Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jack Rankin and Stephen Timms

Monday 16th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jack Rankin (Windsor) (Con)]

13. What steps she is taking to reform the health and disability benefits system.

[The Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir Stephen Timms)]

We want to reform the system to do a much better job in helping people to enter and stay in work. We will publish a Green Paper next spring and we will be discussing our proposals with disabled people.

[Jack Rankin]

To protect those in need and to deliver for taxpayers, we need to take tough decisions. Reforming health and disability benefits will require Ministers to make difficult choices, but so far the plans rely on reducing NHS waiting lists, which the Office for Budget Responsibility has said will have hardly any effect on economic activity. Are Ministers willing to make unpopular decisions to solve this issue and, if so, when?

[Sir Stephen Timms]

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we will make the right decisions, and they will be set out in our Green Paper in the spring. There is a need to reform the health and disability benefits system—there is no question about that—and we want to talk to disabled people themselves about the details, in order to make sure that we get it right.