Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment

Department for Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 30 January 2017.

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Photo of Louise Ellman Louise Ellman Chair, Transport Committee, Chair, Transport Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department will implement plans to cease work capability assessments re-assessments for employment and support allowance claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities where the condition is unlikely to improve; and if he will make a statement.

Photo of Penny Mordaunt Penny Mordaunt The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

This change will come into effect in 2017 and will apply to those placed in Employment and Support Allowance’s Support Group and the Universal Credit equivalent.

Whilst the new criteria and process for this group of claimants is developed, we do not plan to reassess claimants who had the most severe health conditions or disabilities when they had their first Work Capability Assessment. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop the new criteria and, when finalised, we will revisit this group to confirm the position, but we expect this will not require a face-to-face assessment.

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