Achi news desk-
He repeatedly stressed that the system as it is lets people down by not concentrating enough on the work, maybe they could do it.
He insisted that the changes – including the cessation of benefits if someone does not comply with conditions set by a work encourager and a promise to “tighten up” the work ability assessment (WCA) – are not about cost-cutting only.
He said: “At the moment, the gateway to sickness benefits is putting many off leaving them on the wrong kind of support and with no expectation of trying to find a job with all the benefits that comes with it.
“In 2011, 20 per cent of those doing a capacity for work assessment were judged not to be fit for work, but the latest figure is now 65 per cent. That is wrong. People are not three times as sick as they were a decade ago, and the world of work has changed dramatically.
“Of course, those with serious debilitating conditions should never be expected to work. But if you have a low-level mobility problem, your employer could make some reasonable adjustments, which may enable you to work from home.
“And if you’re feeling anxious or depressed, then of course you should get the support and treatment you need to manage your condition. But that doesn’t mean we should assume you can’t take part in work. That’s not going to help you and it’s not fair on everyone else either.
“Therefore, we are going to tighten the work capacity assessment, so that hundreds of thousands of benefit recipients with less severe conditions will now be expected to engage in the world of work.”
Other proposed changes by Mr Sunak included having so-called specialist work and health professionals being responsible for giving a fit notes instead of GPs – in an attempt to bring the “sick Note culture”.
Disability equality charity Scope has questioned whether the announcements are “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.
Following the speech, the charity described proposals as feeling “like an all-out attack on disabled people” branding them “dangerous” and saying they risked leaving disabled people “destitute”.
The charity’s James Taylor said calls were “pouring into our helpline” from worried disabled people.
He said: “In a cost of living crisis trying to reduce disabled people’s income by hitting PIP is a horrible proposition.
“Sanctions and ending claims will only pile more misery on people at the end of our cost of living crisis.”
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The Prime Minister continued by detailing plans for new legislation to prevent “fraudsters” from exploiting “the natural kindness and generosity of the British people”.
The First Minister said: “For me, it is a fundamental duty of the Government to make sure that hard work is always rewarded.
“We are preparing a new fraud Bill for the next parliament, which will align DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) with HMRC (HMRC), so that we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrests, and we will also enable penalties to be meted out to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.
“Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay for, it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state.”
He rejected suggestions that the reforms lacked compassion, saying “the exact opposite is true”.
Although a trade union representing physiotherapists has said that long NHS waiting lists are increasing unemployment levels due to a ‘note sickness culture’, they have said that the UK Prime Minister should look more deeply at the causes ‘closer to home’.
Ash James, director of practice and development for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “Too many people are being approved sick but the Prime Minister should look closer to home for the causes.
“There are long waiting times for NHS services for musculoskeletal conditions, such as back and neck pain – the second most common reason for sickness absence.
“Long waits lead to more complex problems and we know that the longer someone is away from work, the less likely they are ever to return.”
