On the 17th February, Alison McGovern, Minister of State for Department for Work and Pensions replied to Jo Platt MP about how the Government plans to support people with ME/CFS and Long Covid in regards to employment.
Parliamentary Question
Jo Platt, Labour MP (Leigh & Atherton), who is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ME (APPG on ME) and also chair of the APPG on Long Covid asks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people with (a) Long Covid and (b) ME back into the workplace.
Response
Alison McGovern Labour MP (Birkenhead), Minister of State for Department for Work and Pensions replied:
Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.
We are committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term. We are working to develop proposals for reform in the months ahead and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year.
MEA Comment
The ME Association believes the decision about when or if a return to work if feasible and what type of work is suitable, should remain with the person who is disabled. We encourage the UK government to provide appropriate and voluntary employment support for people in this situation. For example, the Government could make the permitted work rules more flexible, especially for people on benefits who might try to work but who find it impossible to maintain or who relapse and need to return to the enhanced benefit payment.
In order for employers to support people who are able to work, they need to understand the fluctuating nature of ME/CFS and Long Covid symptoms and find ways to provide reasonable adjustments including hybrid working or home based opportunities. Other supportive measures may include offering phased return to work after periods of illness or temporary reduction in workload. Employers should also ensure they comply with the requirements of the Disability Confident scheme.
Emma Jefferies
Communications and Social Media Lead,
The ME Association
For information
- ME Association: The Work Capability Assessment Consultation | Oct 2023
- Jo Platt becomes Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ME | Dec 2024
- Jo Platt becomes Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Long Covid | Dec 2024
- Policy Paper: Get Britain Working White Paper | Nov 2024
- Disability Confident employer scheme | July 2014