Copy of the United Nations Human Rights recommendations on Disability Rights

HAUT-COMMISSARIAT AUX DROITS DE L’HOMME • OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PALAIS DES NATIONS • 1211 GENEVA 10, SWITZERLAND 

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REFERENCE: CRPD/2025/JA/ro 

The Secretary-General (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, present its  compliment to the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and  Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organizations,  and wishes to refer to the below request of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with  Disabilities. 

Request pursuant to article 36, paragraph 1, of the Convention.  

Pursuant to paragraph 1 of article 36 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with  Disabilities, which allows the Committee to request further information from States Parties  relevant to the implementation of the Convention, the Committee respectfully requests  information about the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill and associated  proposals in the Green Paper “Pathways to Work”. 

In particular, the Committee requests clarification on the following : 

1. The extent to which an impact assessment has been carried out on the  consequences of budget cuts introduced by the Bill on disability benefits. 
2. The extent to which the measures envisaged by Bill will impact, in particular,  young persons, new claimants of disability benefits, women with disabilities, persons  with disabilities with high level of supports, persons with psychosocial disabilities, and  persons wit disabilities which require access to mental health care and support.  
3. The changes introduced by the Bill to the eligibility criteria of Personal  Independent Payment, including changes to assessment thresholds and conditionality  and sanctions for benefit recipients. 
4. The limitations to the Universal Credit Health elements envisaged by the Bill.  
5. Any measures to address the foreseeable risk of increasing poverty rates  amongst persons with disabilities if cuts are approved.  
6. The consultation to the Government Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work’, released  on 18 March 2025, only to 10 out of the 22 policy changes proposed.  
7. The extent to which persons with disabilities and their representative  organizations, including deaf persons and their representative organizations have been  closely consulted and actively involved in the drafting of the Bill and the parliamentary  process for the consideration of the Bill.  
8. Limited scrutiny of the Bill by the House of Lords as the former has been  considered by the Government as a “Money Bill”.  
9. Public statements by politicians and authorities portraying persons with  disabilities as making profit of social benefits, making false statements to get social and  disability benefits or being a burden to society. 

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10. The extent to which other intended Bills, such as PAFER, would allow the  Department of Work and Pensions to monitor the bank accounts of universal credit  recipients with algorithms scanning for fraud. 

Previous Concluding observations and recommendations 

The Committee recalls its 2017 Concluding Observations (CRPD/C/GBR/CO/1), its  2016 Inquiry Report under Article 6 of the Optional Protocol (CRPD/C/15/4), which found  grave and systematic violations of the human rights of persons with disabilitiesi, as well as its  2024 follow up report to the inquiry (CRPD/C/GBR/RFIR/1).  

Key recommendations addressed to the State party include: 

(a) In the 2017 Concluding Observations 

• Paragraph 59 (b): “Carry out a cumulative impact assessment, based on disaggregated  data, of the recent and forthcoming reforms of the social protection system for persons  with disabilities, and in close collaboration with organizations of persons with  disabilities define, implement and monitor measures to tackle retrogression in their  standard of living”. 

(b) In the 2016 Inquiry report (CRPD/C/15/4): 

• Paragraph 114 (b) “Ensure that any intended measure of the welfare reform is rights based, upholds the human rights model of disability and does not disproportionately  and/or adversely affect the rights of persons with disabilities to independent living, to  an adequate standard of living and to employment. To prevent adverse consequences,  the State party should carry out human rights-based cumulative impact assessments of  the whole range of intended measures that would have an impact on the rights of  persons with disabilities”; 
• Paragraph 114 (g) “Actively consult and engage with persons with disabilities through  their representative organizations and give due consideration to their views in the  design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of any legislation, policy or  programme related to the rights addressed in the present report”.  
• Paragraph 114 (i):”Ensure that, in the implementation of legislation, policies and  programmes, special attention is paid to persons with disabilities living on a low  income or in poverty and to persons with disabilities at higher risk of exclusion, such as  persons with intellectual, psychosocial or multiple disabilities and women, children and  older persons with disabilities”. 

(c) In the 2024 Follow-report to the inquiry (CRPD/C/GBR/RFIR/1) 

• Paragraph 90 (a): “To take all the legislative and administrative measures necessary to  ensure a nationally consistent framework for implementing and monitoring obligations  under the Convention across the State party, in order to avoid regression in relation to  the standards and principles enshrined in the Convention, and to establish a  comprehensive process for close consultation with and active involvement of persons  with disabilities…”. 
• In paragraph 88 the Committee indicated that: “The Committee concludes that no  significant progress has been made in the State party concerning the situation of  persons with disabilities addressed in the inquiry proceedings. The Committee notes 

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that while some measures have been taken to address its recommendations issued  pursuant to article 6 of the Optional Protocol, there are also signs of regression in  relation to the standards and principles enshrined in the Convention, in contravention of  article 4 (2) of the Convention”.  

Information available regarding the proposed Bill 

The Committee has received credible information indicating that if approved, the  Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill will deepen the signs of regression  that the Committee indicated in its 2024 Report on the follow-up to the inquiry.  

Timeframe and further steps. 

The Committee would appreciate receiving information to the above-referred questions  by 11 August 2025, in Word format. The Committee will examine the responses and all  credible information during its thirty-third session, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11  to 26 August 2025.  

For any additional information, please kindly contact the Secretary of the Committee,  Mr. Jorge Araya, at jorge.araya@un.org 

The Secretary-General (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) reiterates  to the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, the assurances of his highest consideration.

7 July 2025

Original document can be found here.