Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted in Part
Clarify the future type of UC health benefit and update on Scottish implementation progress.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government: • clarify what type of benefit UC health will be in the reformed system; and • provide an update as soon as possible on the progress of discussions with the Scottish Government regarding implementation in Scotland. (Recommendation, Paragraph 121)
Government Response Summary
The government clarified that additional financial support will be the UC Health Element (UCHE), based on PIP Daily Living Awards, and described its function rather than classifying it as a benefit type. Discussions with the Scottish Government regarding implementation are ongoing.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
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.