Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changing eligibility criteria for personal independence payment on people with long-term medical conditions; what estimate he has made of how many people will be affected by those changes; what type of work he expects people with long-term medical conditions to undertake; and what steps he has taken to (a) ensure that employers employ people with such conditions and (b) tackle any discriminatory practices against people with such conditions.

DWP has conducted a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided, through Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. No decision has yet been made as to whether any change should be made to the current system and the department does not have any preference between the five options presented in the consultation. We have also invited additional suggestions for change.

If the Department decides that change is required, a full equality analysis will be conducted and considered prior to a final decision being made, in line with the Department’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010. This will include an estimate of the number who would be affected.

PIP is payable both in and out of work. The Government is committed to giving all disabled people the opportunity to fulfil their potential and achieve their ambitions. Work is an important part of this, which is why the Government has committed to halving the disability employment gap, requiring us to transform policy, practice and public attitudes. The government’s award winning Disability Confident was launched by the Prime Minister in 2013 and works to improve employer awareness and confidence in employing, retaining and unlocking disabled people’s talents.

Employment programmes like Work Choice continue to help thousands of disabled people find, start and remain in work. Since 2010, Work Choice has achieved over 39,490 job outcomes for disabled people. The Equality Act 2010 also provides statutory protection against discrimination and applies to every stage of the recruitment process. Access to Work offers additional support beyond an employer’s statutory duty to provide reasonable adjustments and last year the scheme supported 36,800 disabled people in work.