questionText: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential causes of the (a) disabilities and (b) long-term illnesses that have contributed to the trends in the number of working age people who are claiming sickness and disability benefits.
answerText: The number of working age people reporting long-term health conditions and disabilities had been growing steadily since at least the late 1990s, before accelerating since the COVID-19 pandemic. These increases are likely to be caused by a combination of c...
heading: Social Security Benefits