Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58821 on Access to Work Programme: Self-employed, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to Access to Work on claimants who are (a) self-employed and (b) working for smaller employers; and whether the consultation entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, includes consideration of the needs of claimants in those groups.

As announced in the Green Paper, we are consulting on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We also understand that the role of employers is key to the creation of accessible and inclusive workplaces.

This Government values the input of disabled people and people with health conditions including those who are self-employed or work for smaller employers, in addition to the representative organisations and people that support them. That is why we brought forward the Green Paper and opened a public consultation.  The consultation closed on the 30 June 2025.

We will review all aspects of Access to Work, including provision for the self-employed and those working for smaller employers, as we develop plans for reform following the consultation. We will assess the impact of potential changes once they have been identified.