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1124692

	registered interest
	date	03/05/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help ensure that employers provide reasonable adjustments to the workplace so that people with hidden or invisible conditions are able to (a) access and (b) stay in employment.
	tabling member constituency	Bury South
	tabling member printed	Mr Ivan Lewis
	uin	250748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The law is very clear that employers must make reasonable adjustments for employees and job applicants who meet the Equality Act 2010’s definition of disability, namely having a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on the person’s ability to do normal daily activities. Where a disability is not obvious, it will be necessary for the employee or job applicant to declare their condition, but at that point the onus passes to the employer to meet its legal obligations.</p><p> </p><p>To help employers comply with the law, the Government has issued guidance on the duty to make reasonable adjustments, here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers</a></p><p> </p><p>In addition, guidance on this subject has been issued by Acas and by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has also published a statutory code of practice for employers. Where employers fall short on their obligations, legal remedies exist for employees and job applicants, together with Acas’s early conciliation service, which aims to settle disputes before they reach the employment tribunal.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 22/05/2019 15:13:27 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	441 label Biography information for Mr Ivan Lewis

1133563

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2019
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers are offering disability leave to disabled employees as part of reasonable adjustments.
	tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
	tabling member printed	Matt Western
	uin	267246
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting people with disabilities in the workplace and The Equality Act 2010 places obligations on employers with disabled employees, including the requirement to make reasonable adjustments, which may include granting leave related to the employee's disability.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and those of employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will be different for each employer because of factors such as the practicality and the cost of making the adjustment. A court or tribunal may ultimately make a final decision on whether a particular person meets the definition of disability in the Act and whether an adjustment request is reasonable.</p><p> </p><p>Practical advice on reasonable adjustments is available from a number of sources, including Acas and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The EHRC’s examples of reasonable adjustments for employers include disability leave.</p><p> </p><p>If a disabled person feels that they have not been treated fairly by an employer, the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) offers information and advice about discrimination, including disability discrimination. EASS can be contacted by telephone, via an online contact form or by post.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/07/2019 13:31:57 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1173640

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions her Department has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the fiscal support available for employers who incur costs by making reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	8286
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting people with disabilities in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 places obligations on employers in relation to disabled employees, including a duty to provide reasonable adjustments. However, the legislation recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of service providers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another. This is because factors like the practicability of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment and the resources available to a business, will vary from one situation to another.</p><p>The government runs Access to Work, a demand-led discretionary grant scheme that offers up to £59,200 funding per year for in-work support for people whose disability or health condition affects the way they do their job. The scheme is designed to offer support above the level of employers’ statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010, as well as providing advice to employers on in work support available for their employees which could include reasonable adjustments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 30/01/2020 16:47:47 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1174362

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that people with disabilities receive help and support to identify and challenge discriminatory workplace behaviours and practices.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	9723
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Any employer who undertakes actions that result in discrimination may be held liable for such behaviour at an Employment Tribunal. Through the Equality Act, employees are protected from victimisation, meaning they should not fear the consequences of challenging discrimination at their workplace, even where no legal case is taken or won.</p><p>In 2019 the EHRC published two pieces of guidance; a guide to help employees including disabled staff challenge discrimination at work, and a guide to help employers understand their responsibilities to provide disabled staff with additional support and workplace adjustments. The EHRC also supports disabled individuals who have experienced discrimination to take their cases to court; in 2018 EHRC delivered a Legal Support Project to increase access to justice for people experiencing disability discrimination. It offered groups £189,000 for legal assistance across 94 cases in areas including employment.</p><p>Prior to considering legal action, a person who feels that they have been unlawfully discriminated against can contact the <a href="http://www.acas.org.uk" target="_blank">Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service</a> or the <a href="https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/" target="_blank">Equality Advisory and Support Service</a> .</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 04/02/2020 11:57:07 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1174363

	registered interest
	date	29/01/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that employers meet their obligations to provide reasonable adjustments to the workplace to ensure that people with hidden or invisible condition are able to (a) access and (b) stay in employment.
	tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
	tabling member printed	Cat Smith
	uin	9724
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting people with disabilities in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 places obligations on employers in relation to disabled employees and job applicants, including a duty to provide reasonable adjustments. However, the legislation recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another. This is because factors like the practicability of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment and the resources available to a business, will vary from one situation to another. Although employers may in some cases make anticipatory adjustments, many will be at the request of the employee, including those where the disability may not be obvious or may be entirely hidden.</p><p>The government runs Access to Work, a demand-led discretionary grant scheme that offers up to £59,200 funding per year for in-work support for people whose disability or health condition affects the way they do their job. The scheme is designed to offer support above the level of employers’ statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010, as well as providing advice to employers on in work support available for their employees which could include reasonable adjustments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 04/02/2020 11:56:32 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1183668

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make it her policy to (a) publish the names of organisations that lose employment tribunals for disability discrimination and (b) allocate (i) resources and (ii) funding to support those organisations in improving their understanding of (A) disability discrimination and (B) their disabled employees.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	27016
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>We expect employers to comply with the law in their treatment of disabled employees. Employers who discriminate against such employees rightly run the risk of claims for disability discrimination against them being taken to employment tribunals, which have power to award unlimited damages (including compensation for injured feelings) in addition to any award made in relation to employment law claims (such as loss of earnings).</p><p>Employment tribunal judgments, including those involving disability discrimination, are publicly available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions</a>. Guidance for employers to help them avoid claims for disability discrimination against them are available from Acas and from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).</p><p>In 2019 the EHRC published two pieces of guidance; a guide to help employees including disabled staff challenge discrimination at work, and a guide to help employers understand their responsibilities to provide disabled staff with additional support and workplace adjustments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 27017 question first answered 17/03/2020 11:03:45 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1183669

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to tackle organisations that discriminate against disabled employees.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	27017
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2020 answer text <p>We expect employers to comply with the law in their treatment of disabled employees. Employers who discriminate against such employees rightly run the risk of claims for disability discrimination against them being taken to employment tribunals, which have power to award unlimited damages (including compensation for injured feelings) in addition to any award made in relation to employment law claims (such as loss of earnings).</p><p>Employment tribunal judgments, including those involving disability discrimination, are publicly available at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions</a>. Guidance for employers to help them avoid claims for disability discrimination against them are available from Acas and from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).</p><p>In 2019 the EHRC published two pieces of guidance; a guide to help employees including disabled staff challenge discrimination at work, and a guide to help employers understand their responsibilities to provide disabled staff with additional support and workplace adjustments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 27016 question first answered 17/03/2020 11:03:45 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1623329

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2023
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protection for disabled people when (a) applying for work and (b) having their employment terminated.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	182395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>There is long-standing legal protection for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). The Act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a disabled job applicant or employee because of their disability, provided the Act’s definition of disability is met.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Specifically, the Act requires employers to make reasonable adjustments in relation to the disabled job applicant’s assessment and interview process and, once employed, the disabled employee’s job and decisions made in relation to it. These adjustments ensure that disabled applicants or employees are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee or job seeker, or discounting a job application simply because the applicant is disabled could amount to direct disability discrimination under the Act. Similarly, where an employer is looking to reduce their staff, choosing someone for redundancy simply because they are disabled, may amount to unlawful discrimination.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore vary from one employer to another because of factors such as the practicality of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment to the employer and the resources available to different employers. In the event of a claim of alleged disability discrimination, it will ultimately be for the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, what reasonable adjustments should be made for a particular disabled service-user, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In terms of employment law, should a person be unfairly dismissed because they have a disability, they can seek redress under the Act for being discriminated against by their employer. Where an employer treats a worker with a disability or life-limiting illness so badly that the worker is forced to resign from their job, the constructive dismissal provisions in employment law may apply.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 03/05/2023 16:07:42 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1677624

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2023
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to support disabled people in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	East Dunbartonshire
	tabling member printed	Amy Callaghan
	uin	900633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government has a range of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work, which was recently expanded at Autumn Statement.</p><p>This includes Universal Support, WorkWell pilots, Disability Confident, Disability Employment advisors, reforming the fit note process, and establishing an expert group on Occupational Health.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 13/12/2023 14:06:42 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4770 label Biography information for Amy Callaghan