PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Chronic Illnesses (14 July 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report from Cystic Fibrosis UK entitled The cost of cystic fibrosis 2022, what support her Department is providing to people with long-term conditions whose finances are impacted by their condition.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

The Government is committed to supporting people living with long term health conditions, including cystic fibrosis.

Currently, no specific assessment has been made of the impact of cystic fibrosis on employment for people. However a range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including cystic fibrosis, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services. We will be investing £1.3bn in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions over the next three years.

The Government continues to recognise the difficulties carers have in maintaining links to paid work whilst undertaking caring responsibilities. The Government is committed to supporting all individuals and businesses to work flexibly and recently consulted on measures to strengthen the existing right to request flexible working framework. The consultation ran from September to December 2021.The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is currently analysing over 1,600 consultation responses received and will be publishing the next steps in due course.

The Government wants to help carers combine their caring responsibilities with work where they can. Jobcentres can provide support to those carers looking for employment. This will be tailored to their individual needs and circumstances and could range from simply sign-posting them to local vacancies to more intensive employment and training support.

Alongside employment measures such as flexible working, the Government gives carers access to financial support when they need it, by ensuring the benefit systems (including Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit) meet the needs of eligible carers and support employment for those carers who are able to do some work.

The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why it is providing over £37 billion of support this year. People with cystic fibrosis who receive a qualifying means-tested benefit may be eligible for the £650 Cost of Living Payment which is designed to target support at low-income households. In addition, if they receive a disability-related benefit such as Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment, they may also be eligible for a disability Cost of Living Payment of £150.

All domestic electricity customers will also benefit from the £400 support being provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. We are also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022 and will be extended until March 2023 with a further £421m.

People with cystic fibrosis may be entitled to support of up to £156.90 a week, tax free, from the extra costs benefits: Attendance Allowance; Disability Living Allowance; and Personal Independence Payment.

Answered by:
Chloe Smith (Conservative)
21 July 2022