Tories rethink benefits revamp

Oct 3 2007 by Rob Merrick, Liverpool Daily Post

TORY plans to slash £3bn off the benefits bill were in trouble last night, after David Cameron hinted at spending more – rather than less – money on getting the jobless back to work.

In an interview with the Daily Post, the Conservative leader softened his eve-of-conference pledge to strip benefits from the long-term jobless who refuse to work.

The tough policy would have a big impact in Merseyside, where more than 100,000 people claim incapacity benefit (IB), a legacy of the huge loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1980s.

The worst blackspots are Liverpool (41,500) and Knowsley (13,700), where around 15% of the working population claim the benefit.

In the interview, Mr Cameron insis- ted his intention was to give more intensive help to IB claimants, adding: “This is not an ‘On Yer Bike’ message.” He added: “I’m quite convinced that, if you take people on incapacity benefit, often they need that help and support and advice to help them get into work.

“That deep, personal connec- tion at the moment, with the current system, just isn’t there.”

But the comments were seized on by Labour as another example of the Tory leader using his Blackpool conference to make uncosted spending pledges.

The Government has spent £360m on “Pathways to Work”, its own programme to help IB claimants find work, with each getting a personal adviser and a £40-a-week back-to-work reward.

Peter Hain, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told the Daily Post: “David Cameron’s tax and benefit plans are unravelling.

“He has outlined no clear measures to achieve any savings and not a pen- ny of extra investment in the neces- sary welfare to work programmes.”

On Sunday, Mr Cameron pledged to get 600,000 of the 2.7m IB claimants back to work, saving £3bn to fund £1,600-a-year tax breaks for couples bringing up children.

In his make-or-break speech today, Mr Cameron will insist the blaze of tax-cutting announced this week do not amount to a “lurch to the right”.

robmerrick@dailypost.co.uk

Tougher line

HEROIN addicts would be forced to kick all drugs instead of being prescribed methadone, under new hardline Tory plans.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis pledged to introduce “abstinence-based” treatment programmes, condemning government attempts to “manage” addiction.

In his conference speech, Mr David poured scorn on Labour’s claim to be tough on the causes of crime, saying: “Take Labour’s approach to drug rehabilitation.

“They spend taxpayers’ money trying to manage addiction.

“That means keeping addicts on drugs.

“We want to get addicts off drugs.

“And we will introduce a major abstinence-based drugs rehabilitation program, a program that gets addicts off drugs, all drugs, for good.”

Mr Davis’s aides were quick to insist the policy was not “cold turkey”, because addicts would be offered a limited period of detoxification.

In a briefing note, Mr Davis said drug treatment and testing orders offered abstine- nce based treatment to just 5% of addicts – while 80% re-offended within two years.