The reforms to the welfare system announced by Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, in the Pathways to Work Green Paper firmly shifts the focus of the welfare system away from disabled people towards the unemployed. In the biggest cut to welfare in any fiscal event since 2015, the reforms to disability and incapacity benefits mark a fundamental realignment in how the state supports those who are out of work. The measures are aimed at reducing incentives to stay out of work.
The reforms are based on five principles:
- Protecting disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and supporting them to live with dignity,
- Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work,
- Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support,
- Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare;
- Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most.
The significant package of reforms is expected to save the Government £5bn by 2029 to 2030.
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