Terminally ill face being forced to do w**k

Terminally ill people face being forced to w**k to keep their benefits under draconian new Government plans, it was revealed yesterday.

Cancer patients who have more than six months to live could have to do w**k experience or see their payments slashed under the scheme by w**k and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith.

And unlike fit and healthy job seekers, there will be no limit on how long those claiming Employment and Support Allowance are expected to w**k for free.

The Department for w**k and Pensions initially said rumours of the plan, which could affect 300,000 disabled people, were “absolute nonsense”.

A spokeswoman said: “No-one on ESA will be forced to do w**k experience.”

But she later admitted private firms paid by the Government to push people back into w**k will be able to compel disabled people to take placements or lose money.

Mr Duncan Smith’s plan has dismayed experts and fuelled fury over the Government’s “workfare” scheme that forces the jobless to w**k for their benefits.

Mental health and disability groups warn making the vulnerable w**k risks making their conditions worse.

Neil Coyle, of pressure group Disability Rights UK, said: “The idea that disabled people should w**k but receive no financial recognition for contributing is perhaps a level of abuse in and of itself.”

He added: “When Conservative backbench MP Philip Davies suggested disabled people should w**k for less than the national minimum wage he was castigated. But it now appears to be Government policy.”

Department for w**k and Pensions officials held discussions on subjecting people on ESA to “w**k-related activity” with disabled groups late last year.

The groups were told: “There are no plans to introduce a maximum time limit.”

The advisers also defended the idea of docking cash from those who refuse to take up w**k placements.

They said: “Ministers strongly feel there is a link-up to support moving close to the labour market, and the individual’s responsibility to engage with the support. Ministers feel sanctions are an incentive for people to comply with their responsibilities.”

Vicki Nash, of mental health charity Mind, said that w**k placements could be a “useful bridge” in helping people to get off benefits and into w**k.

But she added: “We are very worried about people being pressured into taking unpaid positions before they are ready.”

French firm Atos currently interviews the sick and disabled to decide if they must join a “w**k-related activity group” in order to keep getting paid.

They have to have meetings with advisers and take courses to ready them for w**k.

More than 8,000 claimants had their payments docked or were hit with other sanctions in the 12 months to August for offences such as missing interviews “without good cause”.

Currently, ESA payments, of which the top rate is £95 a week, can only be docked to the £67.50 a week level of Jobseekers’ Allowance.

The DWP spokeswoman last night claimed it was “ludicrous to suggest” that the sick and disabled will be “forced into unpaid and unlimited w**k experience”.

But she added: “The DWP cannot mandate any ESA claimants to do unpaid w**k but we can require ESA claimants to take part in w**k-related activity as long as it is reasonable to ask them to do so.”

Case studies

Ruth, 52, has Spondylosis, a bone condition affecting the spinal cord. It causes severe pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, back, and sometimes also the leg. It can accompanied by muscle weakness. She currently receives £95 in ESA.

Jon, 33, has a learning disability and had been on benefits for all of his life. He lost £19 a week when he was moved over from incapacity Benefit, which is being phased out, and now receives £71 a week.

Jane, 28, has terminal cancer and is expected to live for 18 months. She receives £94.25 per week in ESA, which she could lose if she refuses to take an unpaid w**k placement.

But if your a finguck illegal immigrant with links to terrorist organisations that bomb or are planning to bomb England your welcome to live a life of luxury in good old blighty.....finguck Wrong

Good old Tory Govn as usual, trying to wipe out the poor and those that need help

And Atos, the French company carrying out these interviews and tests, is being paid - by our Government (ie by the taxpayer!!!!) - £100m a year! finguck Tories, hate the finguck lot of 'em.

As much as I dislike the Tories this is newspaper typical "geeing up" the public. ESA replaced Income Support-for generally unemployed npeople. It also replaced Incapacity Benefit for disabled punters. They are then assessed and grouped into income related or contribution related divisions. You will then be informed of any need to actively seek w**k and how to do so. Almost any permanent and long term disability will avoid the ATOS ethic; and a fuller medical review is then put into place (I had no medical review as it was quite salient that mny disabilities were permanent and would not improve)There is no way a terminal cancer patient would be enforced to w**k if already on benefits-he/she would be eligable for Severe Disablement/Terminal awards. The paperwork involved in taking the benefit would outlast the patient!

The system is being tightened as it bloody well should be. I am on it but feel ashamed to be and am fortunate enough to have some pension to help me. I also intend to rehabilitate my mind if nothing else by doing w**k. It is nice to not have the pressure (either financially nor mind set)

The journalist has, no surprise, gone for sensationalism. And pointed out the most extreme of circumstance. The system will make it a lot harder for fraud and not worthy cases being able to claim and yes, it will cause many legitimate claimants aggravation; which is a bloody shame as that makes worthy cases feel worthless whilst the fraudsters who have no shame will still w**k the system.

I think w**k is healthy-it seems obvious to workers but having to stop working is a major blow for some. The third parties supplemented by the government will help-at a huge cost but so is fraudulent benefit claims.


The only real annoying thing is, as usual, we seem to firefight debt; from government to management in business. Only look at cuts when told to and then they are most drastic. Bad housekeeping.