Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will (a) recognise long covid as a disability and (b) take steps to ensure that people who have been diagnosed with that illness are able to access disability benefits.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment and the Work Capability Assessment (which assesses whether a claimant for Universal Credit (UC) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) has limited capability for work), are functional assessments that assess the impact of a person’s disability or health condition, rather than the condition itself. This means that a person with any health condition that has impacts on their functioning, and who meets eligibility criteria, can be assessed and, if they meet the appropriate assessment criteria, an award for PIP or the relevant component of UC/ESA can be made