10,000 Britons claim sickness benefits abroad

About 10,000 people who have emigrated from Britain are collecting sickness benefits from abroad, the Government estimates.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Jan 2012, 17:38 BST

The majority are living in Europe, many in Spain and Ireland, claiming up to £94.25 a week.

About 5,800 will be reassessed for employment support allowance (ESA) by April 2014, although the rest will be able to carry on claiming IB because they will retire before then.

Overseas claimants will have to either return to the UK for checks or be assessed by doctors in the country where they live.

The figures were obtained by the Daily Mail under the Freedom of Information Act.

Tory MP Priti Patel told the paper the figures were “deeply alarming” and blamed EU rules for the entitlements overseas

The Department for Work and Pensions said people living abroad would only be eligible for the new ESA if they had made sufficient national insurance contributions.