Huge Rise In Drug Benefit Claims From Scottish Addicts

More than 17,000 Scots are claiming incapacity benefit for being addicted to drugs or alcohol, a figure that has doubled in the past decade. The Scottish breakdown equates to one in 20 of those receiving state payments because they are too ill to work.

In all, £12.5bn is paid out annually in incapacity benefit across the UK. Claimants receive £78.50 a week, about £20 more than they would receive on Jobseeker’s Allowance.

The Herald also reveals today that hundreds of addicts diagnosed as needing help from the NHS are having to wait more than a year for community or residential care. Experts say this backlog makes it difficult for addicts to get their lives back on track and into work.

Margaret Mitchell, the Scottish Tory justice spokeswoman, said: “Early intervention is the thing the politicians have emphasised in relation to drug and alcohol related problems. It can only be effective if we know the people who are suffering in the first place and by ensuring there are sufficient resources in place to help rehabilitate them.”

Health professionals warned the growing figures are indicative of Scotland’s burgeoning problems with substance misuse.

“Up until 10 or 15 years ago Scotland had lower than European average figures on alcohol related health problems but we now have almost the highest rates in Europe,” said Phil Hanlon, professor of public health at Glasgow University. “We need to do a lot more in relation to early intervention rather than waiting until the problems develop.”

Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “People who misuse alcohol are more likely to have sickness absences and accidents at work. And those with a history of alcohol misuse are likely to change jobs more often and more likely to be unemployed. This highlights the need to identify and treat problem drinking behaviour before it affects people’s health and lifestyle beyond repair.”

Last year there were 17,020 people claiming they can not work as a result of substance misuse, compared with 8600 in 1997.

Of these, 9170 people are claiming the state benefit for alcoholism and a further 7850 for drug misuse. In 1997 there were 5600 Scots on incapacity benefits for alcoholism and 3000 for drugs.

UK-wide 2.7million people claim the benefit. But across Scotland, the overall numbers of those claiming incapacity benefit has fallen in the past decade from 356,900 to 312,000 last year.

In Glasgow, concentrated action has brought the number claiming to fewer than 100,000. However, in some parts of the city, seven in 10 adults of working age are on incapacity benefit.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “There’s been a changing pattern in claims for incapacity benefits. The main reason used to be physical such as a bad back but now more than half have mental health problems.”