Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026
Correspondence with the Minister for Employment, following her appearance before the Committee on Wednesday 11 February 2026
Summary
The Work and Pensions Committee wrote to the Minister for Employment on 23 February 2026 following her oral evidence on 11 February, raising detailed questions about Connect to Work evaluation frameworks, Access to Work award reductions, rising reconsideration requests (194 to 1,575 in three years), and funding allocation for disabled people. The Minister responded on 24 March, confirming theory-based evaluation combining management information, fidelity reviews, and longitudinal surveys, explaining award changes reflect consistent guidance application rather than policy change, and stating employment programme expenditure cannot be disaggregated by disability status.
Key findings
- Connect to Work evaluation combines internal management information, independent fidelity reviews, and large-scale national evaluation with process, outcome, impact and value-for-money strands; early insights report expected 2026, interim 2026/27, final 2030/31
- Access to Work award reductions stem from consistent application of existing guidance rather than policy change; DWP updated employer guidance clarifying their legal responsibility for reasonable adjustments under Equality Act 2010
- Reconsiderations increased from 194 (2021-22) to 1,575 (2024-25); Minister acknowledges link to consistency drive but cannot confirm this is sole cause; expects numbers to reduce as guidance beds in
- Access to Work applications more than doubled 2018/19 to 2024/25 (76,100 to 157,000); DWP addressing backlog through staff recruitment, resource reallocation, and digital system enhancement
- Government states employment support budget cannot be disaggregated by disability status as programmes serve mixed-ability participants, declining to provide proportion allocated to disabled people
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Debbie Abrahams MP, Dame Diana Johnson MP, Angus Gray, Dr Simon Marlow, Lorraine Jackson, National Audit Office, Department for Work and Pensions
Notable line
“For the last year we have worked to improve decision-making throughout the scheme by ensuring that guidance is applied with greater consistency, helping to 3 provide a fairer process.”
Key Quotes
“The NAO said stricter application of these rules has led to some reduced renewal awards, and you suggested that award reductions might be linked to the more consistent application of policy.”
“The number of reconsiderations increased from 194 in 2021-22 to 1,575 in 2024-25.”
“For the last year we have worked to improve decision-making throughout the scheme by ensuring that guidance is applied with greater consistency, helping to 3 provide a fairer process.”
“Applications to the Access to Work scheme more than doubled between 2018/19 and 2024/25”
“The employment programmes are not exclusively for disabled participants, and will contain a range of abilities. It is not possible to disaggregate the expenditure.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗