Disability: Government announces its plans for overhaul of the IB system
Plans to overhaul the Incapacity Benefit (IB) system and get people back to work are underway, according to DWP Secretary of State, Alan Johnson.
Speaking at UnumProvident's New Beginnings Symposium, Johnson told delegates that the Government will publish its plans to reform IB this summer and called on the insurance industry to submit its thoughts over the coming months.
Interested parties were asked to submit their views on the content of return to work activities; how to minimise the risks people face in the work place and how to ensure those receiving Disability Sickness Allowance are not written off. Delegates were also asked to highlight the key features needed to aid people with mental health problems.
"In the summer, we will set out in detail in a Green Paper how we will radically change the benefit system so it reflects all we have learnt about the needs of those on Incapacity Benefit. Working with employers, GPs, special interest groups and claimants, we can replace the sicknote culture with one of hope and opportunity," Johnson said.
Johnson added that the new Disability Discrimination Bill, when enacted, will extend the coverage of the Disability Discrimination Act to at least another 175,000 people, widening the definition of disabled people by removing the requirement that mental illnesses must be 'clinically well-recognised.'
Quoting statistics from the Pathways to Work pilot, he said the number of recorded job entries for people with a health condition or disability has almost doubled compared to this time last year. Corporate services director at UnumProvident and founding member of the New Beginnings Campaign, Joanne Hindle, added that while the employment rate for disabled people has increased from 43% to 50% since 2001, transport, attitudes and access remain key concerns.
