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30/07/2012
Reform Calls After Disability Benefit Boom
New figures show six times as many people claim disability benefits as live in Manchester, the Sun newspaper has reported.
The record 3,226,790 claimants means 33 new people are signing up for Disability Living Allowance every day.
And the allowance – paid out to people who are unable to work because of a long-term disability such as cerebral palsy or an inability to walk – costs the public purse nearly £13bn a year.
The total number on DLA has trebled, the figures show, since 1992.
And people have been signed off work for decades for minor conditions including bad backs, acne and conjunctivitis, the Daily Mail reported.
This might lead some to think more checks should be in place.
But the doctors' assessments that currently check the validity of claims have come under fire after it emerged a high percentage of Employment and Support Allowance appeals are successful.
That means people were sent back to the job market when in reality they were unfit to work.
Work and Pensions Secretary said the increase in claimants adds weight to his plans to change the allowance.
He plans to scrap DLA and replace it with Personal Independence Payments, where all new applicants are examined by a doctor and existing claimants would face check-ups.
Ministers insisted the new system would still protect people with disabilities.
(NE)
The record 3,226,790 claimants means 33 new people are signing up for Disability Living Allowance every day.
And the allowance – paid out to people who are unable to work because of a long-term disability such as cerebral palsy or an inability to walk – costs the public purse nearly £13bn a year.
The total number on DLA has trebled, the figures show, since 1992.
And people have been signed off work for decades for minor conditions including bad backs, acne and conjunctivitis, the Daily Mail reported.
This might lead some to think more checks should be in place.
But the doctors' assessments that currently check the validity of claims have come under fire after it emerged a high percentage of Employment and Support Allowance appeals are successful.
That means people were sent back to the job market when in reality they were unfit to work.
Work and Pensions Secretary said the increase in claimants adds weight to his plans to change the allowance.
He plans to scrap DLA and replace it with Personal Independence Payments, where all new applicants are examined by a doctor and existing claimants would face check-ups.
Ministers insisted the new system would still protect people with disabilities.
(NE)
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More than 2,000 people have put in offers on homes under the Help to Buy scheme, totalling £365 million of new mortgage lending. The applications are backed by a 'decision in principle' by RBS and Lloyds, the first two participating banks, for 95 per cent mortgages. Ten of the 2,384 applications have already completed.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
