Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
3rd Report – Get Britain Working: Pathways to Work
Work and Pensions Committee
HC 837
Published 29 July 2025
Recommendations
6
Deferred
Implement further increases to Universal Credit standard allowance and delay UC health reduction for disabled people.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government consider implementing further increases to the standard allowance over the life of the Parliament, in addition to those provided for in the Universal Credit Bill. We also call on the Government to delay the reduction …
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Government Response Summary
The government stated it is carefully considering responses to its Green Paper consultation on conditionality and employment support for disabled people and will share further details in due course, without committing to further increases in the standard allowance or delaying the reduction in UC health.
Department for Work and Pensions
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20
Deferred
Review decision to delay young people's access to UC health until age 22.
Recommendation
We urge the Government to review its decision to delay access to UC health until the age of 22. (Recommendation, Paragraph 138)
Government Response Summary
The government states it welcomed views on raising the age for Universal Credit Health Element access as part of a recent Green Paper consultation. It is currently considering the responses and will set out the policy direction in due course, deferring a decision on the recommendation to review its initial decision.
Department for Work and Pensions
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23
Deferred
Clarify government intentions for disabled people's conditionality regime, including appeal rights.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government clarify its intentions for the conditionality regime for disabled people. In particular, it should spell out what requirements beyond support conversations a disabled person might have to meet. Furthermore, if the nature of a person’s …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the need for further clarity on the conditionality regime for disabled people, including requirements and work coach discretion, and stated they are considering consultation responses and will share detailed proposals in due course.
Department for Work and Pensions
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Conclusions (4)
4
Conclusion
Deferred
The accessibility of workplaces is highly relevant to the Government’s reforms, especially since it has predicated its criticisms of the Work Capability Assessment partly on there being a range of jobs and adaptations available in the labour market. We will return to this subject in a future Get Britain Working …
Government Response Summary
The government explained its proposed reform, outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, where the Universal Credit Health Element (UCHE) will be based on eligibility for a Daily Living Award in PIP and not linked to work capacity, without addressing workplace accessibility.
5
Conclusion
Deferred
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 …
Government Response Summary
The government stated it is considering responses to its Green Paper consultation on raising the age for Universal Credit Health Element access and will set out its policy direction in due course, rather than directly addressing concerns about the reduction in UC health for new claimants.
19
Conclusion
Deferred
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 …
Government Response Summary
The government stated that it welcomed views on raising the age for Universal Credit Health Element access as part of a consultation and is currently considering responses, with the policy direction to be set out in due course.
22
Conclusion
Deferred
We are cautiously optimistic about the Government’s proposals for conditionality, although a great deal remains uncertain. The tone of the Green Paper suggests the Government is minded to focus more on positive engagement than coercive conditionality. We appreciate the concerns expressed by many about the principle of drawing more disabled …
Government Response Summary
The government reiterated its Green Paper approach to conditionality focusing on personalised employment support and periodic conversations, acknowledging the need for further detail and clarity on regimes and operations, with proposals to be shared in due course.