Housing's Brick Wall

£1 PROUDLY OWNED BY OUR READERS Morning Star Friday December 22 2017 For peace & socialism Incorporating the Daily Worker Big game fetish of HOUSING’S Trump and sons BRICK WALL FROSTY: P13 SOLOMON HUGHES looks at why fi rms just aren’t building for us: P8 Reinvented White Fang JUDGE DEALS has a good amount of bite HEAVY BLOW THEATRE: 11 TO TORY PIP Disability benefi t ‘discriminates against mentally ill’ by Will Stone but in his written ruling Mr Mostyn ment drew an “unprincipled dis- Shadow work and pensions sec- said: “When a formulaic system for tinction between different catego- retary Debbie Abrahams said a assessing needs and thus entitle- ries of disabled person.” Labour government would scrap ASSESSMENTS for the Tories’ per- ments is introduced there will be Outside the hearing there was a the PIP assessments. sonal independence payment (PIP) some hard, arguably unfair, lively demonstration in support of Disability charity Scope called the disability benefi t are “blatantly dis- results.” RF organised by a number of cam- judgement “immensely signifi cant criminatory” to those with mental He added that the assessment paign groups. for thousands of disabled people.” illnesses, a High Court judge said criteria are “blatantly discrimina- A spokeswoman for the Women Under the government’s benefi t yesterday in what Labour called a tory against those with mental with Visible and Invisible Disabil- reforms, PIP replaced disability “damning indictment” of govern- health impairments” and cannot be ities group said: “The government living allowance (DLA) and intro- ment welfare reforms. “objectively justifi ed.” is discriminating against people duced regular assessments for Top judge Nicholas Mostyn sided The woman, referred to in court with serious mental health condi- claimants in a drive to cut costs with an unnamed woman with men- as RF, has been advised by legal tions who are unable to plan or and kick people off the benefi t. Jack Marks tal health problems, who chal- charity the Public Law Project. undertake a journey because of The ruling is the latest in a series lenged the fairness of the assess- “RF is bringing the case on pub- overwhelming psychological dis- of setbacks for the government, dies aged 98 ments. lic interest grounds as it will affect tress. which rewrote the law earlier this She claimed that people suffer- lots of benefi ts claimants,” a “You can’t score enough points year to deny a higher rate of PIP OBITUARY: P10 ing “overwhelming psychological spokesman said. to get full mobility benefi t unless payment, linked to mobility, to distress” are being treated less The Equality and Human Rights you also have physical mobility 164,000 people. favourably than those with other Commission also backed the wom- problems.” The new benefi t system has been disabilities when their ability to an’s claim. Labour called the ruling a mired in controversy, with severely Paramedics absent for make journeys is assessed. Barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher “damning indictment” of the disabled people denied payments Work and Pensions Secretary QC, who led the commission’s legal Tories’ discriminatory approach to following a tick-box assessment. 1m medical emergencies David Gauke disputed her claims, team, told the judge that the assess- welfare. Turn to page 2 NEWS: P2 Morning Star 2 NEWS HOME Friday December 22 2017 AMBULANCES Trained paramedics missing from almost 1m medical emergencies by Conrad Landin “It is vital that our ambu- Industrial Reporter lance services are given the additional resources they des- PARLIAMENT EMERGENCY services failed perately need.” to send paramedics to almost South East Coast Ambu- Probe into a million ambulance calls in lance Service (Secamb) had the last year, the Morning Star the highest number of non- can reveal. paramedic responses out of claims Vaz The shocking revelation the nine trusts, with 190,813 comes as A&E units brace incidents last year. paid for sex themselves for a fl urry of North West Ambulance Serv- patients tonight, expected to ice (NWAS) revealed 155,902 suspended be one of the busiest of the calls were answered by emer- year due to revellers being gency care assistants or par- AN INVESTIGATION into injured at Christmas parties. tially qualifi ed paramedics, of allegations that Labour New fi gures show there which 650 were graded as the MP Keith Vaz paid for the were at least 1,000 confi rmed most time-critical incidents. services of sex workers cases of ambulance trusts The fewest were recorded has been suspended by the being forced to ask the police in north-east England, while Commons sleaze watchdog to take patients to hospital Pic: H Michael Miley the East of England trust did “for medical reasons.” because of shortages. not respond to the FOI request. The suspension was General union GMB, which were responded to without try that hundreds of thousands of life and death. GMB mem- A Secamb spokesman said: revealed yesterday on the obtained the fi gures through fully qualifi ed paramedics. of patients, some of them bers are performing miracles “These fi gures should be seen website of Parliamentary Freedom of Information The fi gures from the nine involved in life-threatening every day but the system is in the context of the more than Commissioner for Stand- requests, said there was likely trusts which responded totted incidents, are not being failing because funding just 700,000 emergency responses ards Kathryn Hudson, but to have been fi ve times as up to 939,893 incidents in the attended by a trained para- hasn’t kept pace with demand.” we carry out each year where her offi ce did not give many such cases in reality. year 2016-17. medic. Mr Roache said the revela- ambulance crews of varying more details. The union asked all 10 of GMB general secretary Tim “Proper support for our tion must be “a wake-up call” clinical grade work alongside The probe is intended to England’s ambulance trusts Roache said: “It will send overstretched ambulance for Health Secretary Jeremy each other to treat patients.” determine whether Mr Vaz how many ambulance calls shockwaves through the coun- services is literally a matter Hunt. [email protected] (pictured) was guilty of a confl ict of interest, since he headed the home affairs committee’s review of vice FRONT PAGE laws at the time of the male escort allegations. JUDGE DEALS HEAVY BLOW TO In September last year, the Leicester East MP publicly apologised to his TORIES’ PIP DISABILITY PLAN wife and children and quit as chairman of the home FROM P1: Nearly two-thirds “The debilitating impact of affairs committee after the of assessors’ decisions are mental ill-health needs to be Sunday Mirror reported overturned in favour of claim- taken as seriously as physical that he had paid two escorts. ants at appeal. problems if we going to over- Mr Vaz allegedly had a The government said it come a discriminaton culture.” conversation about cocaine would appeal against the deci- The charity’s own research with one of the escorts in sion and claimed there are has shown that a third of work- which the MP said he did more people with mental ill- ers with a mental health disa- not want to use the drug ness on the higher rates of PIP bility who disclose their illness but indicated that he would than there were under DLA. have experienced direct dis- pay for it for the other man Mental Health Foundation crimination in the workplace. to use at a later date. charity director Mark Row- Mr Rowland added: “We also In December 2016, land said: “This judgement is know that the key reason why Scotland Yard dropped an a reminder that there contin- people don’t disclose mental investigation into the ues to be widespread discrim- health problems is fear of har- allegations. ination against people with assment. This must change.” mental health problems. [email protected] RETAIL WE’RE HIRING Failing Toys R Us saved from DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR collapse, but 800 jobs lost We are seeking a deputy features editor The successful applicant will need… to join the production team at our busy by Our News Desk next year and the rest prom- ance ahead of the ballot, with ■ A fl air for the English language and ised in 2019 and 2020. administrators waiting in the east London newsroom. for snappy, punchy presentation But at least 26 loss-making wings had the CVA been Regular Sunday working is required as ■ Attention to detail CREDITORS and the state- stores will shut as part of the rejected. backed Pension Protection restructure, meaning up to 800 The PPF had earlier refused part of a fi ve-day 35-hour week in order ■ The ability to operate well as part to cover the paper’s six publication days. Fund (PPF) voted yesterday to jobs are set to be lost. Redun- to back the plans unless the of a small team and off er new keep Toys R Us afl oat — but dancy consultations will start fi rm put more cash into its pen- This post is subject to a probationary ideas the fi rm is still set to throw in the new year. sion scheme. The PPF had period. Holidays start at 28 days a year ■ Good knowledge of Adobe 800 workers on the dole. Toys R Us UK managing initially wanted £9m put into rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays. Creative Suite or similar software The beleaguered retailer’s director Steve Knights said: the scheme straight away, proposal for a company volun- “All of our stores across the UK which Toys R Us bosses If you have the skills and you’re ready ■ Tight copy-editing skills ■ tary arrangement (CVA) won will remain open for business refused to do.

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