Disabled benefits claimants face £71 a week fines

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The government has drawn up plans to withdraw £71 a week from sick and disabled benefit claimants if they fail to take steps to get back into the workplace.

www.guardian.co.uk

pickpocketlocket

As yet this information is unconfirmed. Perhaps best to wait until we have the full story before causing panic?

sniggings

I doubt the Tories will be in power after this for a very long time, if ever.

After 3 terms out of office you would think they would try and show a different side but no they start by trying to sell the forests, after charging their logo to a Tree, then raise Uni fees buy 300% and now fine someone who has been found unable to work £71 for em...not working!

rogerblack

pickpocketlocket wrote: »

As yet this information is unconfirmed. Perhaps best to wait until we have the full story before causing panic?

To a degree, I would agree.
However, with the recent leaks saying that a further 10bn in cuts, as well as comments that the cuts need to be faster and deeper, I would hesitate to agree too fast.

Even if 'panic' leads to 'only' people contacting their MPs, and perhaps leads to them having a better understanding of the issues, this is a positive thing.

The simple caricature of the two groups of ESA is toxic.

The work-related group is _NOT_ as a whole 'the less disabled, for who it is reasonable to expect to look for work in the shorter term',
and the support group is not 'the more severely ill, who just need support.

As it is at the moment, someone in a wheelchair, who can move 50m slowly, several times throughout the day, who has difficulty talking to people for several hours a day, can manage little more than running a washing machine, cannot understand more than simple phrases may struggle to get into the work-related group.

Whereas someone whos only disability is to be unable to place their arms into their upper shirt pockets would be in the support group.

The easy one-sentence descriptions are used to develop policy, and to explain it to MPs.

They fail to explain that yes, someone may have a 'prognosis' of a return to work within one year, but that they have a lifelong condition, and are never going to be able to work.

(Clearly there are some for who the above short descriptions are correct)