Speeches by Timms.

“It is the start of a process. I have no doubt that once people have seen them people will have comments on them and no doubt between then and the regulations taking effect there will be some changes. We are doing it in parallel with the Bill.”

“There are rules at the moment, and they have been in place for some time, to encourage working age people in receipt of health and disability benefits to try work. I do not think those rules are very well known but it may be, as you say, that even if they were, people would not really believe it and so it would not mak…”

“You are right, the work capability assessment at the moment is used to determine the conditionality applied to a particular individual and somebody classed as unable to work, as LCWRA, they get no support or engagement at all. They are abandoned by the system. What we want instead is to be able to guarantee personalise…”

“I think the biggest changes would be for those who are currently in the LCWRA group who get absolutely nothing at all now. Our view is that it is reasonable to expect the great majority of people at least to talk to us about what their work ambitions are and about the support that we can provide to enable them to fulfi…”

“On the whole, I think the right approach here is a voluntary approach, to offer people the support that is available and it is for them to decide whether to take it up. This is an early part of the conversation here and, as I say, we will have much more when we come forward with our White Paper. I think the principle t…”

“We want to have in place a network of work coaches who have specifically been trained up to do this work among people out of work on health and disability grounds, the dedicated Pathways to Work advisers. I think we have 1,000 of those now in place, equivalent to two in every jobcentre. We have the academy for work coa…”

“I am going to duck the question, and I will be glad to come back in the autumn once we have thought this through properly and talk more about how we see it all panning out.”

“On the first point, I think the evidence is clear that a voluntary approach here is the most effective and that people are best supported when they have chosen for themselves to take up employment support. The motivation is there, they have been involved in deciding what to do and that works more effectively. Let us se…”

“Can I just come in? That is not how I see it. As I say, the key programme will be in place this year. The changes we are talking about in the benefit system start from next year but the number of people affected by them will grow over time. I think the support that we are providing will be in place in line with the nee…”

“I think there are several points here. I talked about the employment support that we will guarantee to people during the 13 week run-on period, about a decision on benefit is made. I am confident we will be able to deliver that by the time all of this starts in November next year. I think there is more than that we nee…”

“Among households as a whole, there will be more net gainers than net losers from the package. The reason for that is the increase to the standard allowance of universal credit, which according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies is the biggest increase to the headline rate of benefit since at least 1980. We are consult…”

“We are reviewing universal credit to ensure that it makes work pay and tackles poverty, and we are looking at exactly the kind of problem that my hon. Friend highlights. I would be delighted to meet him to discuss it, because Nicola, Steven and all 7,000 households claiming universal credit in his constituency will ben…”

“I commend my hon. Friend for all his work on this issue, including his seminal 2022 independent review. He is right that care leavers need support as they move to independent living. The Department for Work and Pensions at the moment exempts care leavers from the shared accommodation rate, and provides support toward s…”

“My hon. Friend’s constituent will benefit from the big increase in the universal credit standard allowance, which we have talked about, and from free school meals for her children. Somebody who starts work or increases their hours may also be eligible for support with up-front childcare costs. The flexible support fund…”

“I am looking forward to answering questions about these matters in front of the Committee on Wednesday morning. We are working very closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that the health and care needs of people who lose benefits as a result of this process are met.”

“The current PIP application process is outdated and can be very difficult to follow. Alongside proposed legislative changes, the Department’s health transformation programme will greatly improve the experience of applying and, I hope, increase confidence in the outcomes of the assessment as a result.”

“I recognise that many people who are on the PIP daily living component who did not get four points on anything at their last assessment are feeling rather anxious. However, what they need to know—I hope the hon. Member will reassure her constituents on this—is that it is the view of the Office for Budget Responsibility…”

“It is really important for claimants of PIP that its funding should be sustainable into the future. The trajectory of the past few years has been unsustainable. We are taking action to put that right. The hon. Member is wrong to say that because people did not get four points last time, they will not keep their PIP. As…”

“The OBR has published its assessment, and my hon. Friend is right that it has assessed that one in 10 of those receiving PIP in November next year will have lost it by 2029-30—one in 10; not the much larger proportion that we were hearing about earlier. Following that, we will be able to introduce the biggest ever inve…”

“No. Members will be voting for reforms to open up opportunities for people who have been denied opportunities for far too long. We are putting that right.”