Margaret Hodge answered questions on welfare in a Downing Street webchat.
Read the transcript
Margaret says: I’m delighted so many people have emailed in. We’re very excited by our proposals. The Government has always been committed to increasing the opportunity for people to find a job. This Welfare Reform Green Paper is all about extending that opportunity to people who want to work but who in the past have faced barriers to getting into work. Whether it’s somebody on Incapacity Benefit, an older person who has lost their job or a lone parent whose children have gone to school. What we want to do is to provide individuals with the right support and once that is in place they have a responsibility to do what they can to support themselves and their families.
Justin: Margaret, you plan to take one million people off incapacity benefits. Where, do you think, will those jobs come from?
Margaret replies: We have been very successful in our stewardship of the economy and have enjoyed consistent and steady growth since 1997. There are now 2.3 million more people in work today than there were in 1997. I’m always talking to economists and other experts about the prospects for jobs and most people are very confident that we will continue to grow jobs in Britain. That doesn’t mean that people have a job for life today as they were used to in the past. Some of the old industrial jobs have gone but new markets, new businesses and new jobs are always emerging. So today we see more jobs in the service industries and in places like health and education.
Sheila Littleton: Dear Ms Hodge, as a recipient of long term IB and middle rate care/higher rate mobility DLA, I am concerned that I will be forced into work which would be beyond my physical and psychological capabilities. Can you enlighten me (and others in my position) as to the situation re. reform? Many thanks
Margaret replies: Our whole approach is to ensure opportunity for those who can work and support for those who can’t. However in the past the whole system of claiming and staying on Incapacity Benefit depended on proving your incapacity, what you can’t do. What we now want to do is to change the focus. Of course we will still have to ensure your eligibility for the benefit but at the same time we want to work with you on what you can do so that the many people who want to work are able to do so. For the most seriously ill or disabled we will provide a higher level of financial support with our new benefit which we are going to call an employment and support allowance and of course we will not require such people to undertake any steps which will get them back to work unless they want to do so.
Nick: Have you fully considered the impact this will have on carers who have been incapacitated as a result of their caring role? Surely these measures are counter-productive in this area.
Margaret replies: We really value the role of carers and this government has tried hard to give a better deal to carers through things like better financial support, the right to request flexible working hours, better entitlements to state second pension. Carers who themselves become long term ill or disabled as a result of caring will enjoy exactly the same rights as anybody else - the right to proper financial support and the right to access the activities available in our Pathways to Work pilots which have helped so many people back to work.
Margo Milne: The material in the green paper is causing a lot of concern among long-term sick and disabled people because of lack of detail. For instance, can you give us more detail on the groups of people who will be exempt from the assessment and work-related activities in the Employment phase of the proposed new allowance? Will it be the same people as are currently exempt from the IB Personal Capability Assessment, or will it be extended to include all those genuinely incapable of work?
Margaret replies: I know that many people have welcomed our proposals. I also know that for many individuals our green Paper has raised anxieties. I do want to provide good reassurances. Our proposals are about breaking down barriers which have stopped so many people in the past from enjoying the benefits that work can bring - whether it is more money, a network of friends or a sense of purpose and value in society. I know that people want to see the details and we will consult as widely as we can as we develop our proposals. The new assessment that we intend to introduce will do two things. It will examine people’s functional incapacity to determine their eligibility for benefit and it will assess their capabilities to see what work they could do with the right help. It’s not about having am inflexible list of illnesses or disabilities which would label you. It’s about looking at you as an individual and assessing how a particular condition affects you personally. We’re all affected in different ways by different conditions. We will also have improved complaints and appeals mechanisms in place to provide safeguards for individuals.
Chris L: Will the proposed benefit reforms actually encourage people back to work, or will we still see more stick than carrot?
Margaret replies: It’s a bit of both. It’s about rights and responsibilities and something for something. If we provide individuals with the support they need then they have a responsibility to do what they can to move back to work.
Lorna King: How will the Pathways to Work pilots be funded and what outcomes are to be achieved?
What measures will there be in terms of measuring "progress made" for people wanting to work but being some distance away from being able to work?
Margaret replies: We’ve been running pilots for about 2 years. The early results are very positive and show an 8% increase in the number of people coming off Incapacity Benefit in 6 months. But you are right to say that for some people it will take longer and we should be as pleased about the distance travelled as actually getting a job. That is really difficult to measure and we are constantly thinking about ways of doing it. Any suggestions warmly welcomed!
Peter Grant: Dear Minister
What proposals are in place to assist those released from custody to get back to work?
Is it any wonder that re-offending rates are rocketing when those released turn again to crime in order to survive??
Margaret replies: We published a paper just before Christmas which had been developed by DfES, the Home Office and ourselves. That paper is out for consultation. The aim is to find better ways to train prisoners whilst they are in prison, to prepare them for work and to link them to employers and employment opportunities so they have something to go to when they have served their term. We are particularly pleased that a number of employers are willing to work with us to make jobs available to ex-prisoners so we can prevent re-offending. Do look at the paper - it is on the www.dwp.gov.uk website.
Margo Milne: What is the timescale for consultation? How can individuals make their comments?
Margaret replies: Email us at welfarereform@dwp.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at The Welfare Reform Team, Level 2, The Adelphi, 1-11 john Adam St, London WC2N 6HT. The consultation period goes on until 21st April and we will publish a report on the responses we get.
Margaret Guy: Ms Hodge, what stance will you be taking with people who are claiming incapacity benefit because of drug misuse? I’m particularly concerned for those who are homeless and in temporary accommodation.
Margaret replies: We recognise that some people face multiple barriers to work. What we have to try to do is ensure that our response is appropriate to the individual’s needs and circumstances. We do have particular programmes which are focused on people who misuse drugs and we work closely with other government departments and LA’s and health authorities to try and provide the right response. I agree with you that there are huge difficulties for people who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation.
Sarah Springham: What are the Government’s plans for helping people with mental health problems get the treatment they need promptly? My husband has waited for a year to get assessed by a psychotherapist and is now facing 2 years of treatment which will prevent him working until it is competed.
Margaret replies: Hear, hear. We have seen a doubling of the number of people coming onto Incapacity Benefit with mental illnesses in last 10 years. What happens all too often is that somebody is stressed because they fall out with their boss or because they have trouble at home and they go to their GP. The GP only has 10 minutes and may take the easy route and sign them off with a sick note. If we can increase access to people like cognitive behavioural therapists who can help you sort through your problems not only will that improve your health and well-being but may mean you can keep your job. We are working very closely with our colleagues in the health department and with health professional bodies to speed up and improve access to therapeutic help. I agree with you this is really important.
G.W.Simmonds: Will people who are only capable of working, say, half a week be better off than if they continued to live simply on benefits ? This assumes they can only take relatively low paid work.
Margaret replies: Under the present rules people on Incapacity Benefit can work up to 16 hours a week for a year and still get their benefit. We are constantly reviewing our rules to make sure they really do support individuals in finding a way back to work.
Richard Russell : I am a single male raising 3 kids on my own. The government is not doing enough to help disadvantaged families to get back on their feet. What does the government intend to undertake in order to improve matters for the likes of me??? Richard Russell
Margaret replies: I don’t agree with you that we are not helping children and families especially those facing difficulties. The changes we have made to the tax and benefit system mean that the poorest 20% are £3,200 in real terms better off today than they were in 1997. Our New Deal for Lone Parents has meant that we have increased the number of lone parents in work by 11%. The help you get from Jobcentre Plus, the increased availability of affordable childcare, the tax credit system, the right to request flexible working all help disadvantaged families get back on their feet. Do go and talk to your lone parents advisor in your local JobCentre office to see how they can help you.
Sue Stones: Are you going to give extra resources to Access to Work to enable more disabled people who require extra assistance to take up paid work as this is one of reasons some employers are reluctant to set them on?
Margaret replies: Access to Work has really helped lots of people. We’ve increased the budget about five-fold since 1997 but it still all gets spent without much advertising. I wish I had a bottomless pit but life is never like that. What we need to work at is encouraging employers to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can enjoy more opportunities to work.
Nigel Edwards: Is extra funding going to be available for those organisations who are involved in re-training persons with disabilities or long term health problems. The key is long-term sustainable employment & not just jobs for a couple of months that make figures look good.
Margaret replies: I agree that we want people to move into sustainable employment. Every individual will have different needs and what we have found in our Pathways to Work pilots is that we need a menu of support available. For some people it is training, for others it is help to manage their conditions, for others it is the services of a job broker linking them and their skills to an employer and their needs. The trick is to be able to respond to the needs of the individual.
Margaret says: I’m really sorry I have to go now and I apologise to those people whose questions I haven’t answered. There is obviously a lot of interest in this and I will try to come back again during the consultation period. Please do send your views into us as it is only by listening to you that we’ll get it right. Goodbye.
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