Conservative Party plans to make Incapacity Benefit tougher
5 October 2009
At the Conservative Party conference today, David Cameron
announced his plan to move half a million people who are able to
work from Incapacity Benefit to Jobseeker's Allowance, and cut
their payments by £25 a week.
Parkinson's has a fluctuating nature, which can affect people's capacity to work in different ways.
Steve Ford, Chief Executive, Parkinson's Disease Society
The Parkinson's Disease Society has serious concerns about the
potential negative impact this may have on people with
Parkinson's.
Concerns for people with Parkinson's
Steve Ford, Chief Executive of the Parkinson's Disease Society,
comments:
"1 in 10 people with Parkinson's currently receives
Incapacity Benefit.
"We are concerned that the Conservative Party's plan to reduce
dependency on benefits could force some people who are genuinely
unable to work onto Jobseeker's Allowance, reducing their income,
and causing unnecessary stress.
"Parkinson's is commonly misunderstood because of its
fluctuating nature, which can affect people's capacity to work in
different ways.
"We are already hearing about problems for people with
Parkinson's claiming the new Employment and Support Allowance. Many
have been deemed capable of seeking work when they are not because
of lack of understanding by Work Capability Assessors.
"An arbitrary target of moving half a million people onto
Jobseeker's Allowance could result in similar problems, with many
people with Parkinson's experiencing the stress of going through a
demanding job seeking process.
"These reforms need to protect people with serious disability,
not take away the benefits they rely on to manage their
conditions."
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