People deemed unable to work – including those with a history of self-harm or at risk of killing themselves – could have their benefits reduced and face penalties under new government plans.
Under the proposals, which aim to make it harder for people who are long-term sick to claim benefits, ministers are hoping to reduce the number of people deemed unable to work at all as part of wider plans announced in the spring “back to work” budget.
On Tuesday Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, outlined plans to change the categories related to “mobility and social interaction”, which are used to determine the amount of financial support a sick person receives and whether they are required to look for work.
Stride said new work practices, such as the ability to work from home, could allow some people deemed unable to work to move “closer to work, financial independence and a more fulfilling life”.
Those people would get “appropriate support tailored to their individual circumstances, allowing them to safely access the life-changing impacts that work can provide”, he said.
Currently 2.4 million of the most unwell or disabled people claiming benefits are categorised as having limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA). They receive about £390 a month extra on top of the basic rate of universal credit, have no requirement to look or prepare for work and face no penalties.
People categorised as having limited capability for work (LCW) receive less than those in the LCWRA group and may have to meet certain requirements to prepare for work or face reductions to their benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said that in the last quarter, 14.6% of people categorised as LCWRA were deemed “at substantial risk” – which experts said was often due to a history of self-harm or because they were at risk of suicide.
The DWP said it was looking at whether the “significant risk” category was being applied “too broadly” and “excluding a significant number of vulnerable people from support”.
Stride admitted that the proposals would only come in after a general election.
He told the Commons: “If the proposals were taken forward following consultation, the earliest we could implement any change would be from 2025, given the need to make changes to regulations and ensure appropriate training for health assessors.”
A spokesperson for the DWP said people would not have to do work-related activity where it was not appropriate and those in the most vulnerable group would not be penalised if they did not comply.
Asked if the DWP expected the number of people considered capable of any work to reduce, or if people assessed under the new criteria would be less likely to be deemed unable to work, a spokesperson said it would depend on the outcome of a consultation. The consultation was launched on Tuesday and will run until the end of October, with proposed changes due to come into force in 2025.
Tom Pollard, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation, said: “Take-up of support is low because people are often wary of the DWP and the jobcentre. What this is really about is being able to apply conditionality to push people into support schemes, as well as paying them a lower rate of benefit.”
Vicki Nash, associate director of external relations at Mind, the mental health charity, said people needed well-resourced mental health services, not “work coaches … pressured to deliver mental health support without the right training”.
She added: “These reforms will take away much-needed financial support. It is also untrue to say that people experiencing mental health problems can simply work from home instead. Just like physical illness, working from home when mentally unwell stops people performing at their best and can delay their recovery.”