DWP's 'rigorous' assessment plan slammed as disabled people out of work for more than a month bear the brunt

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Recommendations to make work assessments at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) more rigorous have been slammed by disability advocates as 'draconian', after a parliamentary committee said that pushing 400,000 benefits claimants into work could save the cash-strapped government up to £10 billion.

Disability benefits are in the crosshairs of politicians who are seeking to bring down costs at the DWP and address the "£22 billion black hole" in public spending identified by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

This shortfall is in part due to the large 50 per cent increase in Brits claiming sickness benefits since February 2020, with around 3.7 million people now receiving help from DWP benefits like the Personal Independence Payment.

The recommendations from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, chaired by Tory Lord and banking giant Santander adviser Lord Bridges of Headley, echoed the previous Conservative government's proposals to shift GP fit note responsibilities to occupational health and to make the work capability assessment more difficult for claimants.