Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 6
The Authors 7
Summary 8
1. Introduction 12
1.1 Purpose and scope of the report 12
1.2 A brief guide to incapacity benefits 13
1.3 A brief guide to Disability Living Allowance 14
2. The statistical background 18
2.1 National trends 18
2.2 The geography of Disability Living Allowance claims 23
3. New survey evidence 35
3.1 The Sheffield Hallam Incapacity Benefit survey 35
3.2 Age and duration on benefits 37
3.3 Qualifications 38
3.4 Work experience 39
3.5 Reasons for job loss 41
3.6 Health issues 42
3.7 Job aspirations 45
3.8 Pathways to Work 47
3.9 Sources of income 48
3.10 Household circumstances 50
3.11 DLA claimants: an assessment 51
4. The target group for back-to-work initiatives 54
4.1 Targeting interventions 54
4.2 Size of the group 55
4.3 Personal characteristics 56
4.4 Job aspirations 58
4.5 Wages 61
4.6 Obstacles to employment 62
4.7 Building on temporary or casual work 65
4.8 The target group: what's likely to work? 66
5. A statistical model of claimant behaviour 68
6. Qualitative evidence 72
6.1 Follow-up interviews 72
6.2 Disability Living Allowance claimants' viewpoint 72
7. Concluding remarks 78
Table 2.1 IB/SDA claimants of working age in receipt of DLA, Great Britain 19
Table 2.2 Increase in the number of IB/SDA claimants of working age in receipt of DLA, Great Britain 20
Table 2.3 Medical basis of DLA claims, all working-age claimants, Great Britain, February 2008 21
Table 2.4 Breakdown of IB/SDA claimants in receipt of DLA, Great Britain, February 2008 22
Table 2.5 IB/SDA with DLA claimant rate, Great Britain districts, February 2008 26
Table 3.1 Survey areas, February 2008 36
Table 3.2 Age of incapacity claimants in IB survey 37
Table 3.3 Length of time on sickness or disability benefits 38
Table 3.4 Selected qualifications 39
Table 3.5 Length of time since last regular paid job 40
Table 3.6 Occupational background 40
Table 3.7 Status in last job 41
Table 3.8 Length of time in last job 41
Table 3.9 Principal reason for job loss 42
Table 3.10 Nature of ill-health or disability 43
Table 3.11 Self-assessment of influence of health on ability to work 44
Table 3.12 Expectations about current health problems/disabilities 44
Table 3.13 Impact of rehabilitation programmes 45
Table 3.14 Job aspirations 46
Table 3.15 Main reasons for not wanting a job 47
Table 3.16 Contact with Pathways to Work or NDDP 48
Table 3.17 Benefits currently received 49
Table 3.18 Other sources of financial support 50
Table 3.19 Household type 50
Table 3.20 Housing tenure 51
Table 4.1 Estimated size of target group for back-to-work initiatives 55
Table 4.2 Age of target group 56
Table 4.3 Target group, by duration on incapacity benefits 56
Table 4.4 Target group - length of time since last regular paid job 57
Table 4.5 Target group - selected qualifications 57
Table 4.6 Target group - nature of ill-health or disability 58
Table 4.7 Aspirations of those who would like a job 59
Table 4.8 Alternative occupations cited by those who would like a job 60
Table 4.9 After-tax earnings needed to come off benefit 61
Table 4.10 Obstacles to finding work 63
Table 4.11 What do you think potential employers would think about you? 64
Table 4.12 Skills or attributes to offer an employer 65
Table 4.13 Temporary or casual work 66
Table 5.1 Logistic regression of factors explaining variance in whether IB claimants would like a job now or in the future 69
Figure 2.1 Claimant rate for IB/SDA with DLA, by local authority district, England and Wales, February 2008 24
Figure 2.2 Claimant rate for IB/SDA with DLA, by local authority district, Scotland, February 2008 25
Figure 2.3 Correlation between 'IB/SDA with DLA' claimant rate and overall IB/SDA claimant rate, Great Britain districts, February 2008 27
Figure 2.4 Correlation between 'DLA only' claimant rate and overall IB/SDA claimant rate, Great Britain districts, February 2008 30
Figure 2.5 Share of IB/SDA claimants who also receive DLA, by local authority district, England and Wales, February 2008 31
Figure 2.6 Share of IB/SDA claimants who also receive DLA, by local authority district, Scotland, February 2008 32