COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

The key sickness benefit is helping fewer people get jobs, while its rising cost is a big financial risk for the UK, internal government memos say.

The memos, obtained by the BBC, say the Department for Work and Pensions is struggling to deliver employment support allowance (ESA).

ESA was introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefit.

The government acknowledged there had been problems but said it was bringing in a new firm to do tests for ESA.

The documents - which include six memos written by civil servants and advisers - also say claimants face an average nine-month wait after assessments. The target is three months.

ESA is intended for people who are unable to work due to sickness or disability. Claimants undergo tests, called work capability assessments, before learning whether they are eligible.

The memos say that ESA "is not delivering more positive outcomes for claimants" than incapacity benefit did.

The payment's costs are expected to rise by almost £13bn by 2018/19, the documents say, warning the increase is "one of the largest fiscal risks currently facing the government".

The benefit is becoming a "long-term destination" for too many people, they say, and more people than expected are becoming eligible for it.

This is thought to be partly due to restrictions on jobseeker's allowance leading to an increase in ESA claimants.

A key aim of the benefit is to get people off welfare and into work, but the documents say this appears to be happening less than under incapacity benefit (IB).

"Employment outcomes actually appear lower than under IB", they say, and the "wider policy problems facing ESA will persist" despite the change in the company in charge of the assessments.

'Fiasco' Over Benefits For Sick And Disabled



A Government welfare scheme has been branded a "fiasco" for leaving thousands of disabled people waiting months for payments.

An influential group of MPs said the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had left vulnerable people unnecessarily distressed.

They said the scheme, which replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working age people last year, had been rushed through, with a "shocking" impact on the lives of claimants.

PIP was introduced by the Government to help simplify the welfare system.

Claimants can receive between £21 and £138 a week but must attend an assessment to calculate the level of support they are entitled to.

However, Margaret Hodge, who chairs the cross-party Public Accounts Committee, said: "The implementation of PIP has been nothing short of a fiasco.

"The Department for Work and Pensions has let down some of the most vulnerable people in our society, many of whom have had to wait more than six months for their claims to be decided.

"The personal stories we heard were shocking. We heard evidence of a claimant requiring hospital intervention as a result of the stress caused by the delays suffered."

Stephanie Kendrick, 43, from Buckley, Flintshire, developed a condition last year that makes it difficult for her to walk.

She had to give up work and applied for PIP in August last year.

She was told it would take between eight and 10 weeks but a series of delays meant it took eight months for the payments to be agreed.

She told Sky News it put such a strain on her finances she and her husband had to put their house up for sale.

"I've had to live off food parcels from my family ... we've relied on relatives and friends who have bought milk and bread, just ... to make sure we can pay the gas and the electric," she said.

The Government denied it had let vulnerable people down.

Mike Penning, the minister for disabled people, said: "New PIP includes a face-to-face assessment and regular reviews to ensure support goes to those who need it most.

"The PAC report is based on old statistics. I've introduced a faster process for people with terminal illnesses, with clearance times reducing to our target of 10 days.

"A higher proportion of people are getting the highest rate of financial support for daily living under PIP than DLA."

Mike Penning, the minister for disabled people, said: "A higher proportion of people are getting the highest rate of financial support for daily living under PIP than DLA."