Welfare reform must end Labour's 8 years of failure - Alexander

12.00.00am GMT Mon 23rd Jan 2006

Ahead of the Government's Welfare Reform Green Paper due to be released on Tuesday, new Liberal Democrat research has uncovered 8 years of Labour failure for people on incapacity benefit, including:

· The number of people coming off incapacity benefit has halved since Labour came to power.

· With more people aged between 50 and state pension age on incapacity benefit than in 1997, the benefit is no less a 'dumping ground' for older unemployed workers than when Labour came to power.

· In some months, more people on incapacity benefits die a premature death than return to work.

As a challenge to the Government, the Liberal Democrats are today setting out the 8 principles on which Welfare Reform must be based (copy attached).

Reform of incapacity benefits must be about:

· Individually tailored support to people who are sick or disabled

· Support for employers to take on disabled staff

· Making benefits more flexible to help those with fluctuating conditions

· Retaining jobs so people can return to their work when recovering from illness or adapting to a disability

· Providing high quality systems and well-trained staff to deliver services

· Greater use of voluntary sector expertise

· Refraining from using negative stereotypes about people on incapacity benefits

· Achieving 'joined up' strategy across Government Departments

Danny Alexander MP, Lib Dem spokesperson on Employment and Disability, said:

"The current system of incapacity benefits is a scandalous waste of human potential. It has condemned a million people who want to work to a lifetime on benefits.

"To succeed in helping the million people who want to work into jobs, welfare reform must be based around the 8 key principles we have outlined today.

"We want to create a welfare state that promotes freedom, encourages personal responsibility, and ensures social justice.

"Reform of incapacity benefits must remove barriers to work and provide new opportunities and individually tailored support to people who are sick or disabled.

"The tone of the debate will be crucial to its success. If it descends to headline grabbing negative stereotypes, successful reform will be hard to deliver."