North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson took to the floor of the house to ask a question of Disabilities Minister Tom Pursglove.
Justin asked the question during DWP oral questions, asking whether the Minister would consider extending the severe illnesses criteria (SIC) to reduce the number of people requiring an assessment to access support.
By extending the number of conditions included in the SIC to include conditions with a clear degenerative trajectory, such as motor neurone disease, it is estimated that 300,000 people could be lifted out of requiring an assessment.
Reducing the number of people requiring assessments will relieve pressure on assessors and speed up the assessment process.
Tom Pursglove MP, Disabilities Minister, confirmed that the Government remained committed to extending the SIC and is working with experts to draw up a draft of set criteria.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Our excellent, proactive Minister is no doubt testing out concepts ahead of the forthcoming White Paper. Does that include extending the severe conditions criteria so that people with conditions such as motor neurone disease can automatically access support without the need of an assessment?”
