Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

Before the 1997 election, Gordon Brown set out his vision of a modern welfare state that would ‘move people from welfare to work.’ Yet after a decade in power, there is still high youth unemployment and a higher number of Incapacity Benefit claimants.  

It is depressing that even in substantially rural areas, such as the East of England, the statistics are so horrifying. The most recent Government figures show that in May last year, 35,390 under 35s were claiming incapacity benefits or Severe Disablement Allowance in the East of England. This is greater than the number of young people claiming unemployment benefits in the East of England which stands at 30,410. 

Last month, other statistics showed that 41% of New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants in Suffolk return to receive jobseekers allowance after leaving NDYP within one year, while 25% have returned immediately. 

Welfare dependency lowers a person’s self confidence and the desire to get a job, often resulting in low self esteem and low self worth. I have been touched and moved by constituents who have come to see me in my advice centres whose lives have been marred by this. Of course those with serious mental or physical problems cannot work - that is understood – but there are so many others who should be doing so. It is in people’s own personal interests, as well as the taxpayer, that those who are capable of working should do so. 

The failure to reform our growing welfare state has been deeply damaging. The Government must recognise that despite tax increases and various redistributive policies, its welfare reform agenda has failed. The Government is clearly not appropriately helping people get back to work. 

It is now time to address this problem in a different way, and the political mood is now conducive to doing so.

Gordon Brown promised in 1998 to deliver a modern welfare state that, instead of trapping people in poverty, provided opportunity for all. Yet he has created a system that has left many more people languishing on benefit.

The former Chancellor’s legacy is clear to see; the tax credits system has cost the public almost £2 billion through overpayments, errors and fraud. 1.25 million young people aged 16-24 are not in work or full-time education. And more and more people are claiming incapacity benefits.

Incapacity is a major contributor to economic inactivity in the UK. Current figures show that  there are 7.9 million adults defined as “inactive.” I have much sympathy for those who are genuinely unable to work. These people are very much entitled to claim benefits but there are so many who are on welfare and are able and want to work. It is thought that one million incapacity benefit claimants want jobs. These people must be given the confidence and help to get back in work.

With incapacity benefits costing the taxpayer more than £7 billion a year I was interested to hear that the number of long term unemployed has soared in recent years. In 1999, 1.8 million people had been on benefits for more than five years. Now the figure is 2.4 million.  In Suffolk, the number has risen by 22% since 2001 from 9,310 to 11,370 this year.

Despite numerous Government pledges and initiatives, incapacity benefit remains a huge problem - not least because over time, those claiming it have less and less will or incentive to find employment. The Government have completely failed in its attempt to get to grips with helping our most vulnerable people who have been left stranded on benefits. And ultimately it is a huge financial drag on the country’s taxpayers.

P.S. Parliament is prorogued until next week, when blogging will resume.