MPs asked to vote on disability cuts before knowing full impact

MPs are set to vote on Labour's disability benefit cuts without any idea of how many of those affected will be able to find work, after it emerged that Britain's economic watchdog may not publish its forecast of the employment impact of the plans until the end of October.

- Chaminda Jayanetti

The Department for Work and Pensions' own impact assessment last week predicted that the cuts announced in the disability benefits green paper would drive at least 300,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children.

Ministers argue that those hit by the plans which restrict eligibility for personal independence payment (Pip) and slash the health element of universal credit for new claimants - could avoid poverty by finding work, helped by a £1bn disability employment support package that was announced alongside the benefit cuts.

However, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was unable to say how effective those employment support measures would be when it published its assessment of the green paper last week, citing a lack of policy detail from the government and insufficient time.

Instead, the OBR plans to include an assessment of the labour market impact of the green paper in its autumn forecast which last year was published on 30 October.