Scores of Scots on benefits for being too fat to take a job
Obesity a ‘medical condition’ to gain handouts
SCOTLAND’S obesity crisis has forced scores of adults on to benefits because they are too fat to work.
A snapshot survey has found 150 people in Scotland claiming disa-bility handouts for the ‘medical condition’ of being obese.
Glasgow has the second highest number of claimants in the UK, after Birmingham, with the rate of people taking benefits for being obese higher in Scotland than it is in england.
Last year, it emerged that a Scots mother and daughter were pocketing £33,500 a year between them in benefits, having ditched dieting because they said they would rather be happy and on bene-fits than depressed and thin.
Janice Manzur, 44, and her daughter Amber, 25, from Kirkcaldy in Fife, both used mobility scooters as their weight meant they struggled to get around.
however, they are not alone, with figures from the Depart-ment of work and Pensions (DwP) revealing people from 13 different council areas in Scotland have claimed bene-fits for obesity.
Jonathan Isaby, chief execu-tive of campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Benefits must not be seen as a permanent alternative income stream for those whose own behaviour and life-style decisions have had such a detrimental impact on their health. It is not fair either on the individuals involved – or the taxpayers footing the bills – for people diagnosed as obese to be left to languish on benefits for months or years. It’s not unreasonable for us to expect people in that position to take sensible steps to get themselves fit for work again.’
The Scottish Daily Mail revealed earlier this month that one in 20 people on disa-bility benefits in this country claims for a drink or drug problem, with close to 15,000 people costing taxpayers up to £1.6million a week.
The same figures for 2010 to 2015 show 150 people getting benefits where obesity was given as their ‘primary medi- cal condition’. each was claim-ing employment and Support Allowance (eSA), or were still on now-defunct incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance.
Glasgow, Leeds and Liver-pool had 30 claimants each, based on the figures which are rounded to the nearest ten, putting them second only to Birmingham, which had 50. The UK Government has launched a review of ‘prevent-able’ conditions such as obes-ity, which could see those who refuse help and treatment having their benefits cut.
The Scottish Government will get powers over benefits including the Disability Living Allowance, also paid to people who are obese, but refused to say if it might adopt a similar approach.
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said: ‘There will be people who are obese from endocrine and genetic problems who are deserving of benefits.
‘But there are many obese people who are just scroung-ing benefits because they say they are too fat to work. That does have to be questioned, because people can work from a sedentary position and they can work from home.
‘In my view, someone who is very obese and is offered treat-ments, such as weight loss classes, should accept it is good for them and for society. If they refuse, perhaps there should be a penalty where they lose their benefits.’
A DwP spokesman said: ‘Being obese does not in itself entitle someone to disability benefits, but rather it’s the associated long-term health effects. The current system needs reform because it fails to provide the right incentives to work and acts to trap peo-ple on welfare.
‘Dame Carol Black is con-ducting an independent review for Government on the best ways to support benefit claimants with long-term con-ditions back into work.’
A spokesman for the Scot-tish Government said eSA is reserved to the UK Govern-ment, but that it will take on a range of other benefits under the Scotland Act 2016.
She added: ‘Our ambition for social security is that we will have a person-centred approach and will work with other devolved services such as health and social care to help ensure the best outcomes for individuals.’
‘People can work from home’