Tough new rules to stop people claiming incapacity benefit unnecessarily were branded "irrelevant" last night after it emerged they would not apply to the millions already making the claims.

 

Peter Hain, the Work and Pensions Secretary, yesterday published plans to change the way people qualify for benefits on the grounds of being medically unable to work.

The Work Capability Assessment will be introduced in October 2008. It will assess what work new claimants are fit to do, replacing current tests that focus on what a claimant cannot do.

 

The Department of Work and Pensions said the new test would make it harder to qualify for incapacity benefit in the future.

 

Around 40,000 people apply each year for IB, which can be worth as much as £78 per week, and around half are expected the fail the new test when it is introduced.

But the DWP also admitted that the new test will only apply to new claimants, and will not affect the 2.7 million people currently claiming incapacity benefit.

Funding those benefits cost taxpayers nearly £12.5 billion last year.

 

The changes to the welfare rules come the day after it was revealed that almost 2,000 people are receiving incapacity benefit because they are considered too fat to work, costing taxpayers £4.4 million every year.

 

The figures show that £2 billion was claimed for mental health complaints, including £518 million for people whose ailments are ''unknown and unspecified", in 2006/7.

Some 250,000 people claim £600 million for stress-related illnesses and 50,000 alcoholics claim £85 million.

 

Another £100,000 went to those with acne and a similar amount to 60 people with a ''nail disorder".

 

The government has promised to cut the total IB roll by 1 million people, something that could only be done by moving some of the 2.7 million off benefit and back into work.

 

So far, the government has struggled to tackle long-term IB claims. Official figures show that more than 1.2 million IB claimants have been receiving the benefit for 5 years or more.

 

Ben Willmott of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said: "The Government rhetoric about 'ending sick-note Britain' will ring hollow until they do more to stem the tide of people falling into long-term sickness in the first place."

Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman, said the plans unveiled yesterday will do nothing to reduce the existing welfare roll.

 

''The Government has no new ideas for tackling the real problem about helping people who are on benefits to find new jobs," he said.

 

Chris Grayling, the Tory shadow work and pensions secretary, said any effect on total IB claims would take years to be felt. He said: "At the current rate of progress it will take them 25 years longer than planned to reach their target of getting 1 million off Incapacity Benefit."

 

He described Mr Hain's announcement as "blatant spin", and said: "The trouble is, the numbers the government is talking about will make virtually no difference to the overall total of claims. Reducing new claims by 20,000 a year is almost irrelevant because it is the equivalent of less than 1 per cent of the total."

The left-leaning Mr Hain, took up his job in June, replacing John Hutton, a self-confessed Blairite reformer.

 

Since then, some Whitehall officials say the DWP has backed away from more controversial welfare reforms, especially proposals to give private companies and charities a role in managing local schemes aimed at getting claimants into jobs.

Mr Hain insisted that the scale of the IB roll was a legacy of the last Tory government.

He said: "The last Conservative government preferred to put people on incapacity benefit where they were off the unemployment total instead of trying to find them a job because there weren't any jobs then.

 

''Now there are. I want to work with people and give them a new future."

Mr Hain published his welfare plan as his department was revealed that almost 2,000 people are receiving incapacity benefit because they are considered too fat to work, costing taxpayers £4.4 million every year.

 

The figures show that £2 billion was claimed for mental health complaints, including £518 million for people whose ailments are ''unknown and unspecified", in 2006/7.

 

Some 250,000 people claim £600 million for stress-related illnesses and 50,000 alcoholics claim £85 million.

 

Another £100,000 went to those with acne and a similar amount to 60 people with a ''nail disorder". :angry:

 

Incapacity benefit (IB) by numbers:

 

2.7 million - people currently claiming IB

£12.5 billion - cost to the taxpayer last year

1.23 million - IB claims more than five years old

40,000 - new claims each year

2,000 - people paid IB because they are considered too fat to work

50,000 - alcoholics receiving IB

£100,000 - total IB payments made to people considered unable to work because of acne :w00t:

 

Source: Daily Telegraph

 

The changes to the welfare rules come the day after it was revealed that almost 2,000 people are receiving incapacity benefit because they are considered too fat to work, costing taxpayers £4.4 million every year.

 

 

Source: Daily Telegraph

 

Is this a joke?

 

I know someone rufused IB because they refuse pain relief

 

..... and people get it for being FAT?????

 

FFS - eat a few vegetables and get off you arse :whip:

 

Acne? Not nice - but in general antibiotics take care of the worst of it.

 

Nail disorder??

 

There are many people genuinely incapacitated but but many, many who are faking it. How hard is it to find out if they are faking?

Nah - seems easier to pay yet more people to sit on their arses!

Edited November 20, 200717 yr by ICR

Is this a joke?

 

I know someone rufused IB because they refuse pain relief

 

..... and people get it for being FAT?????

 

FFS - eat a few vegetables and get off you arse :whip:

 

Acne? Not nice - but in general antibiotics take care of the worst of it.

 

Nail disorder??

 

There are many people genuinely incapacitated but but many, many who are faking it. How hard is it to find out if they are faking?

Nah - seems easier to pay yet more people to sit on their arses!

I thoroughly agree, some of the reasons are ridiculous :rolleyes: I've no problem with those who are genuinely ill and unable to work, but there are many who are just work shy. So this new assessment won't apply to those currently receiving IB? Crazy :blink:

It was bound to happen with all the negative publicity surrounding obesity and also the government harping on about it, (here in Oz at least) that it would lead to discrimination of obese people in the employment sector.

The governments can't have it both ways. Put out all negative health warnings about obesity and then still expect employers to employ them.

 

They can't have it both ways. There has been obese people since the beginning of time and there always will be no matter what for various reasons. It really reminds me of the early days of AIDS when people with it lost their jobs and were made to feel like the scourge of the earth. Until governments and lawmakers stepped in and stopped the discrimination.

 

Yes, there were innocent AIDS victims, but a lot also got it through lifestyle choices and stupidity.

I see no difference with obesity. EVERYONE has the right to employment. Fat or Skinny. But when the media and also governments talk a certain sector of the community down , then of course there will be a backlash and people won't be able to find employment.

Rant over.

 

I find the nail disorder one funny. lol