Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Macmillan's recommendation for an independent commission to review the level of support the benefits system provides to enable (a) disabled people or (b) people with a long-term health condition to cover their living costs.

The Government is providing extensive support to disabled people and those with a health conditions to help them live independent lives. We will spend over £59 billion this year (2021/22) on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions.

The Government is also providing support worth around £12 billion this financial year and next to help families with the cost of living. We are cutting the Universal Credit taper to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down, and providing targeted support to help households with the cost of essentials.

In addition to this, the Energy Bills Rebate will provide around 28 million households with an upfront discount on their bills worth £200.

Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, which was published on 20 July 2021, explored how the benefits system can better meet the needs of disabled people and people with health conditions now and in the future by improving claimant experience of our services, enabling independent living and improving employment outcomes. . We received more than 4,500 responses to our Green Paper proposals and detailed proposals will be brought forward in a White Paper later this year.