Incapacity benefit will be cut within four years under coalition government plans to crack down on the long-term workshy.

Chris Grayling MP outlines "workshy" benefit cuts

Work and pensions minister Chris Grayling announced yesterday that all 2.5million claimants will be taken off the scheme by 2014.

He said that tackling the handout culture was the highest priority, and outlined that more needs to be done to help the most vulnerable.

Those claiming the assistance will be under stricter requirements to find work or be given greater support to do so, with those failing to comply having their funding stopped.

During the general election, Conservative leader David Cameron pledged to test every recipient on their ability to return to work within three years and Mr Grayling revealed that work on assessing people’s entitlement for incapacity benefit would commence in April 2011.

The Conservatives believe that of the country’s 2.6million incapacity benefit claimants, almost 400,000 are incorrectly claiming the benefit and would be able to take up employment.

Many experts however, say that this figure is grossly underestimated, and that only one in six adults claiming incapacity benefit may actually be entitled to do so.

This equates to more than two million people unjustifiably receiving the £89-a-week payment, which costs UK taxpayers in the region of £12.5billion a year to fund.

A source at the Department of Work and Pension confirmed that incapacity benefit would not exist “in its current form” under current coalition plans.

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