§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's policy on future levels of incapacity benefit. [55434]
§ Mr. TimmsWe are committed to modernising benefits for incapacity and disability. The current system has failed to give severely disabled people the support they need, failed to encourage and help sick and disabled people to work, and failed to keep pace with social and economic change. We will announce our proposals for reforming Incapacity Benefit in due course.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the impact on public funds of reducing incapacity benefit by £15 per week on recipients. [55435]
§ Mr. TimmsWe estimate that the impact on public funds of reducing all the rates of Incapacity Benefit by £15 a week in the current year would have been a reduction in the region of £950 million.
Source:
Based on the May 1998 caseload data from the DSS INCAP computer system.
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