Incapacity benefits and income support are to be abolished as part of a new Green Paper unveiled by the Department for Work and Pensions. In a radical overhaul of the welfare state, the secretary of state, James Purnell, announced proposals to scrap incapacity benefits by 2013 and abolish income support to create two working-age benefits – the employment and support allowance, for those who have a medical condition which prevents them from working, and jobseekers' allowance for everyone who is able to work. The Green Paper, No one written off: Reforming welfare to reward responsibility, proposes that people on incapacity benefits be moved on to employment and support allowance by 2013. This will provide temporary support for all but the most severely disabled people. Mr Purnell said: ‘This Green Paper proposes a simpler benefit system that rewards responsibility, gives people the incentive to do the right thing, and ends the injustice of people being written off on benefits for life without any hope of getting the support they need to get back to work. ‘We will help people find work, but they will be expected to take a job.' Click here to read No one written off: Reforming welfare to reward responsibility
