Overview

• The Department for Work and Pensions is beginning more frequent engagement for people classed as having limited capability for work, covering roughly two million claimants.
• The rollout includes redeploying 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers into every Jobcentre across England, Wales and Scotland to deliver personalised help.
• Support offered to Universal Credit recipients with no work-search requirement is voluntary, focusing on skills, training and routes back to suitable employment.
• Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden says the shift is part of Labour’s plan to move from monitoring to practical help and to widen access to good, secure jobs.
• Turn2Us research highlights widespread mental health harm linked to the benefits system, while independent experts caution the new regime could become administrative box-ticking without wider investment and integration, despite a stated £3.8bn employment support package.