Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Conclusion 10
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)
In the end, the Government made the right decision by removing Clause 5 from the Universal Credit Bill, as a result of which there will now be no change to PIP eligibility until after the completion of the PIP review. The decision, and the way it was made, of course gives rise to many other questions. We had concerns about the policy development process, which was particularly troubling given the Government’s commitment to improving its approach to safeguarding. We do not understand why a comprehensive and independent impact analysis was not undertaken before the Bill was introduced. There are clearly lessons to be learned. We would also welcome Ministers’ consideration of how a realigned, disability friendly labour market and an NHS with additional capacity might impact on the rate of disability and incapacity benefit off-flows, and similarly how longer-term improvements in population health might impact on the rate of on-flows. (Conclusion, Paragraph 103)
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".