If the Conservatives win the General Election on July 4 they have laid out some major changes to the benefits system in a pledge to halt the rising cost of welfare. The Tory manifesto outlines how they would save some £12 billion by ensuring more working-age people on disability benefits like PIP have a job.
The party claimed the 40 percent rise in economically inactive people, those that are of working age but out of work, since the pandemic is “unsustainable”. They have promised to bring that total down, claiming the cost of providing benefits for this growing population with health conditions could rise as high as £90bn by the end of the next parliament.
Several benefits and other systems will be reformed to enact these promises, including a £700 million investment in NHS mental health treatment and a tightening of the Work Capability Assessments criteria. The Conservatives also promise to toughen benefit sanction rules and clamp down on benefit fraudsters.
PIP
The manifesto states: “We will improve PIP assessments to provide a more objective consideration of people’s needs and stop the number of claims from rising unsustainably. While people suffering with mental health conditions face significant challenges, it is not clear that they always face the same additional living costs as people with physical disabilities.
“We will look at the best way to provide support, including whether treatment or services could be more appropriate for some people than a monthly cash payment, while also delivering a dramatic expansion in mental health support. At the same time, we will make the assessment process simpler and fairer for those with the most severe conditions.”
Capability for Work
The party states it will change the assessments from next September so those “with more moderate mental health issues or mobility problems who could potentially engage with the world of work are given tailored support, instead of being written off on benefits.” It adds that the OBR has forecast that these reforms will reduce the number of people on these benefits by 424,000.
Change the Fit Note process
The manifesto explains: “We will design a new system which moves the responsibility for issuing fit notes away from our hard-pressed GPs towards specialist work and health professionals, and we will test integrating this with the new WorkWell ser