MOVES to crack down on the "sick-note culture" got a mixed reception in York today.

The Government was unveiling its Green Paper on welfare reform today which was expected to propose a raft of measures to slash the number of people claiming incapacity benefit - including doctors being given cash bonuses if they sign off fewer patients.

Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said payouts to GPs had been mooted, but he denied there were plans to "name and shame" doctors who issued large numbers of sick notes.

However, he said the Government may monitor how many notes are handed out by individual GPs - something not currently recorded.

An estimated 2.7 million people claim incapacity benefit, costing £12.5 billion annually. The Government wants to cut that by getting those capable of taking on some form of work back into jobs.

Other steps could include benefit cuts for claimants who refuse to go to job interviews, as well as putting employment advisors in doctors' surgeries.

However, Dr David Fair, a GP at the Jorvik Medical Practice in York, said: "Our role is to act on patients' behalf to do what's best for them.

"Giving us a cash reward to get patients off income support is a bad idea because it would give us an incentive to act against their interest, and we would never want to be put in that dilemma.

"GPs don't like being put in a situation where we are paid directly for something that might not be in a patient's interest.

"Something as explicit as being paid not to give patients sick notes would be unworkable."

Council leaders have also been told to expect to earn bonuses by helping get more long-term claimants back to work, for example by arranging training courses, job interviews and other help such as physiotherapy sessions.

Proceeds of money saved in long-term benefit handouts are expected to be shared with councils to provide cash to improve local community services or cutting council tax.

City of York Council leader Steve Galloway was sceptical.

He said: "We are always suspicious of moves by central Government when they promise additional grants, but rarely do they produce it in the end."

"We will look very carefully at the small print of the proposals. We are committed to trying to ensure people lead healthy and active life-styles.

"To that degree, proposals are in line with our aims and wishes.

"But we won't be involved in doing central Government's dirty work in trying to hound genuine claimants into a life-style that they can't sustain."

Updated: 11:16 Tuesday, January 24, 2006