Up to £190,000 of taxpayers' money paid to people too fat to work
Up to £190,000 of taxpayers' money is paid every year to people too fat to work.
Figures obtained by the Leicester Mercury show 40 people in Leicestershire and Rutland were paid sickness benefit at the start of the year because they were so overweight they could not hold a job.
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The campaign group TaxPayers' Alliance described the bill as an "astonishing cost", while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which pays incapacity benefit, said the figures were an example of how the welfare system was "broken".
Nationally, nearly 2,000 people get the payouts because they are obese.
The figure has doubled since 1997. Claimants receive up to £91.40 a week in incapacity benefit – making them up to £40 better off than if they were just on Jobseeker's Allowance. Over a year, the payouts come to a total of £190,000 for the 40 in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Fiona McEvoy, from the TaxPayers' Alliance, said the yearly cost of benefits was dwarfed by the millions spent by the NHS on treating obese people in Leicestershire.
She said: "This bill is an astonishing cost and threatens to rise if this situation isn't addressed.
"Not only is the obesity problem costing taxpayers money, it's draining money from the NHS."
The NHS spends £4.2bn a year on obesity and related diseases. The Government has said everyone claiming incapacity benefit will be reassessed to ensure they are genuinely not fit for work.
A spokesman for the DWP said: "This is another example of how the system is broken.We will begin reassessing everyone on incapacity benefit, starting in October."
Stephanie Dunkley, a public health specialist at NHS Leicester City primary care trust, said there were schemes to tackle obesity.
"It's about motivating people and looking at what individuals can do to build activity."
Julian Mallinson, a consultant in public health at NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland, said: "We know the number of people who are overweight is going up and everyone, including the NHS, has a role to play in tackling this issue."
One in four adults is thought to be obese, but to claim incapacity benefit they need a doctor to confirm they are too overweight to work.
The Government plans to axe incapacity benefit by 2014. Stricter criteria for claimants were introduced two years ago, including a more thorough 13-week medical assessment.
But anyone claiming incapacity benefit before October 2008 has continued to receive the money.
Under the new system, no one is receiving sickness benefits due to obesity.
People are considered obese when their body mass index – a measurement of body fat against height – is 30 or greater.
Are you claiming incapacity benefit because you are obese? Call Gary Mitchell on 0116 222 4213.
12 Comments
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by Debbie Inglesant, Anstey, Leicester
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 7:05PM
“I am not condoning smoking at all, but I think the tax that smokers pay subsidises any treatment or benefits received due to illness that smoking can cause! Before you ridicule me for that statement, think about how much a packet of cigarettes costs (Average £6), then how much they cost to manufacture, about 50p.... For just one 20 packet a day habit for every smoker, that's a phenomenal amount of tax. What do you think would happen to the NHS if every one that smokes suddenly stopped tomorrow?
It's true that anorexics are not ridiculed in society as much as obese people, surely the cost of giving obese people access to dieticians & counselling would be a good idea. The government & society seem to think it's a good investment to aid in the recovery of anorexics, so what's the difference?”
by anon, anon
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 9:36AM
“jay, it's simple really. if u were to stop benefits for anorexics they would starve to death. if u stop benefits for the morbidly obese they would simply lose weight until they are no longer unfit for work and therefore able to provide for themselves or claim jobseekers allowance.”
by Mr P, Leics
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 2:31PM
“I blame the processed "bung in the oven/micrewave" food full of E numbers, additives and preservatives.
People are too lazy or just don't know how to cook these days.
It's places like Iceland who sell their cheap processed rubbish that should pay for this. Maybe then they will start to sell healthier food?”
by Jay, Leicester
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 2:30PM
“How many anorexics are claiming?
Overeating to the point where you cannot move without pain and you are in danger of dying is a mental health problem just as much as starving yourself to the point where your life is at risk. Only it is not so fashionable to laugh at anorexics. If this article were about them I doubt there would be comments saying 'just stop their benefits until they gain weight, they'll soon learn', etc. Or at least I hope not...”
by Neil, Melton
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 1:50PM
“The amount paid to these people is a drop in the ocean compared to payments made to those who are ill through smoking, excessive drinking or drug-taking. Add in the vast amounts paid in tax credits to those who are working but whose employers pay them so little they can't live without a top-up (in effect, a state subsidy for those employers), and payments made to a few obese people fade into nothingness!”