E/C.12/GBR/CO/6
41.
The Committee calls upon the State party to:
(a)
Review the entitlement conditions and reverse the cuts in social security
benefits introduced by the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Welfare Reform and
Work Act 2016;
(b)
Restore the link between the rates of State benefits and the costs of living
and guarantee that all social benefits provide a level of benefit sufficient to ensure an
adequate standard of living, including access to health care, adequate housing and
food;
(c)
Review the use of sanctions in relation to social security benefits and
ensure that they are used proportionately and are subject to prompt and independent
dispute resolution mechanisms;
(d)
Provide in its next report disaggregated data on the impact of the
reforms to social security on women, children, persons with disabilities, low-income
families and families with two or more children.
42.
The Committee draws the attention of the State party to its general comment
No. 19 (2007) on the right to social security.
Childcare
43.
Despite the recent plan to increase the provision of childcare services in England and
Scotland, the Committee is concerned about the limited availability and high costs of
childcare in the State party. The Committee is also concerned that the present modality of
shared parental leave does not necessarily result in the increased participation of men in
bearing responsibility for childcare (art. 10).
44.
The Committee recommends that the State party increase its efforts to ensure
the availability, accessibility and affordability of childcare services throughout the
State party, particularly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Committee also
recommends that the State party review the system of shared parental leave and
modify it with a view to improve the equal sharing of responsibilities within the family
and in the society.
Violence against women with disabilities
45.
While noting the adoption in March 2016 of a national strategy on gender-based
violence, the Committee regrets the lack of information specifying how it effectively
addresses violence against women and girls with disabilities (art. 10).
46.
The Committee requests the State party to include in its next periodic report
information on the impact of the implementation of the national strategy on genderbased violence, particularly with regard to violence against women and girls with
disabilities.
Poverty
47.
The Committee notes with concern that certain groups of the population are more
affected by, or at an increased risk of, poverty, in particular persons with disabilities,
persons belonging to ethnic, religious or other minorities, single-parent families and
families with children. The Committee notes with concern that the State party does not have
a specific definition of poverty and that the new Life Chances Strategy, as contained in the
Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, has repealed the duty to meet time-bound targets on
child poverty, which remains high and is projected to increase in the future, especially in
Northern Ireland (art. 11).
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