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Revealed: Labour's most radical benefits shake-up
Joe Murphy, Political Editor18.07.08
The Government's entire welfare reforms - including plans to scrap Income Support and make thousands of disabled people look for work - have been leaked to the Evening Standard.
The package due to be unveiled by Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell is the most radical for more than a generation and explicitly seeks to end the "something for nothing" culture.
Many of the ideas are based on the Freud report that was allegedly "sat upon" by Gordon Brown for months after it came out last year. Most of these have already been adopted by the Conservatives, including forced work for claimants. But it is the first time a Labour government has gone so far.
Most radically, every disabled benefit claimant will be tested to see if they can perform light work - a check that until now only applied to new claimants. Some two million long-term disability claimants will be affected.
People claiming unemployment benefits will be obliged to look for work. If they fail after a year, despite help to get a job, they will have to do four weeks of community service. If they fail again for another year, Mr Purnell will consider making them work full-time in return for their benefits payments - an idea also floated by the Conservatives.
The 96-page document, sent to Cabinet members this week, says lone parents will be expected to seek work when their youngest child turns seven.
In another radical move, swathes of the welfare-to-work system will be privatised by bringing in firms to motivate, mentor and train people to get them into work. Those who refuse to cooperate could have some benefits cut.
The package is being rushed out to bolster Labour's reforming credentials ahead of Thursday's Glasgow East byelection. It will also be seen as boosting Mr Purnell's claim to be a potential successor to Mr Brown as Labour leader.
Tory spokesman Chris Grayling said its key measures were already Conservative policies. "It is our ideas that are setting the political agenda," he said. He offered cross-party support but said Labour had left it too late and it would be down to a future Tory government to make a difference.
In a letter to Chancellor Alistair Darling, also seen by the Standard, Mr Purnell says his aim is to target groups who "have been left to drift into long-term inactivity and become detached from the Labour market".
Reader views (14)
So once again another knee jerk reaction.
Not every-one on benefits and claiming job seekers allowance are scroungers.
People presume that single parents are teenagers having kids to get benefits. Apart from the fact that there are teenage mums who look after there children and work, some single parents are in that situation through no fault of their own like the women I know with three children whose husband died of cancer.
Where is the money going to come from to pay childcare costs as well.
I am working and paying tax. Yes those people blatantly abusing the system annoy me but I know from personal experience that there are lot of people on benefits who do deserve them are and are living on the bread line.
What about he government catching a few of those rich tax dodgers. The amount of money they take from the country is much more than benefit fraud.
- Morrigan, Cardiff
It is time that the country got rid of the bunch of American owned puppets in Whitehall were disbanded as non seem fit to run a country a change is required such as a republic the old ways are not working it requires someone with brains to get the country back on its feet.
- George, england
'Benefits' are already being cut. Long term unemployment in this area means having to attend an Intensive Activity Programme meaning 2 weeks training on how to write a CV, make job applications and learn how to use the Internet. After this, people have to take a work placement which is effectively free labour for a large employer who has no obligation to take on the 'trainee' after the end of the placement. It is generally assumed that everyone long term unemployed has no skills whatsoever. For example, people are being 'trained' in basic maths at level 2 (GCSE standard) when they have degrees in computing. Unemployed teachers are sent on these 'courses', and then being asked to teach others for nothing more than dole money + £15 training allowance. LOL, it is the teachers who are meant to be given the training by the private company contracted to the DWP who BTW will receive circa £1200 per 'trainee'.
Just some examples, could tell you more. The only winner is big business, not the taxpayer or the individual.
This money should be paid to unemployed individuals so that they can attend interviews, realistically afford to go back to work or start businesses.
European money is being misappropriated IMO. There isn't any European Social funding that I know of in the area where I live, to help people 50+ particularly women back to work. Instead, some of the money is allocated to 14-16 year olds not in education, which should be funded by UK, rather than Europe.
- Sue, Chelmsford, Emgland
At long last it is about time that these people who sit at home scrounging money from the state were made to stand accountable! I have 2 children and work full time and yet these people can bring home more money than most of us who pay our taxes. I say get them out to work instead of us paying for there dope and alcohol etc. However I don't think 4 weeks of community service is any good if they don't find work within 6 months cut their benefit, there is work out there for anyone and everyone its a case of looking, but if you have it handed on a plate you forget how to do it. With recession its a good idea to take money of them and put it back into the country.
- Jane, north yorkshire
After working and paying my taxes for 47 years I was forced to take Medical Retirement as I was unable to work. As my pension goes just over £85 a week they take half of it off my benefit, but this is before tax and I have to live on what I get after tax. If they get rid of the scroungers they could help those who want to work but can't a bit more.
- Malcolm, Buckley, North Wales
This government said they would address this as one of their policies when they came into power. I think they are now grasping at straws because this is one of the Conservative policies, which most people want put into place and quickly and then perhaps the hard working people of this once great country of ours will not have to pay so much of our hard earned money in taxes!
- C Dayton, Leicester
I was on disability years ago from a car accident. When I recovered I phoned up DLA to tell them I am a lot better and looking for work. They didn't know how to deal with the call at first as I was one of the few that told them of my improvement. This shows there is a lot of people out there that make out they are worse than what they are! I would have welcomed that reform back then, because if you are genuine you have no worries about being called in for an interview.
- Car, Hove
Gerry, without reproduction as a career option the capitalist system would have no new consumers to market its products to in a generation. Think about that one!
- Kevin, Lincoln, UK
It's about time!
- Simone, London, United Kingdom
Once again, a fuss is kicked up about a minority of people that abuse the benefits system, and the majority of claimants who are claiming genuinely get to face the consequences.
The whole point of incapacity benefit is that it is there for people who are too ill to work. Indeed, doctors offer sicknotes to patients because said doctors are saying that somebody either cannot work, or that to work in their current state of ill health would have a significant adverse effect on their ability to recover from illness.
I simply cannot work, nor can I be reliable... I can't even guarantee I'll be alive - This is due to mental health problems, which can vary in severity on a day to day basis - and it's known that DWP doctors often don't assess a claimant appropriately - even ignoring consultant evidence from hospitals sometimes when it's in the way of work. No employer in their right mind would want me at the moment, and being forced to work would be significantly detrimental to both my already poor mental health, and my chances of recovery to once more be a truly productive member of society. I'd sooner get well first thankyou!
Once again - short term gain, long term pain... typical of this government, and indeed, any government. Are they TRYING to destroy people?.. and all based on tarring with one brush as a result of a minority for sake of winning a few votes. It makes me sick.
- Krissie, South Wales, UK
While reproduction remains a career option none of this will be effective.
- Gerry, exeter england
It will never happen and is just more Nu Lab spin and sound bite politics. They want to sound tough on benefits just like they promised on crime. They even went as far as appointing a minister to " think the unthinkable " about benefits and when he went away and did they promptly sacked him. These bunch of clowns don't know the meaning of getting tough. Just look at their clampdown on knife crime. Amnesties, making offenders visit victims and community service for possession and use of a knife. The Labour party are now so delusional they honestly think that they can turn things around and win an election. DREAM ON !
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Samui Thailand
So will my severely autistic son be expected to seek work?
- Marvin, Welling UK
I hope the government implements this plan as I know several people who ride the benefit train whilst doing nothing, which angers me as a hard-working taxpayer.
- Ben, Portsmouth UK
