Scrap fit-for-work tests for disabled, says Government adviser

Updated

Controversial fit-for-work tests should be scrapped for the disabled and chronically ill, a Government adviser has said.

Matthew Oakley, a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee, said the current system is "broken" and needs a "complete overhaul".

He said benefit sanctions should also be axed and replaced with a system of voluntary assistance to disabled people who need support to get into work.

In a report for the Social Market Foundation think tank, he warns the threat of sanctions "can do more harm than good" and has failed to boost employment.

Mr Oakley said: "The Government faces a massive challenge in meeting its ambition of halving the disability employment gap.

"The current system does not provide adequate financial support to disabled people who need it and pushes many further away from work. The system of benefits and requirements placed on disabled people needs a complete overhaul.

"Benefit 'conditionality' has been shown to work for non-disabled jobseekers, but with less than one in 10 workless disabled people moving into work each year, a new approach is needed."

He said a "steps-to-work wage" should be paid to disabled people who take up support aimed at getting them into work.

He added: "Doing so would turn the current system completely on its head by providing better support rather than the constant threat of sanctions."

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