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Welfare system failing the sick and the taxpayer, says employment minister


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Advantages claimants are more and more discovering that they’re financially higher off being signed off sick slightly than actively looking for employment, employment minister Alison McGovern has claimed.

Ms McGovern informed the Lords Financial Affairs Committee that the present welfare framework is failing each the long-term sick and taxpayers. With the price of illness advantages anticipated to hit £100 billion by 2030, Ms McGovern stated: “It’s apparent that the system shouldn’t be financially sustainable.”

Rising numbers of younger individuals, significantly these affected by psychological well being points, are more and more being signed off sick, leaving them remoted from the workforce. Ms McGovern expressed concern that the welfare system was not serving to disabled individuals discover work, as an alternative leaving them “on the scrap heap”.

She emphasised that reform is required to make sure that individuals with disabilities are supported to find employment slightly than being caught in the advantages system.

At the moment, 3.3 million persons are claiming incapacity advantages, up from 2.3 million because the pandemic. This determine is projected to rise additional to 4.1 million by the tip of this parliament. Consultants have pointed to a rising disparity in funds between these on incapacity advantages and jobseekers, with the previous group receiving round £5,000 extra per 12 months, and fewer circumstances hooked up.

Ms McGovern acknowledged the inherent issues within the system, saying: “There’s clearly an issue with the state of affairs we’re in now… Common Credit score was purported to incentivise work, but it surely hasn’t performed that.”

She blamed latest Conservative reforms, significantly cuts to jobseekers’ advantages, for widening the hole between these looking for work and people deemed too unwell to work, which she described as a “bifurcation impact”.

A inexperienced paper on welfare reform is due subsequent 12 months, which Ms McGovern promised would supply options. She known as for a system that lowers the obstacles between people who find themselves unemployed and people who are long-term sick. A key side of the reforms can be to present employees “far more entry to occupational well being help” to stop sickness-related absences.

Ms McGovern additionally advised that work coaches from job centres must be current in medical doctors’ places of work to bridge the hole between medical and employment help. She described it as “irritating” for medical doctors to see sufferers whose points have been work-related, including {that a} nearer relationship between the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) and healthcare suppliers can be very important to fixing the issue.


#Welfare #system #failing #sick #taxpayer #employment #minister


The Impartial


#Welfare #system #failing #sick #taxpayer #employment #minister


Tom Watling , 2024-12-03 23:46:00

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