A SCHEME to get people off incapacity benefit and crackdown on the "sick-note culture'' is being extended in the North-East.

Gateshead and South Tyneside have been running the Pathways to Work initiative since the start of the year.

Now it is to extend to County Durham, Sunderland and the Tees Valley as part of a £220m expansion to cover a third of the country.

Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson said: "This major expansion means that people across the country will now be able to benefit from the success of our ground-breaking initiative Pathways to Work.

"Early evidence is very promising, with twice as many people on incapacity benefits in these areas moving off benefit and into work.

"Even more people will be swapping sick notes for payslips and getting a salary rather than a benefit."

Among the Government's plans are making all incapacity benefit claimants attend a work-focused interview after two months, support to help them try out part-time working and self-employment through reform of the "permitted work" and test-trading rules.

There will also be improved training for GPs to help them support patients get back to work.