The consultation expected to be launched by Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green  follows the announcement that people with severe conditions will no longer face reassessments for their benefits.

It aims to examine how those in receipt of ESA can get be helped back into employment without having their benefits put at risk while they search for a job. Advocates of the scheme hold the view that the path a person takes in life should not be dictated by a disability or a health condition. They believe more support should be available to individuals with a disability.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams called for the assessments to be scrapped and said they caused needless misery and stress for thousands of sick and disabled people. Abrahams said the government’s approach was “ideologically driven with the sole purpose of targeting the most vulnerable in our society to pay for their austerity plans, painting disabled people as scroungers and shirkers, whilst making no impact on the disability employment gap”.

Abrahams view that the scheme will target the vulnerable, is inaccurate because  there will be a structured way to determine those who are capable of  working. However,  there are many on ESA who are capable of working but who spend their money on drink and drugs. A research we began conducting about the lives of drug addicts, revealed that a large percentage of crack addicts are unambitious adults who are purely dependent on crack, and spend their benefits getting constantly high.

Channelled efforts by the government to help aimless addicts in this group will be really positive and supportive. The assertion by ministers that ESA claimants don’t get enough support is convincing when the facts are closely examined.

There is no adequate framework designed to drill ESA claimants in preparation for work, taking them through rigid interview processes and requiring that they demonstrate the ability to prove they have acquired the competence to work and impress an employer during interviews. A number of ministers seem to have adopted this view, making it the next direction of society.  It still depends how successful the government will be at implementing it.

Many would be forced to develop if they knew their money depended on it, but no such solid practise has ever been put in place. The same framework will benefit the millions on job seekers allowance, but either the initiative or the man- power has been lacking.

Under an efficient system of this description, the government will equip job -centre staff with the skills, using a sound methodology to determine which people on employment support allowance actually have the capability to work, are actually supported and monitored in their search for work.

There is no doubt that many of those on ESA are drug addicts, though there are many genuine ESA claimants who are not capable of working. Those who are capable of working if they are trained and conditioned to find work should receive the full support  they need, and not allowed an easy ride living irresponsible lives marked by substance abuse and lack of focus

  Those who are genuinely disabled , with physical disabilities or mental health issues are they only groups who should be exempt from this. Those with low levels of literacy will be forced to improve their literacy levels, and those with decent levels of literacy will have to fulfil their potential to get their ESA money, taking account each  person’s genuine physical conditions.

 A better system designed to bring out the best of everybody on ESA is necessary. The existing fit for work test is not thorough enough in helping those under the ESA scheme achieve their potential by discovering their weakness and creating the conditions that  will pressure and direct them to overcome their set -back.