Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of future trends in government spending on employment support for employment and support allowance claimants after the proposals in the Work, health and disability green paper: improving lives, published on 31 October 2016, have been fully implemented.

The ‘Improving Lives – the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’ sets out the Government’s proposals for improving work and health outcomes for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions. It seeks views on these proposals across a range of health, employer, welfare and societal issues; asking key questions like ‘what will it take to transform the employment prospects of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions?’. This consultation is still on-going and we are gathering stakeholder’s views on these proposals.

As set out during the passage of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, in addition to existing support we are investing in additional practical support for claimants with limited capability for work from April 2017, rising from £60m in 2017/18 to £100m in 2020/21. As set out in the Green Paper, employment support for claimants receiving Employment and Support Allowance includes provision in Jobcentre Plus, contracted employment programmes, and other spending such as Access to Work.