Incapacity benefit tests are failing disabled people, says TUC

Rob Johnston, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary

Commenting on the latest results of the government's incapacity benefit re-assessment tests for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) published today (Thursday), Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said: "It's hardly surprising that a test specifically designed to make fewer people qualify for disability benefits is passing more people as 'fit to work'.
"These tests have deemed terminally ill patients and people with severe disabilities as 'fit to work', are costing taxpayers a small fortune in successful legal appeals and serve no clear benefit to the very people they are supposed to help.
"The point of a fitness test should be to identify whether someone is really fit to work, not to kick people off benefits whatever the cost."



Further information can be found here:
- The incapacity benefit re-assessment test results, published by the Department for Work and Pensions, are available at http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_ibr/esa_ibr_mar12.pdf