UK weighs disability benefit changes for under-25s
Ministers are considering replacing the Universal Credit health element for younger claimants with employment support, alongside wider changes to Personal Independence Payment.
UK ministers are weighing changes to disability-related benefits for people under 25, including removing the Universal Credit health element and offering more intensive help into work. The Guardian reports that the options remain under discussion and await the findings of reviews into young people’s employment and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
About 184,000 people aged 16 to 24 receive the health element. It is already due to fall to £217 a month for most new claimants from next April. Ministers are also considering whether any change would affect existing claimants.
Proposed employment support could include subsidised jobs, targeted programmes and mental health support. Officials are separately examining a replacement for PIP, including the possibility of a distinct system for under-25s. Eligibility rules and the effects on claimants have not been settled.
A government spokesperson said the reviews led by Alan Milburn and the Timms panel would lay the foundation for reform, and that ministers would not pre-empt their findings. The government says it is investing £3.5bn in employment support for disabled people and people with long-term conditions.
The proposals could require legislation, potentially in a bill during the next parliamentary session. The timetable and scope remain uncertain. Disability charities have warned that cuts or tougher conditions could deepen poverty and make it harder for young people to enter work.
