2,130 get benefits 'for obesity'

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More than 2,000 people claim incapacity benefit because they are obese, according to government figures.

The figures show that in August 2008, there were 2,130 claimants in Britain whose "primary diagnosis" was obesity.

Tory benefits spokesman James Clappison said taxpayers were paying the price for Labour's failure to address the "ticking obesity timebomb".

Ministers say being obese alone does not entitle people to claim, as they have to have a medical assessment.

The figures were confirmed in a written answer to a Parliamentary question by Mr Clappison, a shadow work and pensions minister.

They've missed the opportunities they've had to make a real difference, and now hard-working taxpayers are paying the consequences James ClappisonShadow work and pensions minister

He said: "Labour has neglected the ticking obesity time bomb we are facing, and now we are seeing the detrimental effects on our economy."

He accused the government of missing its targets on reducing obesity, "raiding" information campaign budgets and "dithering" over food labelling.

"They've missed the opportunities they've had to make a real difference, and now hard-working taxpayers are paying the consequences," he said.

'Not incapable'

Weekly incapacity benefit payments start at £63.75 for the first 28 weeks and go up to £84.50 after 53 weeks.

Overall 2,632,000 people claim incapacity benefit - aimed at people below state pension age who cannot work because of sickness or disability.

The government is in the process of replacing it with employment and support allowance, in an effort to get one million people off incapacity benefit by 2015.

They say it will mean most people on incapacity benefit will be expected to look for work.

Last year government welfare adviser David Freud suggested that fewer than a third of the 2.7 million people claiming incapacity benefit, were legitimate claimants.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: 'Being obese does not mean that someone is considered incapable of work.

"To qualify for incapacity benefits, claimants must take part in a medical assessment which will assess an individual's ability to carry out a range of activities which are required for the workplace."

Labour market

He said the new "personal capability assessment" focused on what work people could do rather than simply their eligibility for benefits.

"We are determined that people who can work are given the help and support they need to help get back into the labour market," he said.

Dividing someone's weight by the square of their height produces the Body Mass Index (BMI).

A BMI between 18.5 and 25 is a healthy weight, 25 to 30 is overweight, while anything over 30 is considered obese.

The government launched a healthy living campaign in January in a bid to stem rising numbers of obesity in England, after a report warned that by 2050 90% of today's children will be overweight or obese.

Recent figures suggest the number of people in England having obesity-related surgery rose by 40% in the last year.

Last month the NHS Information Centre statistics revealed there were 2,724 operations, including stomach stapling and gastric bypasses to reduce stomach size.