Alcoholics and drug addicts told to sober up and get clean or lose their benefits

By Steve Doughty for the Daily Mail
Updated: 19:28 EST, 14 April 2009

Alcoholics could have their benefits cut unless they agree to undergo treatment for their addiction, the Government hinted yesterday.

Proposed laws to force heroin and crack addicts to go into detox could be extended, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said.

The number of drink and drug addicts living on benefits has doubled in a decade to more than 100,000, about half of which are alcoholics.

But the plan drew scepticism and anger from opposition politicians.

Tory work and pensions spokes-man Theresa May said: 'Mr Purnell has failed to say when this will happen, how much it will cost and who exactly it will help.

This is a desperate move by a tired Government trying to seize the agenda after the fallout from Smeargate.'

Liberal Democrat Steve Webb described
the plan as 'fundamentally inhumane'.

He added: 'There are far too few support services for alcoholics, and there is no evidence that people who are threatened in this way are more likely to seek help.'

The laws on heroin and crack are included in the Welfare Reform Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

Mr Purnell said extending the scheme would 'help families suffering from the blight of alcoholism'.

He added: 'We need to look through the eyes of the person defeated by an addiction that keeps them out of work and on the outside of the community and give them the help they need.

'We have introduced a new policy that will mean heroin and crack addicts get treatmentin return for benefits. We will actually help them rather than simply handing them money which ends up in pockets of drug dealers.

'But we can't abandon anyone to long periods on benefits without help to overcome problems.

'We are going to look at the arrangements for alcoholics on benefits, just as we did for problem drug users, so that people get the help they need to get sober, to get their life back and get back to work.'

Officials said the Work and Pensions Department and the Department of Health would commission research and then carry out a review to 'explore how we can make the benefits system work effectively for alcoholics.'

However, no timescale was given for the review.

Most drinkers who live on benefits are among the 2.6million people on Incapacity
Benefit, which ministers have long acknowledged is collected by large numbers of people who are actually fit to work.

In 1997 there were fewer than 49,000 claimants who were paid the handout because they were drink or drug addicts, but by 2007 numbers were in excess of 100,000, roughly equally divided between alcoholics and drug addicts.

Many addicts also claim linked benefits. Nearly 20,000 drink or drug addicts receive Disability Living Allowance, intended for people who need help with personal care or have difficulty walking.

Mrs May added: 'This is just another smokescreen announced by Labour to deflect from their failure to grips with our welfare system.

'Under James Purnell the system is going to meltdown with more than 100,000 people claiming benefits because they are drug addicts or alcoholics.'