Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce workplace absences caused by migraines; and what steps they are taking to support people living with chronic migraines to remain in or return to work.

We know that good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living with chronic migraines, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.

We have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals, including people with migraines, to stay in work and get back into work. These include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Access to Work grants and Connect to Work, as well as initiatives joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and WorkWell.

In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits, building on existing initiatives.

Additionally, we have developed a digital information service for employers and continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.

In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Report, setting out recommendations to reshape how government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes through creating healthier, more inclusive workplaces. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches to help disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions, including workers living with chronic migraines, receive the support they need to remain and thrive in employment. These include developing effective stay in work and return to work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration. The Plan outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work and deliver holistic care that leads to better employment outcomes for all.