Review of flawed fit to work scheme is welcomed

A MAJOR review has been ordered by the Conservative Government amid fears too many disabled people are not getting the support they need to find a job.

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green will announce plans to reform controversial “fit to work” tests, known as Work Capability Assessments (WCA).

The move was broadly welcomed by disability charities who described the current system as “fundamentally flawed”.

Ministers are concerned that those most in need of assistance, on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), get little aid from job centres.

Mr Green has previously announced that people with severe, long-term health conditions will no longer have to be reassessed for their benefits.

Mark Atkinson, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said: “The current fit-for-work test doesn’t accurately identify the barriers disabled people face in entering or staying in work.”

MS Society chief executive Michelle Mitchell also welcomed the consultation, saying WCA failed to recognise the “fluctuating nature” of conditions like multiple sclerosis.

And Equality and Human Rights Commission chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said that while people with disabilities would benefit from more support entering the job market, it was important to recognise that not all would be able to work.

She added: “Employment is crucial for disabled people to live independently. Government strategy must be intelligent, informed and not ‘one-size-fits-all’. We must recognise that a supportive welfare system is essential for those who are unable to work at all.”

Shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams said WCA should be scrapped altogether.

She added: “While I welcome the Government’s acknowledgement that their callous Work Capability Assessments cause needless misery and stress for thousands upon thousands of sick and disabled people, Theresa May needs to take responsibility for her part in these disastrous social security reforms.”