Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Conclusion 19
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 share the Minister’s concern about young people being trapped in economic inactivity before their working lives have even begun, but we do not see why this means they should lose entitlement to UC health. The Government’s changes to UC rates, along with many of the other changes in the Green Paper, are designed precisely to support the economically inactive back to work, no matter their age. In other words, the Government believes that in the reformed system those on UC health will no longer be forgotten about. If this is so, the Minister’s concern about young people being trapped on benefits early in life will have been addressed and there will be no need to deny them access to UC health. (Conclusion, Paragraph 137)
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".