I am pleased to be able to clarify why I voted for changes
to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Firstly, it is important to note that these changes will be
introduced from April 2017, so only new ESA claimants found to be capable of
returning to work in the future (the Work-Related Activity Group) will receive
the revised rate, currently set at £73 per week. This is the same rate as
people who claim Jobseeker’s Allowance currently receive. It will not apply to
current ESA Work-Related Activity Group claimants and therefore we are not
cutting the monies received by anyone currently claiming ESA.
These changes will also not affect those claiming ESA with
no immediate prospects of returning to work. These people, who currently receive
ESA payments in the Support Group, receive an additional payment of £36.20 per
week on top of the £73 per week to support them through their illness. Nor will
they affect those claiming ESA while awaiting an assessment to see if they
qualify for the benefit, who currently receive £73 per week.
This Government believes the money currently given to ESA
claimants in the Work-Related Activity Group simply treats the symptoms of
poverty, but not the causes. We plan to recycle some of the money currently
spent on benefit payments back onto spending practical support for life
chances, funding that will be worth £60 million in 2017/18, up to £100 million
in 2020/21. Taskforces including representatives
from disability charities, disabled people's user-led organisations, employers,
think tanks, and local authorities will influence how this money is
spent. This is about helping people back into work, rather than keeping
them on benefit.
In the end, I believe those people who are unwell but expect
to be able to return to work should be treated the same as those who are
looking for work in terms of the amount of benefit received, while ensuring
they are supported to return to work in practical ways. This is while of course
ensuring that those who are incapable of returning to work in the near future
receive the extra support that is currently and will continue to be available.
