In a bid to curb a 'sick note epidemic', the DWP is set to launch a scheme to help get people back to work.

Under the plans, those off sick for more than four weeks will be referred for health assessments carried out by occupational specialists to draw up a plan and timetable to get them back to work.

Absence from work in the UK has dropped to a new record low, according to the latest CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey, released today.

It's political correctness gone mad not wanting to be worked to death for the profit of somebody else.

Atos, G4S paid no corporation tax last year despite carrying out £2billion of taxpayer-funded work
Two of the country’s biggest private contractors paid no corporation tax in Britain last year, despite carrying out billions of pounds of taxpayer funded work for the Government, an official audit finds

Two of the country’s biggest private contractors paid no corporation tax in Britain last year, despite carrying out billions of pounds of taxpayer funded work for the Government, an official audit has found.

A report by the National Audit Office, published today, disclosed for the first time how much Government work is now outsourced to the private sector.

It found that the four biggest suppliers - Atos, Capita, G4S and Serco - carried out £6.6billion-worth of work for the public sector and central Government last year.

Yet two of them – Atos and G4S which carried out £2billion-worth for work for the Government and public sector – paid no corporation tax at all in the UK in 2012. Capita paid between £50million and £56million, while Serco paid £25million in tax.

The government is considering saving money by privatising the delivery of the state pension, according to Whitehall documents seen by the Guardian.

In an effort to make up billions more in austerity savings, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiated a review of how it issues 4.5m pension statements each year and the administration of £100bn in public money to millions of pensioners in the UK and around the world.

Plans to cut the budget for disabled children’s activities and short breaks by a third will be discussed at next week’s executive meeting.

Bracknell Forest Council executive members are expected to approve a timetable which will see the £375,000 Aiming High budget reduced by £120,000 by 2015/16.

The head of a new government review into housing has previously advocated a £5bn cut in state funding for the sector, it emerged last night.

Mrs Elphicke, whose husband, Charlie, is a Conservative MP, authored a report for Policy Exchange in 2010, which proposed that housing associations could generate £30bn a year by raising money directly from pension funds and save £5bn in government grants.

What the fuck is this? A mad dash to grab anything left before the next election like Supermarket Sweep?

Well, what is happening at the moment is opportunism. .

Circle Health landed £1.36billion worth of health service work after several ­of its investors gifted about £1.5million to the Conservatives.

And Care UK has contracts worth another £102.6million. Its chairman John Nash was made a peer after boosting Tory coffers by £247,250.

Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who ­uncovered the figures, fumed: “Nobody gave David Cameron ­permission to sell the NHS to his friends.

“It’s shocking the same Tory donors who ­bankrolled the development of their NHS reorganisation policy are now ­profiting from the sell-off of NHS services.”

Labour’s research shows Circle Health’s parent company, Circle Holdings PLC, is owned by a series of hedge funds.

Lansdowne Partners, with a 29.2% stake, was founded by Sir Paul Ruddock, who donated £692,592 to the Tories.

David Craigen, who gave the party £59,000, is also involved in Lansdowne.

Invesco Perpetual owns 28.7% of Circle Holdings. It was set up by Sir Martyn Arbib, who donated £466,330.

Robin Crispin Odey is founder of Odey Asset Management, which owns 14.8%. Mr Odey donated £220,000.

And Michael Platt, founder of BlueCrest Capital, with its 5% stake in Circle Holdings, has gifted the party £125,000.

Among Circle’s contracts is a £1billion deal to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Cambs.

Since the Tories’ hated health reforms became law, its profits have gone up from £64.6million in 2010-11 to £170.4million in 2011-12.

But a spokesman said: “Circle has never made any donations to a political party. The vast majority of Circle’s NHS contracts actually started under the last Labour government.”

And a Tory spokesman added: “The decision to contract out ­Hinchingbrooke was taken by Andy Burnham.”

Care UK has been handed a string of NHS deals including prison health care contracts worth £62million.

Its healthcare revenue soared by 63.2% from £189.7million a year in 2012 to £309.5million in 2013.

Chairman Lord Nash and his wife gave £247,250 to the Tories, including £21,000 to former Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley as he drew up the Tory health reforms.