Hello there- Can anyone point me in the right direction for detail on the Incapacity Reforms - I'm getting loads of calls about it - need to know about timescales, role of GP's and how claimants will be judged 'too ill' to partake. Appreciate any info / signposts

Last week's rightsnet news story -

Employment and support allowance to replace incapacity benefit: Government publishes welfare reform green paper

provides a detailed breakdown of proposed incapacity benefit reforms.

The other 5 rightsnet news stories also published on 24 January provide details of the other proposed welfare benefit reforms with all the news stories containing a link to the green paper itself which is itself also available here -

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/welfarereform/

Haven't they got to get it through Parliament first!?!

They have, and there is also a 'consultation' at the moment on the measures proposed, altho' the cynical part of me does wonder whether this is merely a paper exercise rather than a serious attempt to discuss the merits or otherwise of the proposals. Maria's post does demonstrate the tremendous fear generated by such publicity doesn't it tho'?

...and of course, purely by coincidence, both major TV channels have been running programmes highlighting cases of benefit fraud - using stats no doubt fed to their researchers by the DWP - on the Tonight programme on Monday, a figure of up to 14% of Incap claims was given as being fraudulent.
It should not forgotten either that the method used by the DWP of calculating the financial loss through fraud gives a much higher figure. In fact, much of the alleged loss is hypothetical in that they estimate how much the claimant would have gotten away with had he not been caught.
Members of the public that we see are worried by the proposals, and are assuming that they will be introduced in their entirity. Hopefully, a majority of backbenchers will recognise the whole
exercise is in reality a cost cutting one, and one that has the pontential to cause immense damage to many of disabled people, particularly those with mental health problems - don't forget that they make up 40% of all Incap claimants.

I have an article in next week's Community Care magazine which considers the background to and possible effect of the IB changes.