Photograph by zeeveez
Nearly a million people who applied for sickness disability benefit have been found “fit” to work according to new government figures.
32% of all new claimants for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), 980,000 people, were found to be fit to work and capable of employment between October 2008 and March 20013 according to figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
A million more people withdrew their claims before reaching a face-to-face assessment.
Reforming the benefits system has been a central tenet of the government’s long-term plan of cost savings, with Minister of State for Disabled People, Mike Penning saying of the figures:
With the right support, many people with an illness, health condition or disability can still fulfil their aspiration to get or stay in work, allowing them to provide for themselves and their family
However, Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope said:
The WCA [Work Capability Assessment] should be more than an exercise in getting people off of benefits. It should make sure disabled people get the specialist, tailored and flexible support they need to find and keep a job.