Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Deferred
Workplace accessibility is highly relevant to Government reforms impacting Work Capability Assessment criticisms.
Conclusion
The accessibility of workplaces is highly relevant to the Government’s reforms, especially since it has predicated its criticisms of the Work Capability Assessment partly on there being a range of jobs and adaptations available in the labour market. We will return to this subject in a future Get Britain Working inquiry. (Conclusion, Paragraph 49) Changes to PIP eligibility and UC rates
Government Response Summary
The government explained its proposed reform, outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, where the Universal Credit Health Element (UCHE) will be based on eligibility for a Daily Living Award in PIP and not linked to work capacity, without addressing workplace accessibility.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, in a reformed system, additional financial support related to health and disability in Universal Credit (UC) will take the form of the UC Health Element (UCHE). With the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), eligibility for UCHE will not be linked in any way to someone’s capacity to work or their work status. Instead, it is proposed, in England and Wales, it will be based on whether someone is receiving any Daily Living Award in PIP. DWP typically describes UC Health Element (UCHE) in terms of how it works and what it involves, to ensure it is as easy as possible for customers to understand, rather than classifying it as a type of benefit. Discussions are ongoing with the Scottish Government regarding the interactions between the devolved and reserved systems.