Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published 26 November 2024, what metrics her Department is using to measure progress in increasing employment among (a) disabled people and (b) people with health conditions.

The Government has a clear ambition to raise the employment rate to 80% and has published a set of key indicators that it will monitor closely as it carries out this work. These will build on aims set out in the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change and the Get Britain Working White Paper and recognise that there are many components of a sustained improvement to the workforce. These indicators include the disability employment gap and the health-related economic inactivity rate. DWP will shortly be publishing an update on progress in delivering the reforms outlined in the Get Britain Working White Paper over the last six months.

The disability employment gap is the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people aged 18 to 66. Disability is measured using the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Harmonised Standard definition which classes as disabled, anyone who reports a physical or mental health condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months that reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. The health-related economic inactivity rate is the number of people aged 18 to 66 who are economically inactive and give long-term sickness as the main reason (most of which will also be classed as disabled) divided by the 18 to 66 population.