Found: The review is to be led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms

Found: As you say, Stephen Timms is doing the review now of sickness and disability benefits of personal independence

Found: Kendall: In fact, from the very day after we published the Green Paper—in the next couple of days—Stephen Timms

Found: assessment criteria, to be undertaken by the minister for social security and disability, Sir Stephen Timms

Found: assessment criteria, to be undertaken by the minister for social security and disability, Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: We know how much families rely on

Found: Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms MP, said:  Rebuilding trust in our systems

Found: ministerial review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment led by Disability Minister Stephen Timms

Found: Return Nil Return Dame Nia Griffith Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Return Dame Nia Griffith Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Sir Stephen Timms

Found: gifts only) Liz Kendall Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Sir Stephen Timms

Found: class="govuk-table__row js-govuk-table__row">

Found: class="govuk-table__row js-govuk-table__row">

Found: class="govuk-table__row js-govuk-table__row">

Found: Value of Hospitality (£) Liz Kendall Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Sir Stephen Timms

Found: class="govuk-table__row js-govuk-table__row">

Found: collaboration and support of this campaign, and the positive contributions and endorsements from Sir Stephen Timms

Found: collaboration and support of this campaign, and the positive contributions and endorsements from Sir Stephen Timms

Found: collaboration and support of this campaign, and the positive contributions and endorsements from Sir Stephen Timms

Found: ethnicity policy • Employment Rights Bill (Department for Business and T rade lead) Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms

Found: ethnicity policy • Employment Rights Bill (Department for Business and Trade lead) Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms

Found: announced a review of the PIP assessment, led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms

Found: announced a review of the PIP assessment, led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms

Found: The Labour MP Stephen Timms was fortunate to survive when he was stabbed during a constituency surgery

Found: Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms MP, said: This government wants to ensure

Found: Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms MP, said: This Government is committed

Found: From: Disability Unit, Office for Equality and Opportunity, The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, The Rt

Found: From: Disability Unit, Office for Equality and Opportunity and The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP Published

Found: The Labour MP Stephen Timms was fortunate to survive when he was stabbed during a constituency surgery

Found: Letter dated 08/07/2025 from Stephen Timms MP to Graeme Downie MP regarding a correction to a response

Found: Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’1 and Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’[1] and Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’1 and Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’1 and Sir Stephen Timms

Question

What discussions has the Welsh Government initiated with UK Government to address Access to Work scheme delays that are preventing disabled people from maintaining employment?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

I have written to Stephen Timms, the UK Minister for Social Security, to highlight the importance of the Access to Work scheme and the need to address operational challenges to improve both access and the timeliness of support. Enhancing Access to Work also featured in the Welsh Government’s response to the UK Government’s Pathways to Work Green Paper. I also raised the issue during a meeting with Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which I attended alongside the First Minister in June this year.

<p>It's good to hear that you asked again—yet again—for that Wales impact assessment. So, did you get a commitment on that? I didn't hear you say whether you got a commitment on it or not. And there's still confusion, isn't there, about what the promise to remove that tighter PIP eligibility from the Bill really means in practice, whether MPs would get a say over any changes resulting from the Timms review, as there's been no guarantee to put the review's recommendations in primary legislation. So, can you confirm what information Stephen Timms shared with you on Sunday about the new plan for the review, which was revealed in such a chaotic and last-minute way yesterday with no consultation? Will you be seeking guarantees, for instance, that disabled people in Wales, now and in the future, won't be worse off as a result of the review?</p>

<p>We've got a real opportunity, haven't we, now for disabled people in Wales to influence the way forward. Clause 5 was removed, withdrawn from the Bill. It was recognised by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, that MPs from all parties raised significant concerns about the proposed changes to the PIP eligibility criteria. We now have an opportunity to influence the way forward with disabled people. I hope that's something where we can grasp that opportunity. We have that influence, in terms of Government-to-Government working, and I'm looking forward—. I've invited Sir Stephen Timms to come to Wales and to meet with disabled people, and for us to move forward in a constructive way.</p>

<p>I think one of the main points that I raised not only in my letter, but also when I met with Sir Stephen Timms on Sunday, who is the Minister who is taking forward the PIP review, was the fact that we didn't have an impact assessment for Wales. We were dependent on—. Yes, we did have evidence of data, but we didn't have a Wales-focused impact assessment. I called for that, and asked again when I met with him that we should move towards Wales-focused impact assessments, because then, of course, we can look clearly, with that evidence, at what the impacts of all the changes would be. I hope now, because of the changes that were made by the UK Government, that this is an opportunity to look at all of the impacts of the changes proposed and that are now being taken forward in legislation.</p>
<p>Of course, there were some important new developments as a result of the Green Paper that really got lost—for example, the further funding that's been made available to help with return to work, the fact that that's going to be for disabled people, if that is what they wish and are able to do, to return to employment, but also, tackling things like the delays to Access to Work, and to have the opportunity&nbsp;for a right to try, which, of course, is something that we've been calling for for a long time—a right to try to return to work. Then, if it isn't going to work out, they will not be reassessed or not be disadvantaged, which is actually what came through as an important reassurance yesterday as a result of the change. So, I think now we have to make sure that we get that Wales focus&nbsp;and that we also get disabled people in Wales to take the lead, because co-production has been promised by the UK Government.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for raising that question, Sioned Williams. You know and you will have seen the letter that I wrote last week to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to Liz Kendall, outlining our concerns, concerns based on the evidence of how disabled people in Wales would be affected—nearly 200,000 would be affected by those PIP changes that had been proposed. I think one of the most important points I made in that letter was that there should be no changes made before a review of the personal independence payment regime, including the criteria for access to personal independence payments. That came about as a result of our engagement with disabled people in Wales, as a result of meeting with the disability equality forum, the chairs of the disability rights taskforce, which helped give evidence in terms of case studies that came forward on the concerns and adverse impacts of the proposals as they were shaped at that time by the UK Government.&nbsp;So, I welcome the fact now that we have concessions, which were reflected in the Bill that finally went through last night. They did reflect on our call in my letter last Tuesday for the PIP review to take place before any changes were made. That's now laid down in statute, and a commitment to co-production with disabled people. I met with Stephen Timms on Sunday and invited him to Wales to meet our disabled people, to meet our disability equality forum representatives, and taskforce representatives, to engage with us here in Wales, with disabled people, to work on the co-production of this review.</p>

<p>The Equality and Social Justice Committee has just had a reply from Sir Stephen Timms about the disability benefits changes that are going to be voted on today in Westminster.&nbsp;I'm pleased to see that he is now committed to co-producing the review with disabled people as well as experts.&nbsp;I am concerned, however,&nbsp;that this review, which I am sure he will undertake diligently, is not going to be ready to be applied to the changes in legislation before the legislation is voted on. He does point out that PIP is devolved in Scotland, and I think there is a very strong case for accelerating the devolution of welfare benefits in Wales too, so that we can ensure that whatever money is available is exercised in the most humane and supportive manner.</p>
<p>On the specifics, 10 days ago I visited the Heath hospital—</p>

<p>Thanks very much, Hefin. You've been a champion on this issue from when it was introduced. The Minister responsible in the Welsh Government has had a series of discussions with&nbsp;Stephen Timms over the weekend, setting out how we do things in Wales, talking about how we will be leading a trailblazer in Wales to tackle economic inactivity, and how we can go about changing things in particular in relation to disabled people. I'm really pleased that they are also now going to bring forward the support for people who are unemployed, or people who are disabled, so that it comes in before any changes are introduced.</p>