New Government promises

50Twuncle

19. JOBS AND WELFARE

The Government believes that we need to encourage responsibility and fairness in the welfare system. That means providing help for those who cannot work, training and targeted support for those looking for work, but sanctions for those who turn down reasonable offers of work or training.

• We will end all existing welfare to work programmes and create a single welfare to work programme to help all unemployed people get back into work.
• We will ensure that Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants facing the most significant barriers to work are referred to the new welfare to work programme immediately, not after 12 months as is currently the case. We will ensure that Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants aged under 25 are referred to the programme after a maximum of six months.
• We will realign contracts with welfare to work service providers to reflect more closely the results they achieve in getting people back into work.
• We will reform the funding mechanism used by government to finance welfare to work programmes to reflect the fact that initial investment delivers later savings through lower benefit expenditure, including creating an integrated work programme with outcome funding based upon the DEL/AME switch.
• We will ensure that receipt of benefits for those able to work is conditional on their willingness to work.
• We support the National Minimum Wage because of the protection it gives lowincome workers and the incentives to work it provides.
• We will re-assess all current claimants of Incapacity Benefit for their readiness to work. Those assessed as fully capable for work will be moved onto Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• We will support would-be entrepreneurs through a new programme – Work for Yourself – which will give the unemployed access to business mentors and start-up loans.

• We will draw on a range of Service Academies to offer pre-employment training and work placements for unemployed people.
• We will develop local Work Clubs – places where unemployed people can gather to exchange skills, find opportunities, make contacts and provide mutual support.
• We will investigate how to simplify the benefit system in order to improve incentives to work.

dmg24

This is nothing new. All IB claimants are to be reassessed over the next year or so in order to move over to ESA.

50Twuncle

But this is the first time that I have seen all the plans laid out.....

dmg24

21Twinkle wrote: »

But this is the first time that I have seen all the plans laid out.....

OK ... Did you want to ask/ comment on anything?

Prinzessilein

21Twinkle wrote: »

We will end all existing welfare to work programmes and create a single welfare to work programme to help all unemployed people get back into work.

But what happens to those of us that genuinely cannot work?
How can the government help all unemployed people back to work?

This is the thing that bothers me about the new government. They have plenty to say about getting people back into work and providing incentives to make people better off in work....but there is precious little comfort for people who are so ill that they cannot even look for work.

I still live in fear of my transition away from IB. I have no faith in the current system and am terrified of being found fit for work and being forced onto a training course. Why will the government not believe my GP and my specialist?

I am not afraid of work. I would give anything to be able to work. But the sad fact of the matter is that I am not even able to look for work at the moment. What are the government offering people like me - apart from fear and anxiety?

50Twuncle

My fear exactly - They have no idea's what they are trying to do - except for saving money

Prinzessilein wrote: »

[/LIST] But what happens to those of us that genuinely cannot work?
How can the government help all unemployed people back to work?

This is the thing that bothers me about the new government. They have plenty to say about getting people back into work and providing incentives to make people better off in work....but there is precious little comfort for people who are so ill that they cannot even look for work.

I still live in fear of my transition away from IB. I have no faith in the current system and am terrified of being found fit for work and being forced onto a training course. Why will the government not believe my GP and my specialist?

I am not afraid of work. I would give anything to be able to work. But the sad fact of the matter is that I am not even able to look for work at the moment. What are the government offering people like me - apart from fear and anxiety?

[Deleted User]

they are doing no more no less than the last govt in so far as they are going to try and ensure that those who are capable of work are given every encouragement and assistance to seek work.
How they do this whilst getting rid of another 700,000+jobs is the bit that baffles me.

50Twuncle

But how this is done is the worrying bit - will they force people who are not really ready for work- to work ?

bored_at_home

twinkle why are you worrying about it?
they cannot MAKE a sick person go out to work.
the only people who need worry are the ones pulling a flanker.

and dont think im any differant to you, i couldnt hold down a paid job now either, i know that from the bit of voluntary work i do, but was found to have limited capacity for work. yeah... limited to a bit on a good day and 2 days to recover afterwards lol.

Prinzessilein

bored_at_home wrote: »

they cannot MAKE a sick person go out to work.

No, but they CAN go against your GP and specialists and certify you as 'fit for work'

They CAN put you onto JSA - which is less money coming in (don't know what the 'new' all-in-one benefits will be)

They CAN insist you go on a training course, despite your insistence you are not fit. And they CAN sanction you if you refuse.

They might not be able to make you work, but they can - and I feel certain will - make it impossible for the truly vulnerable to refuse.

sunnyone

I wish people would seperate the two issues, lack of jobs have NOTHING to do with the reassessment of IB claimants, the people on JSA now are fit for work and thats what the ressassment is about, fit for JSA or not.