So according to the I paper, Meg Hillier would back new benefit reforms if they included conditionality for young people to engage with employment support programs in order to receive benefits. How does she not realise that this is already a thing? It's called The limited capability for work group. People in this group, although disabled have to do the very thing she is claiming to want to bring in. The only people who currently don't have to do this are the ones who have been assessed as not fit for activity through the rigourous capabilities assessment administered by the DWP. People are already routinely reassessed as well if medical evidence suggests that improvement is likely in the short to medium term future. So the only thing I can think they're going to do would be to reclassify pretty much every young person as being fit for work related activity, although I think this would only be able to apply to new Clements or those existing claimants who are about to undergo reassessment. If they did do this, and I must save it no policy has been formally announced yet, so I am reading between the lines, it would be both dangerous and ridiculous waste of money. It would be dangerous because people would be potentially forced into doing something they simply can't, and it would be ridiculous and a waste of money because, as I've constantly said , changing criteria doesn't change the reality of peoples lives. Somebody who couldn't do something before, can't magically do it because a bureaucrat has decided that they should be able to based on vibes.
Anyway, all I can say is I really hope I'm wrong.