Kennedy: Upbeat

The minister in charge of achieving full employment has said that a pilot scheme to get people off incapacity benefit and into jobs is working.

Recent figures showed there were nearly eight million economically inactive people in the country - a figure Department for Work and Pensions minister Jane Kennedy says is misleading.

Kennedy told ePolitix.com: "What you need to do is analyse that figure. That eight million ball-park figure includes people who are retired, people who are not in work but are in education.

"So if you take those out of the figures you end up with about 2.7 million people. That is the number I have constantly as my target number. Those are the people that are on incapacity related benefits or income support because they have a disability."

Kennedy told this website she was focusing on this group in a drive to cut the number of people claiming benefits.

"Many of those on incapacity think they can't work, they've been told by their GP they can't and the very name of the benefit invites them to think that they are incapable.

"Because large numbers of this group have stress related illnesses and things like that there is a high proportion of them that could, with help, return to work.

"If you are on a benefit for a long time you lose confidence, you get out of the work habit and you create a different kind of life for yourself."

Effective

Kennedy said a pilot scheme that combined health, employment and other advice in Jobcentre Plus offices was proving to be effective.

"What we are doing inviting people to come back in and talk to advisers, specialists in Jobcentre Plus who can provide you with the help and support needed to get back into the work place," she told ePolitix.com.

"At the minute we are piloting the scheme in seven areas covering about nine per cent of the population. Within those areas it has been a big success.

"If the pilots are a success we will roll them out across the country. We think this is the way forward."

However she insisted the government is not forcing ill and disabled people to do more than they are able.

"What we will not do is say to people who are sick and unable to work that we want them to work and forcing them. What we do want to do is help people who can to get back into the work environment," she added.