UK to crack down on incapacity benefit abuse

In the UK, some 1,478,010 long-term claimants have been on an incapacity allowance of £91.40 a week all the time while a further 500,000 have been claiming it for between two and five years.

According to the government, around half of the 2.1 million on incapacity benefit could work. What is alarming, however, is that even the young seem to be getting accustomed to relying on benefits, with 468,000 of those claiming incapacity benefit for five years or more, aged under 45.

Employment minister Chris Grayling has quickly seized the figures as evidence to press his demand that incapacity claimants undergo a medical assessment to see whether they can work.

Over the last couple of months, the government has been reassessing all those on incapacity benefit in Burnley and Aberdeen - a process that will be scaled up nationwide from April.

Grayling said it was truly shocking that almost one and a half million people have had to struggle through their fifth Christmas trapped on incapacity benefits since they lack the right help and support to get into employment.

He said the state-sponsored neglect would end now. He added that the government had started the process of reassessing all those left on incapacity benefits in Burnley and Aberdeen and in April it would roll that out across the country.