Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, whether he had discussions with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people's organisations when finalising reforms to the Work Capability Assessment.

We published our response to the consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment criteria on 22 November. We engaged extensively throughout the consultation period, taking care to ensure the views of charities, groups and organisations that represent disabled people were considered. 14 public consultation events were held, both face-to-face across Great Britain, and virtually. We also engaged directly with clinical experts, employer groups and disability organisations across the country. We received over 1300 written responses from disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the organisations that represent and support them. We listened carefully to what people told us and took their views into account when deciding about which changes to take forward.