0:00
why is the UK spending more on sickness
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benefits than defense the UK spends more
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on financially unsustainable sickness
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benefits than defense with urgent reform
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needed a report has warned sickness and
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disability benefits cost the government
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almost 65 billion which was 20% higher
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than the almost 54 billion pounds the UK
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spent on defense last year so what's
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going on a House of Lords committee a
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group of peers have held an inquiry
0:26
looking at the UK's welfare system and
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its relationship to long-term sickness
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and they've written to work and pensions
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secretary Liz Kendall to call for Urgent
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action on the spiraling costs of the
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health related benefits bill they say
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flaws in the system such as Financial
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disincentives are trapping people out of
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work and costing the government too much
0:45
money the Lord's economic Affairs
0:47
committee found spending on these
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benefits has risen by more than 40% in
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real terms since 2013 with around 3.7
0:55
million working age adults now in
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receipt the committee chairman Lord
0:59
Bridges said the health benefit system
1:01
is financially unsustainable wastes
1:03
human potential and in the words of the
1:06
employment Minister does not work for
1:08
anybody he added given the pressure on
1:10
the nation's finances tackling this must
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be a top priority for the government so
1:15
what's caused this the government and
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previous prime minister rishy sunak have
1:19
focused on the issue of tackling Rising
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NHS waiting lists in a bid to get Brits
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back to work but the committee said they
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received no convincing evidence that
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waiting lists were the main driver of of
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growing health benefit claims their
1:32
letter warned the danger is that people
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have incentives to claim health related
1:36
benefits and once in receipt of them
1:38
have neither the incentive nor support
1:40
to find an accept a job and the
1:42
committee stressed if the government
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does not set out how it intends to
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address these weaknesses this growing
1:47
area of welfare spending will remain a
1:49
challenge for the forthcoming spending
1:51
review meaning this could be a real
1:53
problem for K starma and his Chancellor
1:55
Rachel Reeves what could happen next the
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Lord's report highlighted that if some
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400,000 people out of work due to ill
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health were able to find jobs this could
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save the UK 10 billion the committee
2:07
also called for GPS to be able to refer
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people to occupational health
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professionals for reforms to the work
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capability assessment enhanced sport for
2:15
young people a review of disincentives
2:18
such as benefits being immediately
2:19
stopped when someone returns to work and
2:21
for the NHS to share Health Data with
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the department for work and pensions
2:25
Lord Bridges also argued that there
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should be more support to help those who
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are able to find and accept work and to
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ensure that those who cannot work for a
2:33
period are not abandoned to a life on
2:35
benefits while a government spokes
2:37
person has insisted we are determined to
2:40
get Britain working again and have set
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out our first steps towards delivering
2:43
an 80% employment rate by joining up
2:46
local work health and skills plans we've
2:48
been clear that the current welfare
2:49
system needs reform so it's fairer on
2:52
the taxpayer and people get the support
2:54
they need to move into work while a
2:56
government spokesperson insisted
2:57
ministers are determined to get Britain
2:59
working again and said they have set out
3:01
their first steps towards delivering an
3:02
80% employment rate they also said
3:04
ministers have been clear the current
3:06
welfare system needs reform in order to
3:08
make it fairer on the taxpayer and to
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get people the support they need to get
3:11
into work ministers plan to bring
3:13
forward proposals to reform health and
3:14
disability benefits this spring what do
3:17
you make of the level of health benefits
3:18
spending let us know your thoughts in
3:20
the comments and follow ctm for more on
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