[Ssf] welfare meeting: the balloon goes up!

dave thompson mpower0 at yahoo.com
Wed Dec 8 12:49:45 GMT 2004



Hello, 

First, thanks to everyone for all the hard work at he
weekend, it was really great. In relation to the
welfare meeting, I will reply to Jase's comments a
little later when i am uptil it, but the following
means that the issue will now have a much bigger
profile. The influential thinktank, the IPPR  are
calling for major changes including the abolishment of
incapacity benefit. 

perhaps more significant for the long term ill, is the
proposal to force people to have 'condition mangement'
whatever that is,
dt



Press Releases > 2004
Reform of incapacity benefit needed for full
employment and social justice
5th December

The Government must reform incapacity benefit if it is
to achieve its full employment and social justice
goals, according to a new report from the Institute
for Public Policy Research (ippr), published next
week.

The report concludes that incapacity benefit has
become a barrier to work. Claimants must demonstrate
that they are incapable of work and therefore risk
losing their benefit if they look for a job. Yet at
the same time they are required to attend work
focussed interviews. The report also finds the benefit
is failing to ensure a decent standard of living for
people with a health problem or disability who cannot
work, with the average payment totalling just over
£4,200 a year.

The report recommends a new active welfare reform
strategy in which incapacity benefit is replaced by:

    * A flat rate ‘Earnings Replacement Allowance’ -
de-coupling disability from incapacity as well as
removing the incentive to move off Jobseeker’s
Allowance and the incentive to stay on incapacity
benefit longer to qualify for extra cash;

    * Mandatory action agreements - negotiated between
well-trained Personal Advisers and claimants. Agreed
actions could include steps towards social and
economic inclusion for those people who cannot work
such as condition management, or may include
work-search activity, actions to enhance employability
through training and education; and

    * An enhanced Disability Living Allowance – to
ensure that the extra costs of living with a health
problem or disability can be met. 

http://www.ippr.org.uk/press/index.php?release=347

 


		
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