14 March 2008
We were pleased to note that your leader acknowledged the impact the government’s planned tests for those on incapacity benefits could have on people with mental health problems (Better times, 14 March 2008.)
The latter make up around a third of the people receiving incapacity benefits – nearly half a million people. It is hard to see how forcing every one of them to take a new test will achieve anything other than to cause them distress and waste government money. The vast majority of people with mental health problems want to find sustainable employment; they need support to achieve this, not the government breathing down their necks.
The real barrier keeping those with mental health problems out of the workplace is the pervasive and unchecked discrimination they face both when they become unwell and when they apply for jobs. Perhaps the government should concentrate on this issue rather than turning the screw on those who are already suffering.
Kathryn Hill
Director of Mental Health Programmes
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