In a speech today, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith argued that employment and support allowance (ESA) was flawed because the assessment process focused on what people cannot do, not on what they can do.
Mr Smith said that the existing system forces ESA claimants “into a binary category saying they can be expected to work or they can’t”.
He added:
“So it’s not surprising that over the last two decades, the number of people on sickness benefits has stayed at around 2.5 million.
While the number of people on unemployment-related benefit has nearly halved since 2010, a fall of around 700,000 the number of sickness benefit claimants has fallen by 88,000.”
Although ESA may have been designed with the right intentions, at its heart lay a fundamental flaw he said:
“It is a system that decides that you are either capable of work or you are not.
Two absolutes equating to one perverse incentive –
a person has to be incapable of all work or available for all work.
Surely, this needs to change.
In the world beyond ESA, things are rarely that simplistic.
Someone may be able to do some work for some hours, days or weeks, but not what they were doing previously."
Making the case for further reform, the Secretary of State said:
“We need to look at the system and in particular the assessment we use for ESA.
The more personalised approach under Universal Credit sits alongside a Work Capability Assessment, which sets the wrong incentives.
That’s why I want to look at changing the system so that it comes into line with the positive functioning of Universal Credit.
A system that is better geared towards helping people prepare for work they may be capable of, rather than parking them forever beyond work.
We need a system focussed on what a claimant can do and the support they’ll need – and not just on what they can’t do.”
Mr. Smith also Reiterated the Government’s commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people:
“On current figures, that means getting 1 million more disabled people into work.
I want to be clear – this employment gap isn’t because of a lack of aspiration on the part of those receiving benefits….
….in fact, the majority want to work or stay in work, but I believe this gap exists because of two factors:
First, some employers are reluctant to employ people with disabilities.
That is why I have set up the ‘Disability Confident’ campaign.
This shows employers that the reality is quite different from the perception….
….in fact, that once employed, people with disabilities are in the vast majority of cases more productive than others.
Second, the poor quality of support they receive leads too many sick and disabled people languishing in a life without work, when work is actually possible for them.”
The full text of the Secretary of State’s speech is available @ www.reform.uk
For Disability Rights UK’s view on ESA reform see DR UK says: Fix this broken system