Thank you for contacting me about the changes to disability welfare. I recognise that many people may be feeling anxious about the changes at the moment. I want to be clear that the Government’s plans will not result in any immediate changes to anyone’s benefits.

These reforms have been designed to build a fairer system that will protect those who need support most, and I welcome that those with lifelong health conditions, who will never be able to work, will no longer face future reassessments. These people will be eligible for a new Universal Credit premium, giving them the financial security they deserve. Existing claimants will also have their health top-up protected, and it is right that Personal Independence Payments will continue to rise with inflation.

I was elected on a pledge to put the voices of disabled people at the heart of policy. I stand by that. The Government has launched a public consultation to guide the reforms going forward and I urge any disabled person or representative organisation to contribute their views to this. I will also be participating in the consultation to ensure that the perspectives shared with me by constituents are reflected in the consultation.

I want to see a social security system that gets decisions right the first time and focuses on what people can do, not just what they cannot. That is why I welcome the Pathways to Work plan, which includes a record £1 billion investment in tailored employment support for disabled people. This comes alongside efforts to break down barriers to work and create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. Disabled people deserve the same opportunities as anybody else.

The plan will also tackle the perverse incentives of our welfare system and increase the UC standard allowance above inflation for the first time. Crucially, the “Right to Try” guarantee will ensure going back to work itself will never lead to a reassessment, giving people the confidence to take on new opportunities. The broken Work Capability Assessment will be scrapped. This will simplify the process for attaining health-related benefits into one single assessment and end binary categorisations of can and cannot work, helping people who can work to access support to do so.

I am confident that these changes will enable disabled people to live with dignity while making sure the welfare system is sustainable in the long term. This is essential, above all, for the people who depend on it.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely

Liz