Benefit claims

Dec 5 2007 by Rob Merrick, Liverpool Daily Post

THE Tories are being outrageously misleading about their plans for Merseyside’s army of “sicknote” former workers – but then so is the Government

It is now two months since David Cameron cheered the Conservative party conference by pledging to strip incapacity benefit (IB) from claimants who refuse to look for work.

Since then, the Tory leader has failed to explain how he would save an incredible £3bn by targeting people who, in many cases, have not worked since the days of his heroine, Margaret Thatcher.

Instead, there has been a drip-drip of hints to right-wing commentators, who lick their lips at the prospect of “radical” welfare reform based on the mysterious “Wisconsin model”.

So what is this miraculous Wisconsin solution to the intractable problem of people who have not worked for years and years, a tragic waste of life now passing to the next generation?

Well, what Mr Cameron does not want to say – at least, not yet – is that there is a strict two-year time limit on benefits.

Once a claimant’s two years are up, he or she won’t get any help – ever again. And, in Wisconsin, that includes lone mothers with babies as young as 13 weeks.

Some of the Republicans who introduced the crackdown openly admit they are an attempt to enforce family values – to punish people, usually women, with kids on their own.

I do not know whether Mr Cameron plans to import the Draconian “Wisconsin model” lock, stock and barrel, because he will not tell us – only his right-wing friends on the comment pages.

But, even if the war on lone mothers is dropped, we can imagine the impact of a strict time limit on IB in parts of Merseyside where claimants are common and jobs are scarce.

Last week, Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain penned a withering attack on the “Wisconsin model”, warning it led to more poverty, with thousands of families relying on charity alone.

He rightly boasted about signing up 200-plus firms and organisations to train those on benefits long-term to be “job-ready” – a helping hand, not “sink-or-swim”.

But, unfortunately, Mr Hain is not being entirely clear either – about his plans to shift IB claimants on to a stricter new “employment support allowance”.

The new test will give them less money (from jobseekers’ allowance) if they can perform modern workplace tasks, such as using a computer keyboard, or a mouse.

Mr Hain insists no decision has been taken about whether to move existing IB claimants on to the harsher regime – but his officials have told disability groups that they will.

Will anyone be honest about our so-called “sicknote culture”?