440 youngsters are on long-term sick

A TOTAL of 440 young people across Oldham are claiming long-term sickness benefits.

Employment minister Chris Grayling said he was shocked at the number of 16 to 25-year-olds “parked” on incapacity benefit.

He said anyone faking illness will be found out and vowed that the Government’s planned shake-up of entitlements would involve pushing more people back to work.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions reveal that 430 18 to 24-year-olds in Oldham are claiming incapacity, with a further 10 claimants just 16 or 17-years- old.

Across Greater Manchester, figures vary from the lowest number of claimants — 320 in Trafford — to 1,310 in Manchester.

In Tameside, there are 490 claimants and a further 530 in Rochdale.

Nationally, 99,630 people aged between 18 and 24 — and a further 1,240 aged 16 and 17 — were claiming incapacity, currently worth between £67 and £91 per week. The Government is targeting claimants who cost the taxpayer £12.5 billion a year and believe many people could do some form of work.

Mr Grayling said: “I’m shocked at the scale of the challenge we now face. Thousands of young people with their lives ahead of them just parked on sickness benefits with no way out.

“That will change. For those who are genuinely too sick, there will be more help — not less. For those who can work there will be a proper programme put in place to help them overcome the barriers that have stopped them working.”

The Government plans to phase out incapacity benefit by 2014 and get all 1.5m claimants to undergo tough medical tests — starting next April. Claimants considered legitimate will be moved on to the stricter Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

While the sickest recipients of ESA receive £96 per week, the majority receive the same weekly payments as incapacity claimants, but only if they agree to take part in “work focused interviews” and submit themselves to regular reassessments.

Those who fail the tests completely will be moved on to Jobseeker’s Allowance, worth £65 per week.

The figures come after it was revealed almost one in four 16 to 24-year-olds across Oldham are not in education, training or employment.