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Disabled People in Poverty
17 June 2025
Lead MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan
Poole
Lab
Responding Minister
Alison McGovern
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Word Count: 8910
Other Contributors: 28
At a Glance
Neil Duncan-Jordan raised concerns about disabled people in poverty in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government needs to provide changes to the benefits system that will help disabled individuals escape poverty, including addressing the issues with the personal independence payment (PIP) review process and ensuring a fair taxation system for the super-rich.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The current benefits system fails to address the needs of disabled individuals. Some 700,000 families with a disability are already living in poverty and 75% of people who turn to food banks are disabled or live in a disabled household. Figures reveal that 4.7 million people in disabled households face hunger. The process of claiming support can be complicated and confusing.
Adam Dance
LD
Yeovil
The hon. Friend agrees with the need to support vulnerable people’s mental wellbeing and calls for proper staff and accessible mental health hubs in every rural community.
Andy McDonald
Lab
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
In his constituency, 23,000 people receive universal credit and 11,000 receive PIP. The changes will amount to about £22 million a year being taken out of the local economy without evidence to demonstrate the benefits.
Ann Davies
PC
Caerfyrddin
Analysis from Policy in Practice indicates that four of the UK's ten worst-hit local authority areas by welfare cuts are in Wales. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report found 37% of disabled working-age adults in Wales to be in poverty, with relative poverty increasing for those affected by PIP and universal credit changes.
Ayoub Khan
Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Considering such a serious matter requires an equality impact assessment to understand its impact on residents up and down the country. Argues that a holistic impact assessment should be done before rushing into changes to PIP, highlighting its economic impact of £5 billion.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Of the 13,132 disabled people living in my constituency, 5,110 claim PIP. Cutting benefits without addressing extra costs faced by disabled people is unconscionable. A wealth tax would be a start, and there are other ways in which the Government could look for savings on disability benefits, such as reducing profits of US firms like Maximus.
Brian Leishman
Lab
Alloa and Grangemouth
Fourteen years of austerity followed by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have led to out-of-control inequality, with cuts costing lives. The hon. Member agrees that taking away PIP from residents in his constituency will add a greater burden on council services.
Cat Eccles
Lab
Stourbridge
More than 6,000 people in her constituency claim personal independence payments and many are at risk of losing their jobs if the cuts go through.
Chris Hinchliff
Lab
North East Hertfordshire
Three quarters of adults receiving health-related universal credit are experiencing material deprivation; this is a national disgrace and the system should be reformed.
Hendon
Only 54% of disabled people are employed, compared to an average of 84% for those without disabilities. The JRF says that individuals in full-time work are five times less likely to be poor than those not working.
Al Pinkerton
LD
Surrey Heath
The hon. Member highlights the challenges faced by disabled veterans in his constituency, such as inability to heat homes and food insecurity, calling for bespoke support for these individuals.
West Dorset
The hon. Member discusses the substantial additional costs of disability, including mobility aids, home adaptations, specialist care, heating, and travel expenses, noting that disabled households need an extra £1,010 per month.
Ellie Chowns
Green
North Herefordshire
Did not contribute substantially, just requested to speak but was declined by Oliver Ryan.
Gill German
Lab
Clwyd North
From discussions she has had in Clwyd North, it is clear that our systems need urgent reform to stop unacceptable obfuscation and delay from leading to mental anguish and financial hardship.
Ian Byrne
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
The Government got it completely wrong when they cut winter fuel payments last year and should admit their mistake by withdrawing the plans to cut disability support.
Imran Hussain
Lab
Bradford East
The proposed changes risk pushing 44,000 disabled people in his constituency into serious poverty. He agrees that taxing the super-rich is the right choice.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
In Northern Ireland, over a fifth of the population aged 16 to 64 are disabled with the lowest disability employment rate and largest unemployment gap between disabled and non-disabled persons.
Johanna Baxter
Lab
Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Asked if it was cruel that under Conservative rule, the number of people from working households living in poverty more than doubled to 1.3 million. Asks about findings from the Government’s consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting.
Neil Coyle
Lab
Bath
The hon. Friend agrees that tackling discrimination is important but argues against cutting disability benefits as it makes people poorer without addressing economic issues or supporting employment opportunities. Questioned whether the £12 billion promised by Conservatives for cuts had been identified or outlined and where the party would have made those cuts during their time in government.
Oliver Ryan
Ind
Burnley
Critiqued the Tory government's record on disability support, pointing out that the number of disabled people in working households living in poverty doubled to 1.3 million under their watch and highlighted the need for scrapping the work capability assessment.
Olivia Blake
Lab
Sheffield Hallam
The average extra cost of living for disabled people in the UK is nearly £1,000 a month, and PIP exists to help cover these costs, not as an income replacement.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
The sequencing is wrong, the proposals are wrong and ultimately the outcomes will be devastating; employers have a major responsibility to support disabled people.
Tiverton and Minehead
The hon. Member warns about the potential broader systemic costs of proposed PIP cuts, including pressures on the NHS and local authority social care, which could negate or exceed projected savings.
Salford
In her constituency, 10,000 people are in receipt of PIP or health element of universal credit, and they are terrified that the cuts will push them into poverty.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
The Government plan to slash £7 billion from support for disabled people, pushing 300,000 to 400,000 more disabled people into poverty and deepening the poverty of up to 700,000 already impoverished disabled families.
Sarah Dyke
LD
Glastonbury and Somerton
My constituent Samantha, who is a recipient of personal independence payment, has submitted 100 pages of evidence for her PIP review which she still awaits a decision on. The Government’s intention to make the process more challenging will discriminate against the most vulnerable. Highlighted a constituent's case of severe distress over potential PIP reduction, underscoring the vital lifeline provided by such payments.
Torbay
Emphasised the importance of PIP in supporting people with disabilities, highlighting cases where constituents are already desperate due to anticipated reductions. He also discussed barriers to education and employment for disabled individuals.
Terry Jermy
Lab
South West Norfolk
Asked the Minister about speeding up the PIP process to help those waiting for decisions, noting that delays are ruining lives and costing a fortune.
Tom Gordon
LD
Harrogate and Knaresborough
The hon. Member discusses barriers to disabled people finding employment and supports a campaign for people with disabled bus passes to use them at any time of the day.
Government Response
Alison McGovern
The Minister for Employment
Government Response
Acknowledged the level of poverty among disabled people demands attention, stating that 14 million people were in poverty when Tories left office including 6.3 million disabled individuals. Introduced specific anti-poverty measures such as a fair repayment rate reducing maximum debt deduction from 25% to 15%, benefiting 1.2 million households by an average of £420 annually.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.