§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish the findings of the research into invalidity benefit carried out by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThe Department's research into invalidity benefit consists of five studies, all of which have now been published. Copies of the reports have been placed in the Library.
The reports make clear that other countries are also experiencing growth in long-term incapacity benefits, that the GP's present role does not always sit easily within the current system, and that questions of incapacity for work tend not to be decided by medical criteria alone but are allied to a range of other social factors. We are considering the findings carefully within the context of our review of social security.
"Invalidity Benefit: A Preliminary Qualitative Study of the Factors Affecting Its Growth" and "GPs and IVB" were published on 3 September; "Invalidity Benefit, A Survey of Recipients" and "Invalidity Benefit, An International Comparison" on 29 September; and "Invalidity Benefit, A Longitudinal Survey of New Recipients" on 15 October.