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Peter began the conference by describing his own experience of disability, benefits and work. He had worked as a gravity die caster before receiving a spinal injury in a road accident. He recognised the importance of work in the lives of disabled people who are able to do it but also thought that allowance should be made for those not yet ready for employment. In his own case although he is now in employment and earns more than he did before his injury it took him about three years before he was able to manage his disability sufficiently to be in a position to seek work.
Lorna began by outlining the current situation with regard to government intentions and incapacity benefit reform. Proposals for a new benefit structure were outlined in "Department for Work and Pensions Five Year Strategy – Opportunity and security throughout life". A Green Paper on incapacity benefit reform was expected in the Summer but has so far not been published.
She then outlined the position that Disability Alliance (DA) takes in relation to incapacity benefit reform. Her starting point was to highlight the success of Pathways to Work pilots in getting disabled people into work. Given this success it would make sense to extend this pilot until it covers the whole country.
The proposed system outlined in the five year plan will, after an initial stage, separate claimants into categories where they would receive one of two benefits (Rehabilitation Support Allowance for those targeted for support into work and Disability and Sickness Allowance for those with more severe conditions). DA would prefer there to be only one benefit model in order to prevent those targeted for support into work from being stigmatised as "malingerers".
The division itself is artificial and does not reflect the actual job prospects of people with different disabilities. Someone who is blind, for example, may be eligible for Disability and Sickness Allowance but actually be more ready for support into work than someone with mental health problems who is on Rehabilitation Support Allowance.
DA is also opposed to methods of coercion and the use of sanctions in relation to work-focused interviews, work-related activity and action plans. Personal Advisers will have to judge whether someone is co-operating with an interview but may be unaware of all of the facts when making a decision. The person being interviewed may fail to co-operate fully because of the side effects of drugs for example.
DA would also like to know the position with regard to the personal capability assessment (pca) test. As yet no one is sure if this is going to be changed.
Someone on incapacity benefit (IB) may only be receiving £3,900 a year. The average weekly payment of IB is only 53 pence a week more than it was in 1995. It is accepted that, for those that can, work is the best route out of poverty and social exclusion but DA would like to know what the "second best route" might be for those unable to work who are stuck on a low income?
The current permitted work system was also considered to be inadequate as a means of getting people into work. The lowest rate is £20 which only allows someone to work for three hours a week under the minimum wage rules. Someone who is on jobseeker's allowance now cannot even work an hour as they are only permitted to earn £5 a week.
Mandy described her experiences when a combination of the illness and pressures at work caused her to give up employment that paid her £20,000 a year and claim IB, which paid her about £4000 a year.
She also tried to improve her work prospects by enrolling on a further education course but cuts in Local Authority budgets meant that IB did not qualify her for help with fees and travel expenses.
Mandy would welcome any reform that ensured that IB became an "enabling" benefit rather than one that contributes to social exclusion, as it does at present. You can read the full text of Mandy's speech by clicking on this link. A copy of this statement was also presented to Margaret Hodge.
Mia Rosenblatt read out a statement on behalf of Anne, a benefit recipient who has autism. You can read this by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
Kate presented a briefing paper which discussed issues concerning incapacity benefit for students in post-16 education, as identified by Skill’s (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) information service and policy team. You can read this paper by clicking on the link to incapacity benefit for students at the bottom of this page.
Margaret Hodge began by saying that she could not discuss the contents of the Green Paper until it is actually published. What she could do was say something about current government thinking and the current situation in relation to reform.
Any proposed changes must take place within budgetary constraints that did not exist in 1998. In addition efficiency savings within the DWP will mean job cuts, which will further affect service provisions.
The aim of the government is enable people to obtain economic prosperity and as a result social inclusion. For people on IB this means helping them into work. There are 900,000 people on jobseeker's allowance and 2.63 million on IB (Disability Alliance Note: In fact the figures for the number of recipients of IB is 1.44m. The higher figure includes those on severe disablement allowance and those on income support with a disability premium).
Of those on IB only 3 out of every 100 seek work. In the past work was not seen as a right for people with disabilities and the intention is to remedy this approach. The workforce is also ageing so it is important that as many be helped back into the labour market as possible.
Pathways to Work has been the best intervention so far, though it is not clear what part of it has made it so successful (personal adviser support, in-work credit or access to health services). The success is probably due to a combination of factors. What is clear is that early intervention is essential.
What is needed is a culture of change. If a captain of industry has a problem at home which affects their work he or she is given a personal mentor to help them over the problem. If it is someone on the shop floor he or she is signed off as sick. Early intervention on health issues can get someone back into work quickly and prevent them suffering depression, which would delay their return to employment. The personal capability assessment (pca) test itself should be an assessment of work capability as well as a gateway to benefit.
The minister herself favours a simplified system - for example a system where anyone not in work moves onto a single income replacement benefit with appropriate additions.
Q. What if someone cannot work? Can't they still contribute to society?
A. The government's aim is to provide support to those who are able to get into work.
Q. Why can't employers be more supportive? I was pushed out of my government job when efforts could have been made to help keep me in work.
A. This was a good point and employers attitudes will need to improve.
Q. Why does the minister use insulting terminology such as "benefit dependants" and "languishing" on benefits? This feeds prejudice and right wing agendas.
A. Language matters when discussing issues with organisations such as those attending this conference but it is difficult to change the use of incorrect language when dealing with other individuals and organisations. She cited the example of having to put up with sexism when she herself is a feminist and the way women have to put up with "mother-in-law jokes".
She believes the word "languishing" is correct because people do languish as a result of the government's failure to do anything about the problem in the past.
Q. Why does the government not try and consider why it is that there are so many people who are genuinely sick and unable to work as a result of passing the pca test?
A. Passing the pca test and claiming IB does not mean that someone cannot work. It just means they are eligible for IB.
Q. Why isn't Pathways to Work rolled out nationally more quickly?
A. Not enough money.
Q. Why aren't there more disabled people in the government and the DWP? The Office for Disability Issues should have to employ a workforce that has a majority of disabled workers.
A. Margaret Hodge has advisers on disability issues on her team. Her remit does not cover the Office for Disability Issues.
Q. Local Authority funding has been removed from a lot of Workstep programmes. Why not do something about this?
A. Sheltered workshops are not inclusive. The aim should be to provide work opportunities in mainstream settings. A lot of Remploy work is still in factory based settings. This should be seen as a route to mainstream work rather than an end in itself.
Q. Given that the route to IB is through the pca test shouldn't the outcome be that everyone goes onto a single benefit rather than splitting into two allowances as outlined in the five year plan?
A. The minister did not appear to understand the question and ran out of time but emphasised that there will always need to be an eligibility test.
Q. Why is not enough money being spent on training and why is the funded training frequently inadequate?
A. A massive amount of money is spent on training but much is wasted. There is a need to ensure resources are used wisely.
Q. Why aren't supportive organisations such as Disability Alliance given funding by the DWP?
A. The minister did not know the answer but Lorna Reith responded by saying that the DWP has no funding powers. These are granted to the Department of Health (DH) but in recent years they have been less likely to fund benefits related projects, concentrating more on health issues.
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