Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will confirm that all elements of the personalised support package for recipients of employment and support allowance will be in place by April 2017.

As set out in the Improving Lives The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, we will be introducing a new Personal Support Package (PSP) for people with health conditions from April 2017. This is in line with our ambition to provide a support system which can be tailored to individuals’ needs. In relation to this, we have already recruited 300 new Disability Employment Advisers with the expertise to compliment work coaches and better support claimants’ needs.

As part of the PSP, we will also begin to roll-out a £330m package of employment support for new ESA Work Related Activity Group and UC Limited Capability for Work claimants, from April 2017, which will deliver a broad range of employment and health support.

In addition to all of this, an extra £15m will be made available through the Flexible Support Fund in both 2017/18 and 2018/19 to offer more targeted support at a local level.