Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to co-produce reforms to the welfare system with (a) disabled people and (b) their carers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, in addition to representative organisations that support them. That is why we opened a public consultation that ran until 30 June 2025, for a full 12 weeks after a full suite of accessible versions were published on 7 April.

The consultation welcomed all views, especially those of disabled people, as well as carers, who provide essential support for people with long-term health conditions and disabilities. We held a programme of in-person and virtual consultation events across the country, to hear from people directly.

We continue to facilitate other ways to meaningfully involve disabled people and their perspectives in our reforms, including through collaboration committees, the PIP assessment review and the Disability Advisory Panel.

We are setting up Collaboration Committees announced in the Green Paper, which will help to further develop our welfare reforms. These will involve bringing together groups of disabled people and other experts for specific work areas to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.

Throughout the PIP assessment review, we are working closely with disabled people and organisations that support them to ensure that the voices of those who go through the PIP assessment, and those with expertise in the system are embedded in the review.

The Disability Advisory Panel, which we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, will be a strategic advisory panel consisting of disabled people and individuals with long-term health conditions.

I also continue to regularly meet with stakeholders, including disabled people and their representatives, to discuss our reforms and listen to their views.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department has taken to consult (a) disabled people and (b) their carers on reforms to the welfare system.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions, in addition to representative organisations that support them. That is why we opened a public consultation that ran until 30 June 2025, for a full 12 weeks after a full suite of accessible versions were published on 7 April.

The consultation welcomed all views, especially those of disabled people, as well as carers, who provide essential support for people with long-term health conditions and disabilities. We held a programme of in-person and virtual consultation events across the country, to hear from people directly.

We continue to facilitate other ways to meaningfully involve disabled people and their perspectives in our reforms, including through collaboration committees, the PIP assessment review and the Disability Advisory Panel.

We are setting up Collaboration Committees announced in the Green Paper, which will help to further develop our welfare reforms. These will involve bringing together groups of disabled people and other experts for specific work areas to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.

Throughout the PIP assessment review, we are working closely with disabled people and organisations that support them to ensure that the voices of those who go through the PIP assessment, and those with expertise in the system are embedded in the review.

The Disability Advisory Panel, which we announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, will be a strategic advisory panel consisting of disabled people and individuals with long-term health conditions.

I also continue to regularly meet with stakeholders, including disabled people and their representatives, to discuss our reforms and listen to their views.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of her proposed reforms to PIP on people who (a) travel to work and (b) require (i) practical and (ii) mental health support at work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress

We will be making changes so no one currently on PIP will lose PIP as a result of the four-point change. The four point eligibility requirement will be implemented from November 2026 for new claims only, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of her proposed reforms to PIP on (a) employment and (b) health and care needs of disabled people.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper is being developed and undertaken in the coming months.

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to not to be awarded the daily living component of PIP in future. Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, people already in receipt of PIP will continue to be treated under the current rules, with only new claimants having the new criterion applied. As a result of behavioural responses to the change, we expect that a higher proportion of new claimants will score 4 points against at least one activity than happens currently.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress

We will be making changes so no one currently on PIP will lose PIP as a result of the four-point change. The four point eligibility requirement will be implemented from November 2026 for new claims only, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to enable the employment of (a) disabled people and (b) people with long-term health conditions.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

We are delivering the biggest investment in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions in at least a generation. We announced in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work. As announced in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions’ statement on Welfare Reform on 30 June we are investing an additional £300m over the next 3 years. This means ‘Pathways to Work Guarantee’ is now an investment of£2.2 billion by 2030. This brings our total investment in employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions to £3.8 billion over this Parliament.

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024, will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. In recognition of the key role employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review, considering how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie will deliver his final report in the autumn. Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Catherine Atkinson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Catherine Atkinson

Found: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat; North Norfolk) Dr Scott Arthur (Labour; Edinburgh South West) Catherine Atkinson

Found: Professor Aliverti, University of Warwick ■ Professor Raymond Arthur, Northumbria University ■ Catherine Atkinson

Found: Athro Aliverti, Prifysgol Warwick 357 • Yr Athro Raymond Arthur, Prifysgol Northumbria • Catherine Atkinson

Found: Professor Aliverti, University of Warwick ■ Professor Raymond Arthur, Northumbria University ■ Catherine Atkinson

Submit Evidence (by 8 Sep 2025)

Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) form a key part of the transport network, particularly for people who face barriers to using other forms of transport and as a driver of the nighttime economy. However, the current system for regulating these vehicles can vary across different licensing authorities, creating inconsistencies and raising questions about how effective present standards are.

Submit Evidence (by 15 Sep 2025)

The UK has a long tradition of manufacturing motor vehicles, buses, aeroplanes, trains, and ships, but manufacturers in the transport industries are concerned about skills shortages. These industries are integral to the economic health of the communities they are based in, and they provide high-quality, British-built equipment for companies here and around the world.

Submit Evidence (by 16 Oct 2025)

The Transport Committee is looking at how Government can mould transport services, networks and options around the journeys that people need and want to make in their daily lives. We want to find out what kinds of changes need to be made to bring this about, including in different parts of the country and for transport users with different needs.