Recommendation 2

HM Government Rejected

The Department has no plans to commission further research to understand the impact of benefit levels on the health and wellbeing of customers and its relationship with economic productivity. Regarding economic productivity, it is vital that benefit levels (and the design of the benefit system) incentivise work and operate alongside the National Living Wage to ensure that families moving into work are better off than if they were on benefits. This supports families to improve their living standards as well as growing the economy. It is wrong to write people off, when there is a growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. The Government therefore has an ambitious programme of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. These include: • Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies; • Youth Employability Coaches; • The Work and Health Programme; • Access to Work grants; • Disability Confident, a digital information service for employers; • Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres; • Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentre; • Increasing access to Occupational Health; and 4 Benefit levels in the UK overnment’s response to the Committee’s Second eport • Expanding the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme. Building on this, the Government announced significant additional investment during the 2023 fiscal events. Alongside the delivery of existing initiatives, the Government is now focused on delivering this package which includes: • Introducing Employment Advisors into Musculoskeletal health services; • A new voluntary employment programme, Universal Support (US) will provide wraparound support to 100,000 people a year once fully rolled out; • Our WorkWell programme running in 15 pilot areas to provide light touch work and health support; • Exploring new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support; and • Establishing an expert group to advise on a voluntary national baseline for Occupational Health provision. Setting benefit levels: Purpose, principles and policy objectives