DWP benefit reforms 'could drive people away from work', MPs warned

A panel of disability experts have told a select committee of MPs that a crackdown on disability benefits intended to push people back into work could actually result in more disabled people staying out of the workforce. One expert told the committee that sanctions would not work as "nobody can achieve anything from a position of fear".

Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to tackle "sick note culture" with sweeping changes to Personal Independence Payments, amid a massive rise in long-term sickness following the pandemic that has left 2.6 million people out of the workforce. Though, there has been scepticism about whether these measures could be introduced before the General Election later this year.

Speaking to the Work and Pensions Committee today (May 1), a panel of disability experts explained to MPs how almost a quarter of the workforce had become disabled following the pandemic, as well as how the Prime Minister's crackdown on benefits could actually scare disabled people further away from employment. Glasgow MP David Linden asked the panel of experts: "Does threatening people to punish them with a sanction, does it work?"

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Laura Davis, chief executive of the British Association of Supported Employment, answered saying: "Within the supported employment model which is what I represent, the evidence shows that building aspiration and hope are the most effective ways of engaging people into the employment market. Actually, what we see for people is the more you talk about sanctioning, the more you drive behaviours of people trying to hang on to what they've got."

The committee's panel of witnesses, which also included disability policy experts Professor Kim Hoque and Nic Murray, explained how the post-pandemic rise in disability, increasing from 16 per cent of the population to 23 per cent, was caused by a complicated rise in sickness from Type 2 diabetes, delayed mental health diagnoses and treatments, and the NHS' record waiting list for procedures like hip replacements.

Ms Davis went on to explain that this cohort of people could not be scared back into work. She said: "Actually, nobody can achieve anything from a position of fear. And so we've seen a significant number of people calling us since the announcements actually becoming further entrenched, in terms of that position of, actually, being really scared to think about employment.

"So we know from the international evidence base that the most effective way of supporting people into work is about raising aspiration, about promoting good quality careers, so it isn't just about any old job. It's about the right job that's going to work for that person in terms of their dreams, aspirations, strengths, talents, but are also going to meet the needs of an employer.

"So actually, we think that it will further drive some of the most vulnerable people even further away from the labour market rather than actually bringing them closer."

David Linden MP followed up by asking if Rishi Sunak's speech, April 19, had done more to hinder getting disabled people back into the workforce, rather than help.

Ms Davis answered: "I think it's confused because we had announcements around Universal Support, which is the new employment programme, which is absolutely based around a voluntary programme, it's about raising aspiration, supporting people into employment, and then we're talking about sanctioning.

"And it's really confused both individuals but also employers. So on Friday, I actually had some phone calls from employers saying to me, 'you told us that Universal Support was about hope, that it was about voluntary, that we want people that are motivated into the workforce. We do not want people that are being mandated and forced into work'.

"Because actually it's no good for us and it was one of the criticisms from employers around the work and health programme, was about people being mandated to apply for job roles rather than being well matched into the right job for them.

"So actually, we've seen a real nervousness from employers, which I think is absolutely counterproductive because as was said by [Professor] Kim earlier, we need employers on board if we're going to really reduce the disability employment gap because we need them to know that the people that are coming forward are motivated to do so rather than being sanctioned."