7.4 million people claim some form of disability or incapacity benefits

[MidnightPatrol]

Given the various back and forth of discussion on the reduction in disability and incapacity benefits, not much data on the debate has been shared - it’s a mainly emotional debate.

So for context, the figures:

• 7.4 million people claim sickness benefits of some kind
• The total number of claimants has increased by a third in five years (up 1.8 million)
• 1 in 10 working age adults claims, and 1 in 12 school aged children
• 1.2 million people aged under 25 claim sickness benefits, a rise of two thirds in 5 years - 1 in 15 claiming something
• 4 million adults claim sickness benefit of some kind, up from 2.8 million in 2019. Two thirds of that increase is people under 50.
• 2.5 million people claim UC health benefits, up 500k people this year alone - in 2019 less than 500k people claimed this
• 1.8 million have no requirement to look for work
• Sickness benefits for working age adults are expected to cost £70b by 2030 - a third of the cost of the NHS

If people voted remain it might have been different. People in this country were much more happier before Brexit what's changed you can't have it all 🤷‍♀️

Anyone well enough to do everything bar working can work. And that’s my final opinion.

It will be a green paper, which is just a proposal. If anything will happen, it will have to go through a lot of hoops... and there is already a huge amount of pushback from MPs, disability organisations and charities.

We have a voice. Write to your MP with your concerns.

We’re not talking about disabled people. We’re talking about those unemployed. If you think objecting to kids being raised by people who aren’t earning their own money is ‘vile’ then fine, I don’t care. I would hazard a guess at least half the posters here agree with me.

are you suggesting this? 😱Surely not 😥

Yes, I’m suggesting people who can’t afford kids shouldn’t have kids. Shocker!

That would be the disabled that are unemployed too.
Disabled people can and do make wonderful parents. There is often a MN ad about navigating a pregnancy when disabled.

How did you protest against the IHT changes?

I think if you did a survey the silent majority would agree with me. The reforms will be announced tomorrow. For now, I’m off to eat chocolate and watch Netflix.

I mean I’d hope not more taking control of your own personal choices and being responsible. If you cannot support yourself freely then you cannot support a child.

It’s the same argument that people with mortgages don’t get an extra bedroom or allowance for an extra bedroom if they have another child so there for tend to have less children due to finances where as prior to the cap those stuck in certain lifestyles didn’t always tend to wonder if they could afford an extra child they would just have one because why not.

That disabled people should not have kids, relationships, or go on holiday. Right... and you honestly think people agree with that? Disgusting.

I’m disabled and I have 2 kids.

I said unemployed people should not have kids, and I stick by that. I don’t think it’s remotely controversial to think you should only have kids you can afford.

Start a thread if you like, get a vote going.

Not sure how to repost but this contains the salient facts and slightly updated figures

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_fraud_in_the_United_Kingdom

shocker? and how exactly would you propose to do that @Itsalljustinmyhead round up all the "poor people"

No, you said if someone is unable to work then they shouldn't be in relationships, have kids, go on holiday etc. That if they do can those things, then they can work and are piss takers.

If someone goes on one 3 night break once a year, on what planet does that mean they can hold down a job?

It’s a well known family dilemma
Breakfast clubs are a recent thing but before that everyone had to make adjustments

Agree. Most people have the number of kids they can afford to support.

Just one example. I know a person who had pain in the knee. He was in his thirties at the time. He was put on the waiting list for a surgery but had to lose weight before the surgery could happen. He said he couldn't work because of pain. So he was signed off. A few years fast forward he hasn't made any effort, is morbidly obese (crap diet and no exercise), no prospect of surgery or going back to work. He is fine with all that. Social housing, other benefits.
Now I'm not saying he leads a luxurious life, though many have it worse. But the fact is that if the benefits were conditional - lose weight, or lose benefits, things might have been different for him. He is only 40.
I do hope Starmer can go through with this. There are people who genuinely can and should be working

I guess it's because those of us who are disabled are considered society's scapegoats these days. 😔

Who'd have thought that migrating 500k people from ESA and to UC would increase the number of sick/disabled people on UC by 500k...?

I am sure having his money stopped and not being to afford food will help him lose weight, eh?

Jeez, spot the person who knows fuck all about anxiety disorders. My aunt, who now sadly has Alzheimer’s, suffered with anxiety her whole life. This included periods of agoraphobia, OCD and severe depression (for which she was hospitalised for over a year.) During better times, she was able to do her shopping and attend a day centre for a hour or two where she helped to teach people how to knit. God, maybe she could have been working all those years. After all she managed to get herself out through the front door🙄

Prepare for incoming

Indeed.

I gave up trying for children when my disability progressed, not that I judge those who do otherwise. It does blow my mind that someone I know can do nothing without two support staff, but his neighbour travels the world with his kids, yet they get the same benefit rate with very different individual expenses.

I have no doubt both groups have a disability & struggle in their own way. Everyone is different & I try not to judge, but at times like this, when even the basics are at threat it's hard not to feel frustrated.

There are people with a disability worse than mine, if I'm worrying, what about them?

If someone can give me a job I can do for a few hours each week, at any hour of the day or night & won't mind if I'm unable to do it for months at a time, fabulous, I'm available. Sadly, those jobs don't exist & I fully understand why.

Few businesses wish to employ someone who needs help to role over, shocker, I know :)

Equality is a pipe dream, all we can do is try to level the playing field a bit. That is what the benefit system should do.

I just want enough to live. I've gone without a holiday for 20+, I just need to be able to pay the bills in my EPC B home.
I already bulk buy supplies, sometimes a year in advance if it's cheap enough. I can cut no more.
I can't even afford to use my PIP for a motorbility wheelchair accessible vehicle as I need it for other costs.

Those groups annoyed at disabled people existing on £1700 a month would have a heart attack if I announced that my care package is £4,500 a week. Nursing care for me is more like £7,000 pw.

We disabled people are either supported by society or give us a legal way to end things comfortably.

That is where some are heading.

If you think objecting to kids being raised by people who aren’t earning their own money is ‘vile’ then fine, I don’t care

You'd happily give up your kids, then if you were run over by a bus, lost your legs and got a brain injury as well - and your employer sacked you rather than bothering to look at making any kind of adjustment? Or you were diagnosed with a slow moving but debilitating condition which meant you were unable to reliably work so you lost your job? You'd consider that in those situations, your children would be better off in the care system?