The Department for Work and Pensions is modernising disability and health support through the Pathways to Work green paper, which proposes reforms to Universal Credit health entitlements, benefit rates, and work incentives for disabled and economically inactive people. The reform is supported by the Carers (Identification and Support) Bill and Health and Social Care (Independent Living) Bill, with particular controversy around delaying UC health access until age 22 and the adequacy of standard allowance increases.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people with health conditions into work.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, a) what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category and b) …
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category for this data.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been assessed at a Personal Independence Payment assessment as having a terminal condition; how many of those people were in receipt of a fixed-term award; and …
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate has his Department has made of how many individuals who receive Personal Independence Payments use this income to cover (a) rent (b) other housing costs, and (c) transport …
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been done as to the potential impact on employment prospects for under 22s who will no longer receive the health element of Universal Credit.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether migraine has been considered as part of cross government efforts to improve workforce participation among people with long term conditions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to Personal Independence Payment assessors on assessing people with cystic fibrosis, including the range of symptoms associated with the condition.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of migraines as a driver of health related economic activity.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing the Universal Credit health element from young people on their ability to a) meet essential costs and b) participate …
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting young people’s eligibility for the Universal Credit health element on a) poverty and b) employment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment has been made of the proposed removal of the health element of Universal Credit for under 22s.
Trends in health-related benefit spending cannot be properly understood without appreciating the impact of rising ill-health and financial insecurity. The disparity between the standard and higher rates, for example, would not be nearly so great an incentive to claim were …
We are sympathetic to the intention behind the changes to UC rates and we agree with the importance of increasing the standard allowance. As such, we warmly welcome the desperately needed increases in the standard allowance, although we hope the …
We share the Minister’s concern about young people being trapped in economic inactivity before their working lives have even begun, but we do not see why this means they should lose entitlement to UC health. The Government’s changes to UC …
We urge the Government to review its decision to delay access to UC health until the age of 22. (Recommendation, Paragraph 138) Type: recommendation | Number: 20 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: We welcomed views on raising the age …
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Direction: unknown
In response to: Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper
The Department’s evaluations show that Universal Credit is having a positive impact on the labour market, but these have assessed only the short-term impact on claimants. The Department’s studies have evaluated the short-term impact for individuals who made a claim …
In the 2022 Autumn Statement, the Government announced that it would delay the move of claimants on income-related ESA to UC until 2028 to save £1 billion.66 The Department told us that the economic circumstances at the time had been …
The Government should commission further research to understand the impact of benefit levels on the health and wellbeing of claimants and its relationship with economic productivity. (Paragraph 55) Setting benefit levels: Purpose, principles and policy objectives Type: recommendation | Number: …
Support provided through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not operating as intended. Evidence suggests that insufficient means-tested benefits frequently necessitate PIP recipients to use their extra costs benefits to cover day-to-day living costs. (Paragraph 98) Benefit levels in the U …
DWP has not clearly stated the extent to which PIP should contribute towards the extra costs incurred by claimants with a health condition or disability. We heard that for some claimants, the shortfall in support provided was significant enough to …
There is a persuasive case that there should be a greater number of levels of support provided through PIP—both higher and lower—to reflect more accurately the experiences of claimants. The Department should introduce further levels of support through PIP and …
We asked the Department how it would manage the delivery of the Programme and about the testing it was undertaking of the new service. We also asked, if the testing was not sufficient to provide the data it needed, whether …
We asked the Department whether it was confident that it could deliver the benefits and savings expected from the Programme. The Department told us that it was confident that it could deliver the financial savings, as “the system costs a …
The Department has started to process applications from claimants living in specific postcodes in London and Birmingham through the health transformation. The Department acknowledged that the two health transformation areas alone will not provide it with a representative sample of …
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Work & Pensions (the Department) about the Health Transformation Programme (the Programme).1 We also received and considered written evidence from organisations …
The benefit rules for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit can interact in such a way that a cliff edge arises when claimants in supported accommodation who must Plan for Jobs and employment support 81 claim both benefits work more than …
DWP should consider the potential that income protection insurance has to help people experiencing illness or injury remain in employment, support their return to work and reduce the financial burden on DWP when people become unable to work. DWP should …
For most people, disability and health-related benefit assessments go smoothly. But in a sizable minority of cases, things continue to go very wrong. This has implications for claimant trust in the systems that extend beyond those directly affected by poor …
We welcome the plans outlined in the Government’s Health and Disability White Paper to test specialist assessors and to address the challenges of assessing fluctuating conditions. But we were disappointed that there do not appear to be wider plans to …
DWP has not conducted any research on reasons for its losses at Tribunal since 2012—before either PIP or Mandatory Reconsideration were introduced. We recommend DWP commission and publish research focusing on the costs and effectiveness of Mandatory Reconsideration, as well …
We heard that PIP assessments can be particularly challenging for young people. We recommend that young people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance should not be required to claim PIP until they are 18, as is the case in Scotland. …
Many claimants have complex barriers that prevent them from finding work, and some of these barriers may be better addressed through other means than an employment support scheme such as Restart. The Department’s work coaches must decide whether people from …
The pandemic demonstrated how resilient the UK social security system can be in the face of significant challenges. Despite the huge surge in demand, Universal Credit continued to function and benefits were paid out to a markedly increased pool of …
39% of Universal Credit claimants are already in work: the issue for them is not finding a job but finding a higher paid one or more hours. We welcome the UK Government’s commitment to providing claimants with in-work support and …
We welcome the reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate. It will provide a stronger incentive for many to take on additional work. The additional money will be welcome for many households. However, the taper rate reduction will be of …
The Department, and the Department of Health & Social Care, ran a consultation from July to October 2019 seeking views on the different ways in which government and employers can reduce ill health-related job losses.54 The Department has committed to …
It is regrettable that the publication of three key documents—the Green Paper, the National Strategy and the Government’s response to the “Health is everyone’s business” consultation—has been delayed significantly over the course of our inquiry. The Government’s approach to the …
It is disappointing that the Government has decided not to progress with plans for reforming Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). The Government acknowledges that there is clear support for SSP reform. The pandemic has highlighted some of the key weaknesses in …
We note criticism levied about sanctions in the Universal Credit system, and we are particularly concerned that sanctions do not foster a positive atmosphere for people when they are receiving Universal Credit and looking for a job. Despite this, we …
The Child Disability Payment171 will be replacing the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (Child)172 benefit. People who are eligible will be between three months and 18 years of age and have: • lived with a disability for at least three months …
The DWP’s preferred approach for administering disability benefits in the UK centres on a contracted-out assessment process, involving face to face assessments to gain information and assess a claimant’s capability for work to determine the level of entitlement. The Minister …
Claimants may also be eligible for additional elements of Universal Credit including those for children, housing, health and disabilities, and for carers. Type: conclusion | Number: 96 | Response status: not_addressed
We also recommend that DWP raise the work allowance for Universal Credit claimants and re-establish work allowances for single adult claimants so that they can keep more of the money they earn, to allow them to work their way out …
We welcome the improvements made to the advance payment system, such as the doubling of the amount of time to repay, and a reduction in the rate at which deductions can be made. We also acknowledge the advance system is …
Should a claimant earn more than their work allowance, their Universal Credit payments will be reduced at a rate (known as a taper rate) of 63p for every £1 earned.275 However, since 2015 ‘only people with limited capability for work, …
Terminally ill people already face thousands of pounds of additional costs because of their illness, and the money provided by Universal Credit counts more than ever. We welcome the fact that the Department has been reviewing how the Special Rules …
Direction: to_committee
Direction: to_committee