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1702248

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Disability Confident scheme on the disability employment gap.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	22548
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Disability Confident (DC) is one of a range of policies to support disabled people into work and to close the disability employment gap. It is difficult to isolate the direct impact of individual policies on the disability employment gap as numerous, interacting factors are at play, including overall labour market trends and changes to the composition of the disabled population, in addition to the effects of disability employment policies and programmes in themselves.</p><p> </p><p>When an employer signs up to DC, they agree to commitments which encourage employers to think differently about disability and to take positive action to address issues disabled employees face in the workplace. There are currently over 19,000 DC members and they estimate 11.5 million employees in total working in their businesses.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2023, the Department <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-survey-of-participating-employers-may-2022" target="_blank">published findings</a> from a survey with members of the DC scheme, conducted by an independent research agency[1]. The research explored the effect that signing up to the DC scheme had on members’ recruitment and retention attitudes towards disabled people.</p><p> </p><p>The DWP and Cabinet officials regularly meet with Ministerial Disability Champions to drive this agenda across Government. The Champions’ role is to ensure disability inclusion is a priority in their Department’s work. They are helping to deliver our commitment to support disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] The survey was conducted in February to March 2022. In total 1,233 survey interviews were conducted with scheme members.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/04/2024 16:52:08 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1712679

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department it taking to help ensure that disabled people have access to reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Battersea
	tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
	uin	23028
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>All employers have a duty under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents" target="_blank">Equality Act 2010</a> to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.</p><p> </p><p>For disabled people who require adjustments which are beyond reasonable adjustments, Access to Work (AtW) can provide a grant for the disability related extra costs of working a disabled employee may face. To support employers an AtW case manager will contact the customer’s employer ahead of making an AtW award to offer advice on reasonable adjustments an employer can provide and the support available under the AtW scheme.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has worked with stakeholders to develop a series of Adjustments Passports and Planners to support disabled people, and those with a health condition, with the transitions into employment and between jobs. The Adjustments Passport and Planners provide individuals with an up to date document of their adjustments and working requirements and empower the holder to have more structured conversations about their disability with their employer. They also raise awareness of Access to Work, and where an application is made, help to reduce the need for another assessment, enabling support to be put in place more quickly.</p><p>The Disability Confident scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. When an employer signs-up to the Disability Confident scheme, they agree to commitments which include anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required. They also agree to support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work. The scheme provides resources for members including the recently published <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-and-cipd-guide-for-line-managers-on-employing-people-with-a-disability-or-health-condition" target="_blank">Disability Confident Manager’s Guide</a> which explains how managers can make and review reasonable adjustments, consider flexible working, and includes examples of other types of adjustments.</p><p>As part of the government's response to the Health is Everyone’s Business Consultation, DWP has developed a digital service for employers, offering tailored guidance on health and disability. The service is called <a href="https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disability" target="_blank">Support with Employee Health and Disability</a> and is live across GB, testing very well with employers. Developed with small and medium enterprise (SME) employers, using user centred design principles, the service offers a simple, interactive and highly usable resource which helps employers to feel more confident having conversations about health and disability, as well as understanding and fulfilling their legal obligations on topics such as reasonable adjustments, and signposting to sources of expert support.</p><p>The fit note includes an option to allow a healthcare professional to indicate that a patient ‘may be fit for work subject to the following advice’ and provide general details of the functional effect of the individual’s condition and recommend common types of workplace adjustments. However, over 10 million fit notes each year are issued in England without any such advice, resulting in a missed opportunity to help people get the appropriate support they may need to remain in work.</p><p>That is why we announced funding in the 2023 Autumn Statement to test new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with tailored support, including referral to support through their local WorkWell service pilot. To support this, we launched a Call for Evidence to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations and help people start, stay and succeed in work.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/04/2024 09:52:00 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1712680

	registered interest
	date	22/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Medical Certificates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech on welfare of 19 April 2024, who the specialist work and health professionals are that will be responsible for issuing fit notes.
	tabling member constituency	Battersea
	tabling member printed	Marsha De Cordova
	uin	23029
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The trailblazers announced at Autumn Statement 2023 will be delivered in NHS Integrated Care Systems and fit notes will continue to be issued by the registered healthcare professionals working within the NHS who are specified in legislation – Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists.</p><p> </p><p>Our ambition is to co-develop a new fit note process delivered through multi-disciplinary teams, bringing together the issuing of fit notes with health and work advice to support people who are at risk of falling out of work or who have already fallen out of work due to ill health.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/04/2024 09:54:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4676 label Biography information for Marsha De Cordova

1701845

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on steps to end child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	22331
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>We have set out a clear approach to tackling child poverty based on evidence about the important role of work, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work. This is why our focus is firmly on supporting parents into and to progress in work.</p><p><br> We have no plans to reintroduce an approach to tackling child poverty focused primarily on income-based targets. This can drive action that focuses primarily on moving the incomes for those ‘just in poverty’ just above a somewhat arbitrary ‘poverty line’ whilst doing nothing to help those on the very lowest incomes or to improve children’s outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions currently works across Government to support the most vulnerable households. Ministers and officials work with their counterparts in other departments and external stakeholders to better understand the multidimensional nature of poverty. This includes a cross-government senior officials’ group on poverty.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 22332 question first answered 25/04/2024 10:11:02 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1701847

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has targets for ending child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	22332
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>We have set out a clear approach to tackling child poverty based on evidence about the important role of work, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work. This is why our focus is firmly on supporting parents into and to progress in work.</p><p><br> We have no plans to reintroduce an approach to tackling child poverty focused primarily on income-based targets. This can drive action that focuses primarily on moving the incomes for those ‘just in poverty’ just above a somewhat arbitrary ‘poverty line’ whilst doing nothing to help those on the very lowest incomes or to improve children’s outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions currently works across Government to support the most vulnerable households. Ministers and officials work with their counterparts in other departments and external stakeholders to better understand the multidimensional nature of poverty. This includes a cross-government senior officials’ group on poverty.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 22331 question first answered 25/04/2024 10:11:02 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1701849

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of social security payments on levels of child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	22333
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The latest statistics show that in 2022/23 there were 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting people on lower incomes and expects to spend around £306bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2024/25 including around £138bn on people of working age and children.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We estimate that in 2024/5 around 20 million families will benefit from the uprating of DWP and HMRC benefits in Great Britain. Over 11 million children in Great Britain will benefit from the uprating of DWP and HMRC benefits in 2024/5.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 25/04/2024 10:56:51 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1702501

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Health Services: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of classifying covid-19 as an occupational disease for healthcare workers; and whether his Department has had discussions with relevant professional bodies on that matter.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	22721
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The DWP is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) can be paid.</p><p> </p><p>The Council considered the available scientific and epidemiological evidence around COVID-19 infection and published a Command Paper entitled, ‘COVID-19 and occupational impacts’ in November 2022 found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-occupational-impacts" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p> </p><p>The Command Paper recommends that the list of prescribed occupational diseases for which IIDB can be paid should be expanded to include health and social care workers with five serious pathological complications following COVID-19 infection.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is currently carrying out a detailed assessment of the report’s recommendations and will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/04/2024 11:41:58 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1701842

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the main causes of poverty in (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) adults.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	22329
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>Poverty is a complex subject and there are different ways to measure and assess it.</p><p> </p><p>DWP tracks and monitors many different aspects of poverty, including our four statutory measures for children of relative income, absolute income, combined low income and material deprivation and persistent poverty that are published annually.</p><p> </p><p>National statistics on the number of individuals living in absolute and relative poverty are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2023" target="_blank">Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)</a><strong>. </strong>The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 25/04/2024 13:26:12 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1701852

	registered interest
	date	17/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of levels of child poverty among (a) BAME, (b) Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and (c) disabled children.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	22336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty by disability in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication in “table 1_7c” and “table 1_7d” (respectively) of<strong> “</strong>summary-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2022-23-tables<strong>”</strong> at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2023" target="_blank">Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)</a><strong>. </strong>The number of children living in absolute and relative poverty by ethnic group of head of household can be found in “table 4_1db_BHC” and “table 4_1db_AHC” at the link above. Poverty statistics for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children are not available.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23. The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 25/04/2024 13:28:59 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1702221

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Carer's Allowance: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) maximum amount of waiting time when contacting the Carer's Allowance Unit by telephone.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
	uin	22579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>Telephony is our customers’ primary channel to contact us. We continually assess the number of calls we are receiving and the associated waiting times, deploying resources accordingly to support service levels wherever this is possible.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/04/2024 13:56:13 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood