Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Conclusion 5
3rd Report – Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work
Published 29 Jul 2025
Addressed to Department for Work and Pensions
Work and Pensions Committee Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We are sympathetic to the intention behind the changes to UC rates and we agree with the importance of increasing the standard allowance. As such, we warmly welcome the desperately needed increases in the standard allowance, although we hope the Government will give serious consideration to further increases before the end of the Parliament. The Minister gave us reason to think he was keeping an open mind on this. We also welcome the decision not to freeze UC health for existing claimants. We remain concerned, however, that the significant reduction in UC health for new claimants after April 2026 will push many disabled people further into poverty and away from the labour market, even with the increase in the standard allowance. (Conclusion, Paragraph 98)
From: Work and Pensions Committee, 3rd Report – Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work (HC 837), 29 July 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 23 October 2025 (deadline 29 September 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government "supports" the Committee's conclusion that the incapacity benefit system is broken, welcomes the report, and on most recommendations sets out existing measures or says it is considering consultation responses, with plans to follow "in due course".
- On raising the age of access to the UC Health Element to 22, it is "considering the responses to this consultation" and "will set out the policy direction in due course".
- On conditionality for disabled people, it "recognise[s] the need to provide further detail and clarity" and will share its proposals "in due course".
- On standard allowance increases and the UC health element, it points to the Universal Credit Act 2025, states the lower health element "will take effect on 6 April 2026", and says it "will keep standard allowance rates under review".
- On devolution, it says discussions with the Scottish Government on "the interactions between the devolved and reserved systems" are "ongoing".