Judith Collins MP
National Party Welfare Spokeswoman

20 September 2006

73 on benefit for more than a decade due to stress

National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins is questioning the Government’s commitment to mental health in light of new figures showing 73 people have been on a benefit for more than a decade due to stress.

“Labour has just left these people to languish on the benefit. Don’t they care?”

Ms Collins is commenting on answers to written parliamentary questions which show 478 people have been on a sickness benefit for more than four years due to stress and 73 people have been on welfare for more than 10 years due to stress.

“Given the explosive growth in the sickness and invalids benefits under Labour, more should have been done in the past seven years to rehabilitate those who are suffering stress-related conditions.

“Labour’s PATHS programme has been an expensive flop, rehabilitating only a tiny fraction of those who’ve found themselves trapped on the sickness or invalids benefits.

“Labour falsely assumes these people can never work again and that’s a criminal waste of human talent.”

ENDS

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