John Hutton, Work and Pensions Minister, runs a department that has not improved either. Watching Andrew Marr's impartial televisual feast this morning, Hutton sat down following Fiona Millar's defence of comprehensive schools and Chris Huhne transferring his skillset from journalism to tax increases. A green paper on welfare will be published this week as a preparation for a new bill on the benefits system. Finding a gap between the latest revolution on criminal justice and educational appeasement, Hutton proposes radical measurements. Doctors will have to monitor and report on how many sicknotes they issue.
Doctors could be offered bonuses for cutting the numbers of long-term sick notes they issue as part of a radical plan to slash incapacity benefit claims,.
Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said that the proposal was under consideration as part of the Government's package of welfare reforms.
"It has been mooted and I think, again, this is something we would like
to talk to the GPs about," he told the BBC1 Sunday AM programme.
No doubt league tables and auditing will follow; a harsh judgement but the micromanagement of benefit and dependency that is proposed will not work. Yet again, the response of the government to a perceived problem is measurement and management, in a centralised reporting structure. The policy is reported to have some teeth:
Ministers want to drastically cut the 2.7 million people claiming incapacity benefit (IB) at an annual cost of £12.5 billion, by getting those who are able to do some form of work back into jobs.
It is expected that the green paper will include proposals to cut IB payments by up to £10.93 a week for claimants who refuse to attend a job interview, rising to £21.86 for a second refusal.
The Government is also planning to install employment advisers in GPs surgeries - with claimants being assessed to see what work they are capable of doing before they can qualify for IB.
Even the name of the benefit is to change in order to underline the new approach.
"Incapacity benefit implies that you are incapable of doing anything, it is completely hopeless. I think we shouldn't take that view," Mr Hutton said.
Such teeth will be drawn in the face of Labour rebels, since many backbenchers will oppose taking money from those identified as incapacitated by the benefits system. Lo and behold! what remains: some spin as 'incapacity benefit' is rebranded, perhaps as 'Brown's munificence' or 'for the trouble you took to vote Labour'; and lots of shiny new part-time public sector positions to reduce the headline figures.
The real solution is more straightforward: privatise provision with incentives to reduce the figures and get those drawing benefits back to work. If you are filmed playing squash on a 'bad back', there may be some bad news: London Transport probably won't employ you but you can still join the RMT.