Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the 20 February 2022 statement of the British Psychological Society expressing concern that the changes to policy announced as part of the Way to Work initiative could have serious negative consequences on the mental health of jobseekers; and if she will make a statement.

The Way to Work campaign aims to help job-ready claimants into work more quickly, utilising strong relationships with employers to help fill the hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the economy. Way to Work is not a new sanctions policy.

The expectations of a claimant are agreed with them and clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment at the beginning of their Universal Credit (UC) claim. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions the claimant has agreed to undertake. Any work-related requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored to an individual claimant’s capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.

Way to Work is specifically for those placed in the Intensive Work Search (IWS) conditionality group while on UC. Claimants with health-related support needs will undertake a Work Capability Assessment to determine their conditionality group and, where appropriate, may receive support through the Work and Health Programme.

We know the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to get back into work. These changes are intended to accelerate the rate at which people who lose their current job are helped back into employment.