Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will consult with groups representing disabled people on the implementation of Government reforms to improve the experience of disabled people of the assessment process for disability benefits.

It is vital that the voices of disabled people are at the centre of health and disability policy development. Over the past 18 months I have personally led a series of events in which I have heard from disabled people and their representatives about their lived experiences with the benefits system, including the assessment process. The forthcoming Health and Disability Green Paper will reflect themes coming out of those conversations and ask for views on how best to address them. We will continue our direct engagement with disabled people and groups representing them, up to and following the publication of the Health and Disability Green Paper.