Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 1 October 2016 that people with long-term degenerative conditions will be exempt from repeat work capability assessments, if he will set out those medical conditions a diagnosis for which will provide such exemption.

Penny Mordaunt

There is no condition based entitlement to Employment Support Allowance.

We will be working over the coming months with medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop functional criteria that will help us identify those with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, for whom repeat work capability assessments can be stopped.

Rather than a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria will be based on identifying claimants with the most severe health conditions or disabilities where it would be unreasonable to expect the individual to undertake any form or amount of work or work-related activity. This change will only apply to those placed in the Support Group and UC equivalent.