Some people on sickness and disability benefits ‘taking the mickey’, says Liz Kendall – UK politics live
The work and pensions secretary said those who think they were unable to work probably could with the right supportEd Miliband, the energy secretary, has said the government will “consider” fast-tracking a carbon capture and storage project in Scotland that he says could help secure a future for workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery.As PA Media repots, the site, which is Scotland’s only oil refinery, is due to close in the coming months, with owners at Petroineos having already sent out redundancy notices to some of the 400 workers there. But with a pipeline connecting the site there to the proposed Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire, fast tracking that development could help secure a future for Grangemouth.We are determined to have a future for that Grangemouth site and for the Grangemouth community.That’s what we’re working on, actually, alongside the Scottish government, something called Project Willow, which is a whole project which will be published later this month or early next, on looking at how we can … make the most of the potential resources at Grangemouth.Given we received no convincing evidence that the main driver of the rise in these benefits is deteriorating health or high NHS waiting lists, the government should instead focus on the benefit system itself; and whether the system is dealing effectively with protecting those with health problems while providing support in helping them back into employment. The danger is that people have incentives to claim health-related benefits; and, once in receipt of them, have neither the incentive nor support to find and accept a job. Continue reading...
The work and pensions secretary said those who think they were unable to work probably could with the right support
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has said the government will “consider” fast-tracking a carbon capture and storage project in Scotland that he says could help secure a future for workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery.
As PA Media repots, the site, which is Scotland’s only oil refinery, is due to close in the coming months, with owners at Petroineos having already sent out redundancy notices to some of the 400 workers there. But with a pipeline connecting the site there to the proposed Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire, fast tracking that development could help secure a future for Grangemouth.
We are determined to have a future for that Grangemouth site and for the Grangemouth community.
That’s what we’re working on, actually, alongside the Scottish government, something called Project Willow, which is a whole project which will be published later this month or early next, on looking at how we can … make the most of the potential resources at Grangemouth.
Given we received no convincing evidence that the main driver of the rise in these benefits is deteriorating health or high NHS waiting lists, the government should instead focus on the benefit system itself; and whether the system is dealing effectively with protecting those with health problems while providing support in helping them back into employment. The danger is that people have incentives to claim health-related benefits; and, once in receipt of them, have neither the incentive nor support to find and accept a job. Continue reading...
