Victory on ESA time limit

Thursday 12 January 2012

Lords amend one-year limit to contributory Employment and Support Allowance to two years

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefits and income support (because of a disability).

Those eligible for ESA are put into either the ESA work-related-activity group (for those who need support to prepare for work) or the ESA support group (for those whose disability prevents them from working).

The Welfare Reform Bill proposes to introduce a time limit of 365 days for those on contributory ESA in the work-related activity group. This means that after a year, some people would not get ESA at all.

Mencap and other disability charities believe that this would penalise disabled people. Many people with a learning disability want to work, but face barriers that mean finding a job within a year could be impossible.

Yesterday (11 January) an amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill was tabled in the House of Lords, changing the time limit to two years. It was won by 234 votes to 186.

Many Peers wanted the time limit to be scrapped altogether, but proposed the two-year limit as a compromise.

Mark Goldring, Mencap’s chief executive, said: “ESA was designed to better recognise the additional barriers that disabled people face in order to move towards and into work. By definition, those in the work-related-activity group still have ‘limited capability for work’.

“Putting in placing arbitrary time limits is nothing more than a cost-saving measure which ignores the needs and challenges which many people with a disability face when trying to find employment.”

Chris Grayling, Minister for Employment, has said that he will seek to reverse the amendment when the Bill returns to the Commons in February. The Hardest Hit group, which includes Mencap, is asking campaigners to email their MP to ask them to accept positive changes made by the Lords to the Bill.

Find out more about welfare reform

Find out more about the Welfare Reform Bill

Download an overview of Employment and Support Allowance or an easy-read guide to Employment and Support Allowance