'Sicknote Britain' targeted
The government wants to get more incapacity benefit claimants back to work
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Monday, 19, Nov 2007 12:16
The government has announced new plans to get more people into work and target "sicknote Britain".
A tough new medical test will assess a person's capability to work, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed.
Ministers claim 50 per cent of those who take the controversial new test will not pass it, resulting in the number of people claiming sickness benefits for the first time being cut by 20,000 a year.
There are currently 2.64 million people of working age claiming incapacity benefits, according to the government, with the provision of such support costing the taxpayer almost £12.5 billion in the last financial year.
Separate figures released by the DWP under freedom of information laws have revealed a total of 480 medical complaints current claimants have, ranging from acne problems to alcoholism and eating disorders, according to reports.
Ministers claim their planned reforms are part of the government's commitment to ensure everyone has the right to work, regardless of whether they have a health condition or disability.
However organisations representing the disabled have previously expressed concerns about the planned shake-up of the incapacity benefits system.
Under the plans announced today new claimants would be required to pass a work capability assessment from October 2008.
The medical test will operate alongside the new employment and support allowance, which will replace incapacity benefits for new claimants from next autumn.
Officials say the new test will assess both a person's physical and mental ability, but focus on what they can do as opposed to what they are unable to do in the workplace.
As such those being assessed will no longer score points because they are unable to walk more than 400 metres, with the new assessment instead focusing on considerations such as a person's ability to use a computer keyboard or mouse – the types of skills that are needed in the modern workplace say ministers.
Announcing the reforms, work and pensions secretary Peter Hain said: "Currently, there are many people sitting at home in the belief they are unemployable, with no life choices or long-term prospects because they do not think their illness or medical conditions can be catered for in the workplace.
"But this is just not the case - many people with such conditions are perfectly able to take up successful careers, if the right support is in place," he added.
Employers will welcome plans to refocus the incapacity benefits system on what claimants can do, rather than what they can't, says the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
But it claims businesses want GPs to deal with people's health problems more effectively so they do not end up being off work in the long-term.
"The government rhetoric about 'ending sicknote Britain' will ring hollow until they do more to stem the tide of people falling into long-term sickness in the first place," concluded CIPD employee relations adviser Ben Willmott.