EILEEN
EVASON ADVISES - 04 Feb 2005
 Last
week On Your Behalf we heard from a man who‘d been on incapacity
benefit for two years, but would like to have done a bit of part
time work. But would this affect his benefit he wanted to know from
Eileen Evason?
Well
this week Tony Blair has vowed to get a million disability claimants
off benefit and back to work! It’s been described as the biggest
shake up of sick and disabled benefits since the creation of the
welfare state but government officials admit it will take a couple
of decades to meet the Prime Minister’s target.
So what’s this going to mean for John and the millions of
others on incapacity?
Eileen Advises
–
This week the government announced its plans to substantially amend
the way in which incapacity benefit operates. To really understand
what is going to happen we will have to wait and see the details
of the legislation which the government will have to have approved
by parliament.
We will be updating listeners
as more information becomes available but in the meantime the basic
facts are as follows.
1. The government intends to restructure incapacity benefit
so that many people will get less than at present and some will
get more.
2. These changes will not, however, take effect until 2008
and will apply to new claimants only. They will not be applied to
existing claimants. So, if you are already on benefit you will not
be affected by these changes.
If you have a benefits query for Eileen Evason, email
the programme……with as much detail as possible,
and daytime and evening contact phone numbers. Your details will
not be used on the programme without your permission.
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