Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has said the government must stop “simply writing a cheque” for health and disability benefit claimants and instead offer more support to help them into work. In an exclusive interview, he insisted that while the system would always support those who can never work, those who could work should be helped to change their situation.
Speaking during a visit to a jobcentre in south London, McFadden indicated that welfare reform would form the centrepiece of Labour’s response to two major government-commissioned reviews. The interim report of Stephen Timms’s review into disability benefits concluded that personal independence payment (PIP), which is claimed by nearly 4 million people in England and Wales, was “not working” and required bold radical proposals. Meanwhile, Alan Milburn’s review into youth worklessness urged a “whole system reset” to address the rise in young people out of work or education beyond one million.
McFadden, who commissioned both reviews, said work was already under way on the government’s response ahead of their final reports in the autumn. “It’s my job to put together a plan, a proposal, [that] changes the question of the welfare state from simply asking, ‘what benefits are you entitled to?’, to asking, ‘how can we help you live the fullest life?’” He said he was already speaking to the Department for Education and the Department for Health about the issue.
The minister’s remarks come amid tight constraints on public finances, with a rising welfare bill driven by increasing health-related benefit caseloads, and growing pressure to spend on defence. McFadden has previously hinted at a fresh attempt at reforming the welfare system after the government was forced into a partial U-turn on a £5bn package of cuts to avoid a backbench rebellion. He is also being touted by some Labour MPs as a potential chancellor in the incoming prime minister Andy Burnham’s cabinet.
The government also announced that it is now supporting 100,000 people on the highest level of health-related benefits through its Pathways to Work scheme, which provides no-strings-attached support to help claimants gain confidence and engage with the jobs market. McFadden said the programme demonstrated the need to invest in support, adding: “In the past, people have been signed off [on benefits] and written off. That has often led to people feeling isolated, depressed, their condition becoming worse, not better.”
