Make people on disability benefits eligible for the £650 one off payment.
This petition gathered 24,649 signatures between 6 June 2022 and 20 December 2022, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 11 October 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 22 May 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Make people on disability benefits eligible for the £650 one off payment.
Disabled people should be included alongside carers in the £650 one off payment as part of the Cost of Living support package. We have larger utilities bills and food costs when compared to non-disabled people. We rely on these utilities and food to stay alive.
Without including disabled people for the full £650 entitlement, many more disabled people could die. We might have to switch off or use our equipment less which is vital for our survival. We could be unable to purchase specific food for our dietary requirements. We might be unable to be warm. This could lead to more hospitalisations and death. Most Disabled people already suffer from mental health problems and this will only increase. This could lead to more suicides and death.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 11 October 2022; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
6 million people in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit will receive a £150 payment in September. If they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit, they will also receive the £650 payment.
The opening 337 words of the 653-word response:
Our help for households with the cost of living helps all households but has prioritised those on low incomes, those with disability and pensioners.
Many disabled people will be eligible for both the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment and the £650 Cost of Living Payment. However, the £650 payment is only for those people in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit. The Government is not changing these qualifying criteria.
The £650 cost of living payment (split into 2 instalments of £326 and £324) is available to those on benefits such as Universal Credit or income-related ESA. This will support millions of low-income households.
The Government recognises that disabled people face particular cost of living pressures. That is why, in addition, up to 6 million disabled people who are in receipt of a disability benefit (including non means-tested benefits like PIP) will receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment worth £150.
The Disability Cost of Living Payment is just one element of the help for households. Disabled pensioners will also benefit from the £300 increase in Winter Fuel Payments.
Nearly 60% of carers on low incomes who are of working age and on Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Element claim either an income-related benefit through which they could be entitled to the £326 and £324 Cost of Living Payment or a qualifying disability payment meaning they are entitled to the £150 disability one off payment.
In addition to the £15 billion targeted Cost-of-Living Support, millions of families will benefit from
• a £400 energy rebate, for all domestic energy customers to support with electricity bills under the Energy Bills Support Scheme and
• a £150 Council Tax rebate in England for those in bands A-D
• From 1st October, a new ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ will mean a typical UK household will now pay up to an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years. This will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 85, came from Dundee West.
24,583 of the signatures were from the UK and 66 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Dundee West | 85 |
| Glasgow North East | 83 |
| Liverpool, Walton | 82 |
| St Helens South and Whiston | 80 |
| East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | 75 |
| Glasgow South West | 74 |
| Easington | 73 |
| Airdrie and Shotts | 71 |
| North Tyneside | 71 |
| Rutherglen and Hamilton West | 71 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 3,259 |
| Scotland | 2,903 |
| South East | 2,589 |
| West Midlands | 2,166 |
| London | 2,165 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 2,042 |
| East of England | 2,010 |
| South West | 1,986 |
| East Midlands | 1,955 |
| Wales | 1,468 |
| North East | 1,252 |
| Northern Ireland | 683 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 22 May 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/617425.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
c8c3a4938a0060c7… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.