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Universal Credit

Asked by Neil O'BrienConservativeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 26 May 2026UIN 2316

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the number of Universal Credit claimants with limited capability for work and work-related activity by recorded medical condition.

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

The Department publishes quarterly statistics showing health conditions of claimants on Universal Credit (UC) Health Journey split by phase. This includes all health conditions recorded at their Work Capability Assessment (WCA) but does not capture health conditions of claimants transitioning from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to UC Health under Move To UC, as well as the health conditions of claimants going through a paper-based WCA.

The latest available statistics release can be found here: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2025 - GOV.UK.

Information on the primary health condition of claimants who received Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is published and can be found on Stat-Xplore. This is not comparable to the UC data in that only one health condition is shown.

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