§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of invalidity benefit is deducted if earnings above the limit from work on a particular day disqualify a person for that day; and what is the maximum number of days each week which a person can work and have his entitlement to invalidity benefit assessed in this fashion.
§ Mr. OrmeThe basic condition for entitlement to invalidity benefit is that a claimant must be incapable of work by reason of some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement. It follows that the benefit is not normally paid for a day on which any work is done. Regulations do, however, permit a claimant to undertake work as part of his treatment as a patient in a hospital, or work done with the approval of his doctor, without loss of benefit for that day, provided that the work is not inherently inconsistent with incapacity and the net earnings are ordinarily not more than £7 a week. As announced last week we intend to raise this figure to £9 in November.
A claimant whose work does not come within this definition loses benefit, one-sixth of the benefit for the week, for each day on which he works. The rule does not restrict the number of days which a claimant may work in each week; but the amount of work done has to be considered by the independent adjudicating authorities in deciding whether the claimant satisfies the basic condition that he is incapable of work.