Welfare Reform on the Web (November 2009): Social security - UK

Alarm over allowance

M. Hunter

Community Care, Sept. 17th 2009, p. 26-27

In its July 2009 green paper on the future of social care, the government proposed absorbing attendance allowance into general social services budgets. Disability rights groups are now rallying in defence of attendance allowance, which is not means-tested and does not depend on national insurance contributions.

The end of entitlement

T.Cawston, A. Haldenby, and P. Nolan

Reform, 2009

Report proposes scrapping benefits for everyone earning above the minimum income level, set at £13,900 for a single person and £27,600 for a couple with two children. The authors define such households as middle class. They argue that cutting child benefit for them would save £7bn. Cancelling winter fuel payments and free TV licences for the elderly would save £2.7bn and £500m a year respectively.

Gender differences among new claimants of Incapacity Benefit

P.A. Kemp and J. Davidson

Journal of Social Policy, vol. 38, 2009, p. 589-606

The high level of Incapacity Benefit (IB) receipt in Britain has been the subject of much scholarly attention, but research has focused on male claimants. This article highlights the substantial growth in IB claims by women since the 1970s and the relative stability in the number of male claimants since the mid-1990s. It also presents data for people aged under 60 from a nationally representative survey of recent IB claimants in Britain. In doing so, it provides new information about the characteristics and circumstances of the women claiming benefit and compares them with men.

Only one in 20 on sick benefit rated unfit to work by new test

K. Devlin

Daily Telegraph, Oct. 14th 2009, p. 14

Since the Employment and Support Allowance was introduced in October 2008, only 5% of applicants have been assessed as being permanently unfit to work and eligible for full payment of the Allowance. Eleven per cent of applicants were judged sick enough to receive a slightly smaller benefit, reflecting the fact that they should be able to return to work in due course. Thirty-eight per cent abandoned their applications before assessment. The government plans to start reassessing everyone on Incapacity Benefit in 2010. The figures suggest that many of the 2.6 million currently on Incapacity Benefit could undertake paid work.