× Search rightsnet
Search options

Where

Benefit

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

From

to

Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Income support, JSA and tax credits  →  Thread

Scrapping of mandatory ‘work for your benefits’ scheme

shawn mach
Administrator

rightsnet.org.uk

Send message

Total Posts: 3773

Joined: 14 April 2010

The Independent has picked up on this bit in the Spending Review/Autumn Statement -

Para 1.129   ‘As the numbers claiming unemployment benefits come down, spending on employment programmes can also fall ...  the Spending Review and Autumn Statement announces further measures to support people into work [including] ... a new Work and Health Programme after current Work Programme and Work Choice contracts end, to provide specialist support for claimants with health conditions or disabilities and those unemployed for over 2 years’

.. and this from the DWP’s settlement at the Spending Review -

‘The claimant count rate remains at 2.3% – the lowest level since the 1970s. As the numbers claiming benefits come down, spending on employment programmes can also be reduced. Total spending on employment will be reduced, including not renewing Mandatory Work Activity and Community Work Placements, but introducing a Work and Health Programme for the longer-term unemployed and those with health conditions.

The Independent reports -

‘The Government is scrapping a controversial scheme that requires unemployed people to take part in compulsory full-time work on pain of losing their jobseekers’ allowance.

The Mandatory Work Activity programme, described by charities as a ‘work for your benefits’ scheme, sees people referred to do up to 30 hours a week unwaged work in exchange for not losing the £73.10 payment.

The DWP confirmed the programme would be replaced by a new ‘work and health programme’ as part of the spending review settlement but said no details had been finalised about what form that would take ..

... Community Work Placements, a longer counterpart of the Mandatory Work Activity that involve placements of up to six months, have also been scrapped.’

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dwp-scraps-mandatory-work-for-your-benefits-scheme-without-fanfare-a6750041.html

[ Edited: 26 Nov 2015 at 06:22 pm by shawn mach ]