Mike Penning MP is using the argument that changes are needed to the Access to Work system due to the number of fraud cases that have occurred.

Access to Work, currently supports 4,740 people with “difficulty hearing” (DWP Official Statistics: January 2014). David Buxton from the British Deaf Association, referred to a fraudulent claim rate of 0.3% for signing interpretation support (http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2014/January/appdg-meets-Mike-penning). Without taking into account the number from this group who aren’t sign language users, the number of cases would therefore crudely amount to no more than 15 cases.

In 2009 an MP expenses scandal was exposed. Sir Thomas Legg was brought in to produce a report reviewing the Additional Costs Allowance (ADA), (otherwise known as the “second home allowance”). In it, he states that of the 752 MPs and former MPs concerned, 52% had been recommended to make repayments (paragraph 99). That’s 391 MPs!

The numbers speak for themselves, yet MPs are allowed to make “repayments” and are not labelled as fraudsters.

We don’t think it’s fair either!