| With One Day Left, Europe Surges at Ryder Cup More rain forced organizers to postpone the final singles phase to Monday. Europe has a 9 ½-6 ½ lead. nytimes.com |
Cousins deny 'honour' strangling Two cousins murdered a member of their own family because they did not approve of her boyfriend, the Old Bailey hears. bbc.co.uk |
Councils chiefs stand firm against Eric Pickles' call for pay cuts of up to 10 per cent Council chief executives who are paid more than the Prime Minister are refusing to answer a call from Eric Pickle to accept cuts of up to 10 per cent in their pay. telegraph.co.uk |
Our reforms give people on benefits the chance to show what they can achieve We will offer jobs and opportunities to claimants, while ensuring those who need long-term support will keep itOn Wednesday the Chancellor took the action that was needed to bring Britain back from the brink of bankruptcy. The spending review was tough, but it was fair. And it set this country back on course for jobs, growth and prosperity.It also put the financial backing behind the most radical root-and-branch reform of the welfare system this country has seen since Sir William Beveridge.Let us not forget what we inherited from the Labour government. Almost five million people on out-of-work benefits. Over two million on incapacity benefit – 900,000 of whom had spent at least a decade receiving nothing from the state – no help, no support, no encouragement, just a weekly handout.This perverse system has cost the taxpayer billions while wasting lives. Since the millennium the bill for incapacity benefit alone has cost almost £135bn. So Wednesday's settlement was for all of us an historic moment.Firstly it set aside £2bn to deliver the universal credit, a new single benefit which will transform our welfare system and ensure that work always pays and that no one is ever worse off in work than on benefits.Then it guaranteed the multibillion-pound work programme, the largest welfare-to-work programme this country has ever seen, and one which will at last recognise people as individuals and the need to be treated as such, rather than be prescribed one-size-fits-all solutions direct from Whitehall.And thirdly it confirmed the funding to deal with Britain's incapacity benefit scandal. Instead of abandoning millions of people on incapacity benefit, as the previous government did, we will give them the opportunity and the support to make a return to work and a better life. Over the next three years one and a half million people will undergo an independent work capability assessment to see how we can help them to do more.But it's important that we ensure that the radical changes to our welfare state are fair.I think it's fair to set limits, so that people cannot receive more than the equivalent of the national average wage while living on benefits. So we are setting a cap on the maximum amount you can receive, unless you have someone with a disability in your household.I think it's fair to set limits on housing benefit, so that people on welfare do not end up able to live in better areas than those doing the right thing by finding work.It's also fair to limit the length of time that people with financial means can claim sickness benefits for, in just the same way that we do for people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance. And this time-limiting will only apply to the better off who have the potential, with the right help and support, to make the journey back to work.But we also have to be fair to the most vulnerable people in our benefit system. And in particular I want to make sure that we carry on providing proper and unconditional support to those who cannot work.So when we ask all the claimants of incapacity benefit to go through that independent work capability assessment, those who are found to be in need of long-term support will get more money, and not less. And there will be no limit to the amount of time that the most vulnerable can claim. Those who need long-term unconditional support will receive it.And I'm taking every step I can to make sure the process they go through is fair and accurate, particularly for those with mental health problems.That's why I asked one of Britain's leading occupational health specialists, Professor Malcolm Harrington, to undertake a thorough independent review of the assessment system we inherited to make sure we make all the improvements that are needed.And I have specifically invited leading mental health charities to make detailed recommendations about how to improve the detail of the assessment – and if their ideas are sensible and practical, we will implement them.Because, fundamentally, the principle behind this is right. We must give individuals the opportunity to show what they are capable of. The state has no right to cast people aside because they are sick or disabled. We will give everyone the chance to show what they can do and we will support them on whatever journey they need to make.As Britain pulls back from the precipice and we rebuild our shattered economy, we must not and will not make the mistakes of the last government. As jobs and opportunities are created, those who have been trapped on benefits must, this time round, be at the front of the queue.Chris Grayling is minister for employment WelfareSpending review 2010Tax and spendingLiberal-Conservative coalitionChris Graylingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Nuclear sub 'on its way to base' A nuclear-powered submarine which was grounded off the isle of Skye is now returning to its base at Faslane. bbc.co.uk |