Welfare Reform Bill

My Lords, I am very pleased that the noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, has tabled this amendment, because it gives us a chance to flag up the fact that, as she said, many work capability assessments are now being "failed". These are people who find that they do not have enough points not to be required to seek work. Even people with quite severe impairments are being failed, including many with fluctuating conditions. How many representations has the DWP received about this? I have received a lot of complaints. One provider of pathways that I visited in the summer was very concerned about the people now in the employment group of ESA. Following a work capability assessment, a lot of them are being told that they will be ready for work in six months. In some cases, the providers know that the person will need longer in the progression-to-work group before they are thrown in at the deep end of the JSA regime. If Amendment 37 was in place, a one-off snapshot by a healthcare professional would not be the only medical assessment of somebody with a fluctuating condition. I support the noble Baroness’s amendment.