Too sick to work?

The recent announcement by David Cameron to cut incapacity benefit to those deemed "fit enough to work" has been met with an understandably mixed reaction from the British public.

Cameron suggested bringing in a new test to determine whether individuals should be placed on job seekers allowance instead of incapacity benefit which would mean reducing their benefits by £25 a week.

There are 2.6 million incapacity benefit claimers in the UK and the Conservatives believes one in five are actually fit enough to work. That's about 400,000 people.

For one of the millions rightfully claiming benefits this will mean more stress as they have to go for more check ups and tests to determine whether they are actually unfit to work.

Some individuals will undoubtedly believe that if they are told they are fit enough to work, the jobs they are qualified to do just simply aren't there.

Anthony Phillips from Cambridge who stopped working a year ago from a heart condition said: "They should think about cutting their own wage packets before picking on the already poor." (BBC News)

Cases in the UK must be handled more personally and should take into account the whole picture of the claimant.

The Conservatives need to realise that their proposed system of ticking boxes and fulfilling criteria will lead to many people in the UK feeling like scroungers.