Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors, published on 5 September 2023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the consultation on the (a) financial and (b) mental wellbeing of people with Parkinson's disease.

We have published our response to the consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment criteria, having carefully considered feedback from disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the organisations that represent and support them.

From 2025, we will make changes to the WCA that continue to protect those with the most severe conditions, while ensuring those that can work are supported in doing so. Most existing claimants that have already been assessed without work-related requirements, will be able to benefit from our Chance to Work Guarantee. This change will in effect abolish the WCA for the vast majority of this group, and they will be able to move towards work without fear of reassessment.

As part of the Autumn Statement, the Government has also announced an expansion in tailored support for disabled people and people with health conditions, including Universal Support and NHS Talking Therapies.

The OBR have said that they expect these changes to mean that 371,000 fewer people will be declared as having Limited Capability for Work Related Activity by 2028/29 than otherwise would be the case. HMT have published the impacts in their policy costing note that accompanies the Autumn Statement.

Estimates are not based on specific conditions because the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on their ability to work, not the condition itself.