28bn taxpayer bill for workshy scroungers

MORE than half a million people have falsely claimed sickness benefits for the last 10 years – at a cost to taxpayers of a massive £28billion.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling Employment Minister Chris Grayling

Two-thirds of Incapacity Benefits claimants unemployed for the whole decade were in fact fit to work, new official figures reveal.

Ministers claimed the figures show that a huge number of people have been allowed to abuse the state payouts system under Labour.

And they pledged a Government crackdown will root out benefits scroungers while still supporting those who genuinely need help.

Campaigners expressed shock at the staggering sums involved. Fiona McEvoy, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “These figures are astonishing. It really goes to show how the welfare system has been failing both taxpayers and the benefit claimants who have been marooned on state hand-outs for a decade.

“The Government’s review of Incapacity Benefit is long overdue. It is vital for the economy that these people are helped back into employment.”

“The Government’s review of Incapacity Benefit is long overdue

Fiona McEvoy, TaxPayers’ Alliance

The figures show almost 900,000 people have spent a decade living on sickness benefits at a total cost of £42billion.

Hundreds of thousands of people genuinely qualify for the help. But two-thirds of the 889,000 should have been engaged in some kind of employment, according to new Government tests to root out those fit to work.

Analysis of the official figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show the bill for Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance paid to them averaged £2.8billion a year.

The scale of Britain’s long-term sick pay claims bill was unearthed by Employment Minister Chris Grayling.

He declared the Government is determined to reform Britain’s bloated welfare state and get people into jobs.

“The sheer amount of people who have been left behind without any help or support under Labour to get back into work is outrageous,” he said.

“Everyone on Incapacity Benefit will be reassessed to see whether with the right help and support they could get back into work.

“We will no longer accept a system which writes people off at a drop of the hat and expects the taxpayer to foot the bill.”

Prime Minister David Cameron has declared war on benefit cheats and vowed that while state support will continue for people who genuinely cannot work, those who could get jobs must be helped to do so.

In all, some 2.6 million people claim Incapacity Benefit, a figure which has barely altered in years despite Labour’s repeated pledges to cut the number.

The bill to taxpayers is nearly £13billion a year.

New claimants undergo tests of their capabilities to see if they could work straight away, in which case they go on Jobseeker’s Allowance, or would benefit from the Employment and Support Allowance, which assists those who could do at least some work with the right back-up.

Latest statistics for Workplace Capability Assessments showed that around two-thirds of people seeking sickness benefits were either found fit for work or dropped out during the process, suggesting they knew they would not qualify for aid.

From October, existing Incapacity Benefit claimants in Burnley and Aberdeen will undergo medical tests to see if they could start looking for work immediately or could work if given help first. The tests go nationwide next year.

Incapacity Benefit is paid at three rates – £68.95 a week for the first 28 weeks, rising to £81.60 for the rest of the first year, and £91.40 a week once people have been claiming for 12 months.

Mr Grayling says the coalition’s new Work Programme will aim to give businesses and charities greater freedom and financial incentives to find work for up to five million people.

It will target the 1.5 million people on Jobseeker’s Allowance, 700,000 lone parents on Income Support and 600,000 on other work-related benefits as well as the millions on long-term sickness benefits.

Figures last week revealed that more than 100,000 young people claim Incapacity Benefit, with 20,000 languishing on it for more than five years.

EXPRESS COMMENT: TIME FOR PROPER REFORM OF INCAPACITY  BENEFIT SYSTEM

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