NEARLY 4,000 people in Swindon are facing fear and anxiety over tests to see whether they are fit to work, a Parliamentary report has warned.

The Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee concluded the Government had failed to effectively communicate the objectives of the Incapacity Benefit (IB) reassessment process.

The failure, it warned, was leading to widespread concern among vulnerable people who feared they would now be forced back to work.

Many people believe the move is simply about saving money, warned the commitee’s report released yesterday.

Nationally, an estimated 2.1 million IB claimants will be reassessed to see whether they are fit to return to work.

In trials, 30 per cent of claimants were judged fit to work and were immediately placed on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) instead of Incapacity Benefit, resulting in a financial loss of least £25 a week.

A further 40 per cent were assessed as able to look for work, if they had support.

Of the 5,300 IB claimants in Swindon, 3,975 are due to be reassessed.

The remainder are nearing retirement age and therefore will come off IB and moved to a state pension.

Those deemed fit to work will move to JSA, while those needing help with getting back into the workforce will go on to the Empl-oyment and Support Allow-ance (ESA).

The ESA replaces IB and divides into two parts. More able claimants will be made to take part in work-placed activities for their money, while those unfit to work will be paid ESA at a higher rate.

Committee ch-airman Dame Anne Begg said: “The Govern-ment’s aim of helping benefit claimants back into work is laudable, but the scale of the challenge should not be underestimated and nor should the level of anxiety which surrounds the process.

“People are suspicious that the Govern-ment’s only objective is to save money.”

The Government must send out a clear and simple message to the claimants involved in the reassessment process and reassure them being found fit for work was a “successful and desirable outcome”, Dame Anne added.

The report states: “Government needs to explain that being found ‘fit for work’ does not equate to denial or disbelief about the existence of an illness or health condition: rather the condition is acknowledged but its impact has been assessed as not being so serious as to prevent the person from returning to work at some point in the future.”

In addition, the report stressed, Atos Healthcare which carries out the assessments, needs to treat claimants properly and improve the quality of its assessments.

Too many claimants were initially found capable of working, but the findings were later overturned on appeal.

Despite the tough financial climate and pressure on budgets, cash must be made available to ensure the right decisions are made first time, the committee said.

The report comes ahead of new figures to show how many people have already been assessed in each region and the numbers deemed fit to return to work, with and without assistance.