PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS (3 February 1998)

That this House supports the reform of the incapacity benefits regulations to stimulate employment and reduce dependency amongst people recovering from mental illness; recognises that the current inflexible application of state benefits to people with mental health problems acts as a major disincentive to them returning to work and that currently this group of people have the highest rate of unemployment amongst disabled groups; supports Talent to Work's proposal to provide greater flexibility and reduce dependency when leaving incapacity benefit by suspending the benefit claim on taking on work, rather than terminating it as at present; believes that this proposal will encourage more people to re-enter the labour market with reduced financial fears lest their capacity to sustain employment be short lived due to recurrence of ill health; and notes that Talent to Work's proposal will contribute to achieving similar trend reductions in unemployment amongst those recovering from mental illness as with the population at large and may well lead to savings to the state and increased revenues from taxation.

Sponsored by:
Mr Mark Oaten (Liberal Democrat)