CPAG responds to welfare reform report

CPAG today welcomed the report of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee into Incapacity Benefit reform and the Pathways to Work scheme. Responding to the report Chief Executive Kate Green said

“The Select Committee have welcomed the official aim to increase the employment rate of disabled adults. CPAG also supports this aim – those who want to work should be enabled to do so - but at the moment all too often the sorts of jobs on offer or support into them is inadequate – if government is to get one million disabled people into work it needs to ensure that decent jobs are available along with adequate support to take these up.

“The MPs note concerns which have been raised around applying greater conditions and sanctions to benefits. CPAG supports concerns over sanctioning families - reducing the incomes of vulnerable people will increase their risk of poverty. If one million disabled adults want to work it is illogical to force them to do so and counter productive – it will lose many claimants’ good will and may further stigmatise benefits claimants.

“The Work and Pensions Select Committee raise significant concerns over the resources made available for the proposed roll out of Pathways to Work – CPAG shares these concerns, we are worried the proposed £360 million of additional resources is insufficient to the task: welfare reform to enable those facing barriers to employment back to work cannot be done on the cheap”.

Notes to editors:
1. For further information from CPAG please contact Paul Dornan on 020 7812 5222 pdornan@cpag.org.uk www.cpag.org.uk

For further information from CPAG please contact:
Alex Belardinelli
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
abelardinelli@cpag.org.uk