UK may cut benefits to obese, addicts
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BRITAIN might reduce welfare benefits for people who refuse treatment for obesity or drug and alcohol problems, Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday.
Cameron said if his Conservative Party wins the general election in May, he will set up a review into whether withholding sickness benefit payments was the right approach.
“Too many people are stuck on sickness benefits because of issues that could be addressed but instead are not,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
“Some have drug or alcohol problems, but refuse treatment. In other cases, people have problems with their weight that could be addressed, but instead a life on benefits rather than work becomes the choice.”
Cameron said 100,000 people are currently claiming sickness benefits on the grounds of treatable conditions such as drug or alcohol addiction or obesity, and there is no requirement they undergo treatment.
Finance Minister George Osborne has said he plans to make cuts of 12 billion pounds (US$18.5 billion) a year in welfare payments if the Conservatives are re-elected as part of a push to wipe out Britain’s budget deficit.
A group that seeks to help people lose weight said the plan would be a waste of money, given the complexities of analyzing individuals’ problems and checking up on their progress. Instead the government should focus on weight-gain prevention.
“Threatening people isn’t the way forward,” said Susannah Gilbert, a co-founder of Big Matters, an obesity support organization.
“We need to put in place a structure to help anybody who wants to lose weight and that just isn’t there,” she said.
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