Plans to reduce sickness benefit leaked

2 July 2015

A leaked Whitehall paper suggests that part of the Employment and Support Allowance may be scrapped.

The Employment and Support allowance is the UK’s main sickness benefit. The paper proposes abolishing the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) category. This will lower the weekly payment from £102.15 by £30, bringing it in line with Jobseekers allowance.

The leaked document describes them as a “passive” benefit. It says the benefit does not “incentivise” people to find the job.

Around two million people are currently relying on the benefit.

Kate Green, the shadow Minister for Disabled People, said: “Iain Duncan Smith should come clean with the public about his leaked plan to withdraw support from disabled people. Many disabled people would love the chance to work. But again and again this Government has failed disabled people with fewer than one in 10 people on the failing Work Programme finding a job. Disabled people need a government who’ll give them the support they need.”

Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, said: “Just 15 per cent of autistic people are in full-time paid jobs, but 79 per cent on out-of-work benefits want to work. Abolishing the lower level, work-related category of ESA would remove the little support that disabled people get to prepare for future jobs and ultimately mean they are even less likely to find work in the long-term.”