Benefits in Britain. fact and fiction

[Mister M]

Didn't Mrs Thatcher's government take people off job seekers allowance and put them on incapacity benefit in order to hide the massive rise in unemployment under the Tories.

 

Yes that was one of the many "fiddles" that were used to keep the unemployment numbers appearing lower than they were.

 

In 1981 there were 772,000 people on long term sick

in 1991 there were 1.6 million people on long term sick

in 2011 there were 1.7 million people on long term sick.

 

Source Office for National Statistics.

[MrSmith]

Yes that was one of the many "fiddles" that were used to keep the unemployment numbers appearing lower than they were.

 

In 1981 there were 772,000 people on long term sick

in 1991 there were 1.6 million people on long term sick

in 2011 there were 1.7 million people on long term sick.

 

Source Office for National Statistics.

 

Looks like a few people have got better since 2003

 

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmpubacc/404/40405.htm

 

The number of people claiming incapacity benefits peaked in 2003 at 7.7% of the working age population. In August 2009, the number was 2.63 million (7.2% of the working age population), and has remained in excess of 2.5 million for over a decade. Some 1.5 million of the 2.6 million people currently on incapacity benefits have been in receipt for more than five years, indicating that this a deeply intractable issue.

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4227991.stm

February, 2005

The benefit paid to 2.7 million sick and disabled people is to be overhauled to remove disincentives to return to work, the government has announced.

[I1L2T3]

1.5million WORKLESS households.

 

---------- Post added 11-04-2013 at 12:39 ----------

 

 

You might as well blame your mattress then. Because if you'd kept your money under it, you'd have 'lost' the same in real terms exactly as if it was in the bank (probably more in fact).

 

Eh? Mattress?

[Cyclone]

Mattress, the thing you sleep on. Popular comedy place to hide money. Ringing any bells.

 

If you keep money under the mattress it's value reduces in real terms due to inflation. This was an affect that was being blamed on the banks, if you keep money in a low interest account then it's real term value declines, that (so they said) was the banks fault. And that makes just as much sense as blaming your mattress if you've kept your money hidden under it, for inflation.

[I1L2T3]

Mattress, the thing you sleep on. Popular comedy place to hide money. Ringing any bells.

 

If you keep money under the mattress it's value reduces in real terms due to inflation. This was an affect that was being blamed on the banks, if you keep money in a low interest account then it's real term value declines, that (so they said) was the banks fault. And that makes just as much sense as blaming your mattress if you've kept your money hidden under it, for inflation.

 

Yeah I know what it is.

 

I don't think anybody is blaming the commercial banks. The BofE sets the rates. It does help commercial banks repair their balance sheets though. In practical terms most people will use a bank to store their money, not the mattress. Would you hide your riches fro Java contracting in your bed?