Employment and Support Allowance
Work and Pensions
Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Selly Oak, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to propose changes to a student's entitlement to employment and support allowance if they have to leave their course because they are diagnosed with (a) cancer and (b) another serious illness.
Mark Hoban (Fareham, Conservative)
There are circumstances when certain vulnerable students can access benefits. These include students who are long-term sick and in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA), those who are disabled and some lone parents (subject to the age of their youngest child). Students are eligible for income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) if they are entitled to DLA.
There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria for students to claim ESA.