to use a tabloid perception of substance abuse for political gain. As such, The Broken of Britain has contacted the Cabinet Office to ask them to investigate a singularly malicious breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct by Ms. Miller. This action was considered the best option, given that Ministerial questions in Westminster can be shrugged off and that the outcome of other courses of action would not lead to a satisfactory outcome. You will be kept updated of any developments.