Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

WELFARE SYSTEM

2.7 million people in the UK are too ill too work and get incapacity benefit. Many of them are genuine and deserve our support, some of them are taking us for a ride and decisive action to solve this problem is long overdue. The current cost of over £7 billion could be better spent on sending our armed forces into battle properly resourced or pay for more doctors. I may be getting grumpier as I get older, but I have had enough.

Trouble is how do you decide who is genuinely in need and who is not? We know that there are irresponsible people out there or there would be no crime. And what sort of illnesses should we accept – for example the 2,000 people too fat to work who cost us £4.7 million per year, is that OK? Many illnesses like depression and dizziness, real in themselves, are nonetheless very hard to assess objectively.

The number of people claiming incapacity benefit has trebled since 1979. Does that ring true, at a time when healthcare has got better? People over retirement age are not entitled to it, so the figures only relate to people of working age and the alarming rise cannot be explained by the fact that we are living longer. It may have something to do with the fact that you are paid less on job seeker’s allowance and are increasingly pressured to find work. If more Brits found work, we would need fewer economic migrants to take up the slack.

I see plenty of people in my surgeries and try and exercise my own judgement about the voracity of the claim, but how can I judge a medical condition? What I try and weigh up is whether someone is trying their absolute hardest. I no longer have much time for those whose attitude is: the state owes me a living.

Our individual responsibility is to stand on our own two feet if we can. The state’s job is to support those who genuinely cannot. What we need is a far better system for telling the difference. The current assessment is shallow and arbitrary. As the storm clouds gather over public spending in the next few years, I believe that the vast majority of tax payers do require action on this. Once again I stress – genuine claimants: we are sorry for what you suffer and are happy to support you.

posted by Nigel on Monday, November 26, 2007