Incapacity Benefit inquiry launched
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A parliamentary committee launched a major inquiry into the reform of Incapacity Benefit (IB) and the Pathways to Work scheme as DN went to press.
A statement from the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee said members would "examine the government's strategy to help more people who are not in work due to ill-health or disability move into employment".
The news follows concern raised by many disabled people about Labour's plans to overhaul IB, announced in February, by cutting the number of claimants by one million. It is planned that new IB claimants will be kept on a lower "holding benefit". Only those "with the most severe conditions" who cannot work will receive higher payments. The Pathways to Work scheme will be rolled out nationally as part of reforms.
Committee member Anne Begg, who is a wheelchair user, said: "Everybody I speak to thinks that there are problems with IB and we want to make sure that IB is more responsive and helps people. At the moment it is quite inflexible."
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