Important developments in Universal Credit health campaign
3 mins read
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Two important parliamentary questions were asked last week on the back of Contact’s campaign to urge the government to retain Universal Credit health payments for young disabled people.
This was a direct result of parent carers writing targeted emails to their MPs through Contact’s campaign action. These highlighted how the proposal would impact them.
Sir Alex Fox is Conservative MP for Bridgwater in Somerset. He asked how many under-25s receiving the Universal Credit health element are in education, employment or training, and how many are not?
James Naish is Labour MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire. He asked whether the Government was planning to restrict the Universal Credit health element for under-25s and whether existing claimants could be affected.
Not all NEET
As a result, we now know that 26% of under-25s receiving Universal Credit health payments are in education, training or employment.
The government has implied that all young people in receipt of Universal Credit health payments are not in education, training or employment (NEET). This is one of the justifications for the proposal to remove the payment to some young disabled people.
Una Summerson, Contact’s Head of Policy and Campaigns, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to parent carers taking a stand against this proposal. Due to their intervention, we now know more than one in four young people receiving Universal Credit health payments are already in education, training or employment. That’s around 33,000 young disabled people in England. This challenges the government’s assumption that disabled young people receiving this support are all out of education or work.
“We also know through calls to our helpline that some young disabled people use their Universal Credit health payment for transport, equipment or care to enable them to access education or training. Others have disabilities or health conditions so severe that participation in work or training is extremely difficult or impossible. Cutting this vital financial support risks undermining the very opportunities the Government says it wants to improve. This will potentially make it harder for disabled young people to remain in education or employment.
“Disabled young people need both opportunities and financial security. One cannot come at the expense of the other.”
The government did not answer whether existing claimants could lose support. We are awaiting further details of government proposals in Wednesday’s budget and in the Milburn Review, now expected in November.
How to get involved
Get in touch with your MP today and highlight what impact this proposal would have on your family.
NB: The government figures relate to young people under 25 in England who had been assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) in May 2024. The data is from May 2024, covers England only, and does not capture all forms of education. Nor does the 74% figure tell us whether young people could realistically work, particularly those with profound disabilities or substantial care needs.