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

Who cares? Nobody gives a crap that I’m too tired after my working day to search for a promotion. The entitlement is unreal!

That's what happens when all other services have been cut to the bone...

When I was a kid, my Mum stayed home and looked after us when my Dad went to work.

On his salary, my parents could afford an annual week's holiday, ran two cars, we wanted for nothing and they could afford to buy a 4 bed detached property and extend it.

Now, we can't afford a house at all in the same area. We both have to work to be able to manage. We can't afford holidays. I can't remember the last time we had a week away. It was probably about 7 years ago.

There is practically no mental health support. Not for adults or children.

The education system puts so much pressure on our kids. Far more than I had.

People are waiting years for operations and procedures.

Bills are through the roof. Privatisation of services was sold to people in the 80s as giving people more choice and keeping prices down. Instead, we get a rubbish service.and the companies all charge roughly the same (extortionate) price so there isn't any real competition.

Food costs are through the roof too.

Families that would have been very comfortably off in the 80s and 90s are now struggling to afford accommodation, heating and food.

So, yes, this is the consequence of that shift in lifestyle. People's mental health has nosedived and people aren't getting the medical care they need, when they need it.

This country has gone to the dogs and I can't see it getting any better. All but the very wealthy will be fucked in a few years time.

Just waiting for the official announcement of the privatisation of the NHS. I reckon it's coming in the next few years as it's been steadily privatised bit by bit, starting around 20-30 years ago.

Nothing to do with being "worthy" or not. Why would you expect everyone else to fund you having kids?

Oh, and people are working until their late 60's now. My Auntie retired very comfortably at 55.

They set out their available figures
Its obvious you won’t believe anything other than guesses from the LSE based on thoughts and guesses by 35 people
No one bases actual stats on that sort of research
Its just nonsense people will do anything if they get paid for it

I mean if none of the other figures grab you then the bottom one should! Clearly unsustainable. Obviously something is going horribly wrong and changes do need to be made to the system.

So only the rich can have kids now?
Sounds a bit like eugenics to me.

Exactly @Itsalljustinmyhead
Welcome to the life the rest of us live @crackofdoom

It's the post 5 year period which is relevant using the OBR figures. So when low skilled migrants entering in 2020/21 get indefinite leave to remain after 5 years and access to all benefits that everyone else gets, but don't currently and are highly unlikely to ever earn enough to ever be net contributors. So we are funding low skilled immigrants and their dependents (see my PP for the Obr estimates). If you read the news that's why there is the chat about extending the qualifying period set by Boris from 5 to 10 years (as the UK has no money to pay the immigrants and dependants the benefits they claim in their lifetime). I'm a tax payer so limiting this seems reasonable to me. Obviously I don't know your circumstances re claiming benefits/paying tax.

People can have as many kids as they like but can't t expect other folk to subsidise their choices. They can pick and choose jobs but don't expect hand outs. It's a gravy train bandwagon at the moment.

Some of us have. I don't know if labour considered the minimum income guarantee & disability related expenditure we have to be considered for before we pay our care contributions.

Not the rich. Only those who can afford kid’s should have kids. I wouldn’t have had kids if I couldn’t afford them. Why should it be difficult for those who are on benefits?

Isn't the reason why we need migration is because we are not having enough children and we need people to pay taxes. When we left Europe the government has to rely on it's own citizens to work now.

So people who are disabled and can't work... they should not be having kids?
Kids should be subsidised. Once they are here, they need feeding etc. Or are you saying that people in poverty (the unemployed disabled) who choose to have kids should either have them taken away, or the kids starve?

When people ime to this country with there children they go to work because they have to. Why should English people be treated differently. Some of them come from very traumatic situations and war torn countries

Wow, I think that in a nutshell is the problem with society today.......

Immigrants are a collective net drain on the economy over their lifetime. We are addicted to short term.gain for large corporations who want low skilled cheap labour from abroad.

We dont train our own kids up. If you are a white, privately educated boy from the UK with straight As good luck getting into medical school and becoming a doctor.

Not anymore that's an old lie it's not that simple anymore they now have jobs in warehouses and delivering goods across the country and they pay taxes.

My LCWRA goes on support needs. I've offset my care contributions to my 24/7, waking night care package with disability related expenditure.

Even if I can show I spend all my spare money on DRE, I still have to pay the difference between standard & higher rate PIP care component as I have paid night support.

And some come to this country and claim benefits. When the Ukraine war started, there were threads on here from people who had taken in Ukrainians who were refusing to work.

If a parent refuses to work, the children should not suffer for that.

Working people not in receipt of benefits aren’t generally considered to be rich.
Not most of them anyway

Of course, but disabled unemployed people are allowed to have kids.

Exactly. And even when they aren't exempt form searching for work, the earnings thresholds that people have to meet are really very low.

I don't have the number of children that I would like because I can't afford to support them in the way that I would want. Why should my taxes support other people having more kids. People should support their own children. There may.be some exceptions but having a child is not a universal right and some practical considerations of how you are going to pay for it must be relevant in the decision making surely? Or do we all have the right to suck from the teat of the tax payer, including anyone that lives here for 5 years plus their dependents soon?

The child should be put in care if the parent can't be bothered to work. My African neighbours have jobs and a child under 3 to look after and they have been here for 3 years.