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| Neil cautious over 25% incapacity drop | |
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Alex Neil MSP has expressed caution over a drop in the rate of incapacity benefits claimed in Airdrie and Shotts between 2001 and 2008. Scottish Observatory for Work and Health at the University of Glasgow found that in Airdrie and Shotts the number of people receiving incapacity benefits dropped from 16.6% to 12.5% of the population. Incapacity benefit is a weekly payment for people who become incapable of work while under State Pension age through illness or disability. Employment Support Allowance was introduced in October 2008 to replace Incapacity Benefit to all new claimants, but has been the subject of much criticism. But Mr Neil doubts whether this is a trend that should be welcomed: “My constituency casework would point to this drop in the number of people getting incapacity benefit being the result of poor medical assessments from the benefits agencies rather than there being less people suffering from illness or disabilities. “I have many examples of casework past and present where legitimate claims have been turned down by the benefits agencies. “I would suggest that if this survey was carried out now it would find even less people getting this kind of support because the private company assessing Employment Support Allowance is turning down so many people to save the UK Government money. “I would struggle to believe that in the space of 7 years there has been a 25% drop in the number of people suffering from illnesses or disabilities who are unable to work. “Just as the UK Government tries to throw more 1000 disabled pensioners into poverty by scrapping Attendance Allowance, the most vulnerable people in Airdrie are being shown to have been failed by this Labour Government and their benefits system.” |
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