DWP promises to 'tackle' problem affecting disabled people on PIP

Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability in the DWP, has written for the Big Issue about the disability pay gap and what Labour plans to do to tackle it.

A Department for Work and Pensions minister has moved to slam the disability benefit pay gap. Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability in the DWP, has written for the Big Issue about the disability pay gap and what Labour plans to do to tackle it.

Mr Timms MP is minister for social security and disability at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). He wrote: "With disabled employees paid 12.7% less than non-disabled employees in 2023, a similar pay gap as 2014 , there has been a decade of lost potential which we are determined to tackle.

"We know that, on average, disabled workers are paid less than non-disabled workers, and are twice as likely as non-disabled people to be unemployed. It is simply wrong that these gaps exist," Mr Timms told the Big Issue magazine.

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He said the government would be "encouraging more disabled people into the workplace and supporting their progression widens the talent pool when recruiting, enriches teams’ knowledge and skills, and improves inclusivity."

He championed the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which will finally enshrine into law the full right to equal pay for disabled people. He also championed the New Deal for Working People which "will also change work for disabled workers by boosting wages and making work more secure."

In its New Deal for Working People, the party promised to “establish a Fair Pay Agreement in Adult Social Care, to drive up pay and conditions” and to “assess how and to what extent Fair Pay Agreements could benefit other sectors and tackle labour market challenges”.

Mr Timms said: "We can, and must, all play a role in addressing long-standing unfairness here. I have been discussing this this week with other ministers at the G7 Summit on Inclusion and Disability in Umbria. I am determined to turn the page on inequality for disabled workers, and secure a fairer and stronger economy for all. "