Social Security Benefits: Disability
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that engagement in physical activity does not put disabled people at potential risk of losing their benefits.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
Entitlement to disability benefits is based on a functional assessment of the person’s ability to perform a range of activities relevant to the specific benefit.
Engaging in regular physical activity will not automatically result in reduction in benefit or trigger review or reassessment. It will, however, be considered when assessing the person’s functional ability.
It is regrettable to note - as reported in the ‘Activity Alliance Annual Disability and Activity Survey (June 2024)’ - that “around two-fifths (38%) of disabled people say that a fear of their benefits or financial assistance being taken away prevents them from trying to be more active”.
This government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and to the principle of working with them, so that their views and voices will be at the heart of all that we do.
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