New disability minister pledges to put disabled people’s voices at heart of government’s work

A senior MP with decades of social security experience has been appointed as the new minister with overall responsibility for disability issues, and has pledged to ensure “disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of all we do”.

Although his title is minister of state for social security and disability, the government website makes it clear that Sir Stephen Timms will lead on “disability policy” and will assume “cross-government responsibility for disabled people”, as well as oversight of the Disability Unit.

Sir Stephen (pictured) was chair of the Commons work and pensions committee in the last parliament, and he was also a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) minister under the last Labour government.

His first spell at DWP included eight months in 2008 as minister for employment and welfare reform – at a time when the government was introducing employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment – and two spells as pensions minister at the Department of Social Security and DWP.

Among his responsibilities will be universal credit, personal independence payment, ESA, housing, carer’s allowance, and the serious case panel, which was set up by DWP to examine “serious cases” and “serious systemic issues”, including deaths of claimants.

This will mean he will be responsible for long-standing concerns about claimant deaths*, including those linked to universal credit (see separate story).

Despite repeated concerns being raised in recent months about safeguarding and deaths linked to universal credit, none of the main political parties mentioned the issue in their election manifestos.

Sir Stephen said: “I am delighted as minister for social security and disability to be taking on the government lead for disabled people.

“I will ensure disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of all we do.

“I will work with colleagues across government, and I look forward to meeting with disability organisations this week.”

DWP said the structure through which ministers in other departments would support his work would be decided soon.

But Sir Stephen will not be responsible for disability employment within DWP, after the Labour government appears to have split that policy area from social security, a decision that is likely to be welcomed by many disabled people.

Disability employment will be the responsibility of Alison McGovern, the minister for employment, who will also be responsible for Access to Work, conditionality and sanctions, and the controversial area of “addressing inactivity”, including what DWP calls its “Work and Health strategy”.

Another key ministerial appointment is that of Stephen Kinnock, the new minister of state for care in the Department of Health and Social Care.

His responsibilities include adult social care, health and social care integration, and – unexpectedly – “disabilities and SEND” (special educational needs and disabilities).

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has been appointed as minister for women and equalities, with her responsibilities including children’s social care and – in her equalities brief – oversight of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Equality Act.

Anneliese Dodds, appointed a minister of state at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, will also be a minister for women and equalities at the Department for Education, although her responsibilities in her equalities role have yet to be announced.

Among the responsibilities of the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, will be “ensuring the transport network is safe and accessible”, although responsibilities of her ministers have not yet been announced, so it is not clear who will lead on accessible transport.

*The Department, DNS editor John Pring’s book on DWP and how its actions led to countless deaths of disabled people in the post-2010 era, will be published by Pluto Press on 20 August. Visit TheDepartmentBook.com before publication for a 50 per cent discount 

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