Empowering the Incapacitated Worker? The Employment and Support Allowance and Pathways to Work

Renegotiating Social Citizenship in the Age of Devolution

“…111 Claimant activation has been a feature of incapacity-related benefits since the New Labour era. 112 Reduction of the benefit payable to employment and support allowance claimants in the work-related activity group to a level equivalent to JSA 113 further emphasizes the expectation that they will return to paid employment relatively quickly, even though in practice the typical ESA claim lasts significantly longer than the typical JSA claim ± 60 per cent of JSA claims last around six months, whereas 60 per cent of WRAG claimants remain in the group for two years. 114…”

From social security to individual responsibility: sanctions, conditionality and Punitiveness in the Welfare Reform Bill 2009 (Part One)

“…Employment Support Allowance was introduced by the Welfare Reform Act 2007 to replace incapacity benefit and parts of income support relating to those who are disabled or incapacitated from work (Puttick 2007). Following recent recommendations in the Gregg Report, this category will now have three groups of claimants, although 'nearly everyone' will be expected to take active steps to work (2008, p. 46).…”

“…2 Based largely on commissioned reports by former investment financier David Freud (2007) and economist Paul Gregg (2008), the Bill extends reforms contained in, among others, the Welfare Reform Act 2007, which increased levels of benefit conditionality, expanded requirements to undertake work-related activity, and introduced sanctions for non-compliance with various obligations (see Puttick 2007). As outlined in the Green Paper, No One Written Off: Reforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility (DWP 2008a), the new reforms require welfare claimants to 'work for [their] benefit', criticising what the government refers to as a 'something for nothing approach' that purportedly characterized welfare until relatively recently.…”

Retrenching Incapacity Benefit: Employment Support Allowance and Paid Work

“…The ESA is a central element in the government's drive towards an employment rate of 80 per cent. Some (Puttick, 2007;Messere and Stenger, 2007) are mainly descriptive, outlining the changes that ESA will introduce, while others (Grover and Piggott, 2007) have taken a critical approach focusing upon the economic context of its introduction, the (medical) model of disability upon which it is premised and on its gender implications. Although only announced in 2006 (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 2006), the ESA has been the subject of several papers.…”

“…Although only announced in 2006 (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 2006), the ESA has been the subject of several papers. Some (Puttick, 2007; Messere and Stenger, 2007) are mainly descriptive, outlining the changes that ESA will introduce, while others (Grover and Piggott, 2007) have taken a critical approach focusing upon the economic context of its introduction, the (medical) model of disability upon which it is premised and on its gender implications.…”