Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to social security payments after a three month transition period on disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are aware from working closely with health colleagues that there is increased anxiety relating to the Green Paper changes resulting in people seeking health related support.
We want to reassure people that the changes to PIP will not come into effect immediately. The changes will apply from November 2026 at a person’s next award review. If an existing claimant loses eligibility to PIP, they will continue to receive their full entitlement for 13 weeks after their award review. This will provide time for individuals to respond to their new situation, including accessing employment support if appropriate. This transitional cover is more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.
Through the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the Department is consulting on what else is needed to support those who lose entitlement due to the reforms, including how to make sure that health and eligible care needs are met. The Department has secured the first ever multi year settlement for the household support fund – now the crisis and resilience fund, which gives councils certainty about the money they are getting to help people struggling. Guidance has been issued strongly encouraging Local Authorities in England to support disabled people using the Household Support Fund through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund which starts from April 2026
However, we do recognise this will still be concerning for people - and that, as a department, we come into contact with some claimants who have complex needs or are vulnerable. The department already has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward.
If someone within a job centre is identified as being at risk of suicide, there is the 6-point plan that will be invoked. We already have robust safeguarding processes in place during the assessments where our trained health care professionals can make contact with the claimant’s GP or mental health team if they are concerned that there has been or is a risk of deterioration to the mental or physical health of an individual.
We want to go further so that there is a clear and transparent process in place to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we have committed to undertaking a thorough review of our current approach to safeguarding, with the aim of developing and implementing a new departmental-wide approach.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help protect people with (a) multiple mental and physical health disabilities and (b) chronic health conditions from financial hardship.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work. As part of making changes to the rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that the incomes of those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected. We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future.
We are also taking action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits as set out in the Green Paper. This includes exploring ways to improve PIP assessments through digitalising transfer of medical information, using evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for people with very severe health conditions to undergo functional assessments and improving communication with people receiving awards who are expected to remain on disability benefits for life.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people claiming (a) disability and (b) incapacity benefits with a mental health condition are eligible for those benefits due solely to a mental health condition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase the effectiveness safeguards for people with mental health conditions when engaging with the benefits system.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All customer-facing DWP colleagues are undertaking mandatory mental health awareness training to better support claimants who may present with mental health issues. All colleagues also have access to a wide range of guidance and signposting to help support customers. Where further specialist help is required, DWP has a national network of Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders who can provide additional advice and support through the local networks they have built with external partners and organisations.
Additionally, through the national DWP Visiting Service, the department provides additional face-to-face support across all service lines to customers who cannot access DWP services in any other way. A visit can be arranged for a customer if they need extra help to claim benefits, for example because they have complex needs, are disabled, are a vulnerable young person making a claim for the first time, have nobody else to support them or cannot claim benefits in any other way.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate support for people with physical disabilities that live independently.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to stabilise the adult social care system and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide joined-up care for people with complex health and care needs, such as people with a physical or learning disability.
To best support those drawing on care, the Government recognises the importance of holistic, joined-up services. The Department of Health and Social Care is working with partners across the Government, including the Department of Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Education, to build the right support across a range of public services including the social care, housing, and benefits systems.
Under the Care Act, local authorities are responsible for shaping their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people with either physical or learning disabilities, or both, to access quality care and, if they choose, live independently.
Section 2 in the Care Act places a duty on local authorities to provide or arrange services, facilities, or other resources to prevent or delay the development of care and support needs for adults, with the aim of keeping people independent. This occurs in the context of local populations and the services available.
Currently, adults who are receiving local authority support with their social care costs can choose to receive their personal budget, the amount of money they are assessed to require to meet their eligible needs under the Care Act 2014, as a direct payment. This allows the person, or their nominated representative, to commission their own care, providing them with greater independence, choice, and control in meeting their eligible personal care and support needs.
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant which helps eligible disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes, through practical changes like installing stair lifts or level access showers, to make them safe and suitable for their needs.
We also incentivise the supply of supported housing for adults with a physical or learning disability, autistic people, or adults with mental ill-health. These interventions seek to enable disabled adults to live more independent and healthy lives in their own home, for as long as possible.
The extra costs disability benefits are not means–tested and are non-contributory and thus paid regardless of any income or savings. They are also tax-free and worth up to £184.30 a week, or over £9,580 a year. These benefits were not subject to the benefits freeze, having most recently been uprated by 6.7% from 8 April 2024, and were qualifying benefits for the Disability Cost of Living Payments paid in 2022 and 2023.
The extra costs disability benefits can be paid in addition to other financial and practical support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for, such as other social security benefits or access to the Blue Badge scheme.
Adult social care is not just a service for older adults, as it supports approximately 300,000 disabled people aged 18 to 64 years old to live independent and dignified lives. The Government wants to better support working age disabled people to participate in society and access employment.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate provision of early support for people with learning disabilities that live independently.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to stabilise the adult social care system and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide joined-up care for people with complex health and care needs, such as people with a physical or learning disability.
To best support those drawing on care, the Government recognises the importance of holistic, joined-up services. The Department of Health and Social Care is working with partners across the Government, including the Department of Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Education, to build the right support across a range of public services including the social care, housing, and benefits systems.
Under the Care Act, local authorities are responsible for shaping their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people with either physical or learning disabilities, or both, to access quality care and, if they choose, live independently.
Section 2 in the Care Act places a duty on local authorities to provide or arrange services, facilities, or other resources to prevent or delay the development of care and support needs for adults, with the aim of keeping people independent. This occurs in the context of local populations and the services available.
Currently, adults who are receiving local authority support with their social care costs can choose to receive their personal budget, the amount of money they are assessed to require to meet their eligible needs under the Care Act 2014, as a direct payment. This allows the person, or their nominated representative, to commission their own care, providing them with greater independence, choice, and control in meeting their eligible personal care and support needs.
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant which helps eligible disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes, through practical changes like installing stair lifts or level access showers, to make them safe and suitable for their needs.
We also incentivise the supply of supported housing for adults with a physical or learning disability, autistic people, or adults with mental ill-health. These interventions seek to enable disabled adults to live more independent and healthy lives in their own home, for as long as possible.
The extra costs disability benefits are not means–tested and are non-contributory and thus paid regardless of any income or savings. They are also tax-free and worth up to £184.30 a week, or over £9,580 a year. These benefits were not subject to the benefits freeze, having most recently been uprated by 6.7% from 8 April 2024, and were qualifying benefits for the Disability Cost of Living Payments paid in 2022 and 2023.
The extra costs disability benefits can be paid in addition to other financial and practical support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for, such as other social security benefits or access to the Blue Badge scheme.
Adult social care is not just a service for older adults, as it supports approximately 300,000 disabled people aged 18 to 64 years old to live independent and dignified lives. The Government wants to better support working age disabled people to participate in society and access employment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to reform the social security system to (a) support families on low incomes and (b) reduce related mental health issues.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I am proud to have social security in my title and this government is prioritising providing security for the most vulnerable, and this includes low income families though Universal Credit, the Household Support Fund and the wider benefits system as well as our manifesto commitments to develop a child poverty strategy and roll out free breakfast clubs in every primary school.
We will be setting out our plans for social security in due course and will fulfil our continued commitment to work with disabled people and families so that their views and voices are at the heart of all that we do.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that the sanctions regime does not disadvantage those who experience mental health challenges.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Customers in the No Work Related Requirements Group, for example those with a severe mental health condition or disability, are not subject to conditionality requirements and therefore not subject to sanctions.
Customers are only ever sanctioned if they fail to meet their agreed requirements without good reason and they are given every opportunity to explain why they failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirement before a decision is made. We recognise the importance of understanding how a mental health condition impacts someone’s ability to search for or prepare for work and Claimant Commitments are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that obligations under the Equalities Act 2010 are taken into account when developing policies on support for people with mental health challenges.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The DWP is proudly committed to becoming a more Trauma Informed organisation. The potential merits of the adoption of the Trauma Informed Approach into DWP services, will benefit all customers including those with mental ill health who are unemployed. Adopting the principles of the approach into the core of our business will help us to ensure that anyone interacting with our services feels as safe, empowered and understood as possible; this will underpin our ongoing commitment to compassionate coaching and tailored services.
We have a dedicated programme which will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December, 2022) which are safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration. Our programme looks at these six pillars within the contexts of application to our colleagues, our customers, our culture, and the context of our interaction- whether that is a physical, telephony, digital or postal interaction. There is significant emphasis within the design of the programme regarding what more can be done to prevent trauma and re-traumatisation for both our customers and our colleagues. We are learning from best practice demonstrated by organisations such as NHS Education Scotland, Work Services Australia and the Wales ACES Hub to shape the future prioritisation of this work.
When developing policies, the Department routinely carries out assessments against the Public Sector Equality Duty to ensure that due regard is given to our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on steps being taken to help mitigate the potential mental health impact of (a) conditionality groups and (b) welfare sanctions on claimants.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
Ministers hold discussions with other ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues.
As set out in the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for Change and Strategic Framework, published in August 2023, we are currently working with stakeholders to develop a tool which will potentially support policymakers across Whitehall to examine the impact of their proposals on people’s mental health.