In 2005 an SMF Commission looked at the UK’s current system of Incapacity Benefit. It attempted to define the problems with the system and lay out points for reform.
The SMF’s concern was with the failure of the current system to properly address the very diverse needs of sick and disabled people in the UK. While a proportion of the 2.7 million claimants of Incapacity Benefits are permanently unable to work, there is a significant proportion that can work and want to do so. This report argues that reform should focus on providing the right conditions for these people to re-enter employment, rather than prolonging their stay on a benefit which helps neither them nor society.
Download The Report: PDF